Welcome to the ASCENDANT JAM, with over $50,000 in prizes!
UPDATE - Deadline extended to August 1st and ASCENDANT JAM WEEKEND announced for June 28-29th, including a closed playtest, bonus asset drop, and live event with the team!!!
This is the first ever Jam of its kind: we’re giving you free access to our game assets (3D models, concept art, and more) to create something amazing. We’re looking for creatives across the internet who want to build something beautiful using our game…or just smash it to pieces.
Jam Theme: The Last Biocore.
Click Here to Access our Game Assets
Submissions are open until June 30th August 1st. We’ll be hosting digital events like Q&As with our team. Be sure to join our Discord server for more information:
Click Here to Join the ASCENDANT JAM Discord Server
About ASCENDANT
Ascendant is an upcoming squad-based FPS: it's high-stakes, lore-rich, and the most unpredictable twist on capture-the-flag yet. Game-changing events, from sudden airstrikes to mutated mega-beasts, make every match unique, forcing players to adapt or die.
But Ascendant is also a narrative universe: inspired by original writings by bestselling author Naomi Novik, Ascendant is a biopunk dystopia infused with 80s nostalgia and deep lore that questions our relationships with technology, the planet, and the fate of humanity.
Categories
There are 4 CATEGORIES to compete in, so creatives of all kinds can find a way to shine. Think of it as 4 separate sub-Jams. The categories are:
- Best Cinematic - Using our assets, create an animation set in the world of Ascendant. We’re looking for quality, originality, and an understanding of the game lore.
- Best Gameplay Video - Make a stream, edit, fan trailer, in-game machinima, etc. It just has to be a video that incorporates game footage in some way.
- Best New Take - Bring Ascendant to life in a new medium. Create a game of your own, write a story, draw a webcomic, do whatever. Bonus points for creativity.
- Best Filth (18+) - Shock us. Seriously.
Grand Prizes
We’re giving away $50,000 USD in prizes. Yes, you read that right. Each of the 4 categories will have 3 grand prizes:
1st place in a category: $7,500 cash prize & get featured and credited in-game.
2nd place in a category: $2,500 cash prize.
3rd place in a category: $1,000 cash prize.
NOTE: The ‘Best Filth’ 1st place winner might not have their creation totally featured in-game (thanks, legal…) but we’ll find a way to nod to it, and they’ll get an extra unique prize ;)
From the 4 category winners, we will select one Best in Show and fly them & a friend out to our studio in Cambridge, UK. You can meet the team, see how a game studio works, and party with us in the pub we own, The Side Quest.
If you’re not one of the 12 grand prize winners, don’t worry: we’re giving away over $3,000 in cash prizes for all sorts of cool accomplishments. Check it out below:
Standout Pot
Aside from the grand prizes, we’re giving away over $3,000 in special standout awards. Here’s the first batch, but there’s more TBA:
Tier 1: $500 each
- Best New Idea: You propose a new element so good we can’t believe we didn’t think of it first. If we add it to the game, you’ll get credited.
- Best Newcomer: Though you may not be as experienced as the rest, we like the direction you’re heading in–and want to see more.
Tier 2: $250 each
- Best Lore: For the submission that displays the deepest understanding of game lore.
- Best Comedy: For the submission that makes us laugh the hardest.
- Best Action: For the submission that kicks the most ass.
- Best BioPunk: For the submission that glows GreenTech.
- Best Twist: For the submission that totally surprises us.
Tier 3: $100 each
- Best 80s Tribute: For the submission with the best perm. It’s an 80s-infused dystopia, after all.
- Best Music: For the submission with the best original song, or the best soundtrack. Make it catchy.
- Best Aesthetic: For the most beautiful, high-def, ultra-sexy submission.
- Best Totally Original: For the submission that is one-of-a-kind. We can’t think of examples.
- Best Multi-Media: For the submission that lives across mediums. A comic with a video embedded, for instance, or an animation coupled with an original song.
Tier 4: $50 each
- Best Use of Gorlizard: For the submission that brings the might and horror of this bioengineered beast to life.
- Best Use of Biocore: For the submission that finds the most creative use for those orange, amber-filled jugs.
- Best Use of Assault Rifle: For the submission that makes best use of our gun–or proposes a new mod for it.
- Best Use of Ascendants: For the submission that decks out our human survivors–and adds a unique spin on their look and lives.
- Best Use of Environment: For the submission that thoughtfully uses our buildings and foliage to create a world that feels real and lived-in.
Rules
We want you all to unleash your collective creativity and mayhem without limit. That said, let’s lay down a few basics:
General Rules:
- Multiple submissions: Participants can submit multiple projects across categories, but the same project cannot be submitted to multiple categories.
- Content policy: tag your submissions ‘mature’ if they include things like gore and coarse language. Anything more explicit should go into the ‘Best Filth’ category. No hate speech and/or discriminatory content will be tolerated.
- No paywall: submissions under a paywall will not be considered.
- No copyrighted material: avoid using copyrighted material from other sources.
‘Best Cinematic’ Rules:
- Use of Assets: the animation should incorporate one or more of our assets in some way.
- Duration: submissions should be at least 5 seconds long, with no cap on length. We’re looking for quality, not quantity.
- AI policy: generative AI will not be permitted in this category. If you would like to use AI, consider submitting through the ‘Best New Take.’
‘Best Gameplay Video’ Rules:
- Use of Game Footage: submissions have to incorporate game footage in some way.
- Duration: same rules as ‘Best Cinematic’ apply.
‘Best New Take’ Rules:
- Related to Ascendant: the only criteria here is that submissions are related to Ascendant in some way. The rest is totally up to you.
‘Best Filth’ Rules:
- Go crazy: go f*cking crazy.
Judging
While the Ascendant Jam is open to all kinds of submissions–and it can be hard to compare them to one another–we’ll be judging each category based on the following 4 criteria:
- Quality: the technical and artistic achievement of the submission. Each project should be judged according to its own medium. For example, if it's a cinematic, how smooth does it flow? If it’s a gameplay video, how strong is the editing? And so on.
- Originality: how creative and unique the submission is compared to others in the category. Perhaps it has a standout story, or it introduces an exciting new element to the game world. We’re looking for total creativity.
- Use of Ascendant: how well the submissions incorporate Ascendant. This could mean the best use of our assets, or the best understanding of our lore. We’re looking for submissions that bring to life the world of our game.
- X Factor: that certain je ne sais quoi that makes us laugh, scream, or gasp. We’re looking for something special and shocking. Go there…seriously.
Extending Submission Deadline to August 1st
As more people join the jam and our community is hard at work on their submissions, we’ve decided to extend the deadline by one month. This gives everyone the opportunity to make their projects excellent, and it gives you plenty of time after the upcoming Ascendant Jam Weekend to use footage recorded in the game, assets from the vault, and tips from our team. Which brings us to the…
ASCENDANT Jam Weekend on June 28-29th
We’re initiating the next phase of the competition and hosting all kinds of exclusive events for members of our jam community, including:
- Closed playtest on Saturday, June 28th (time TBA) to experience the game and record footage for projects
- Live Q&A with members of the Ascendant team, including the animation, video editing, and lore departments (date and time TBA)
- New game assets added to the drive, including requests from the community
What You Can Do Now:
- Join our Discord (if you haven’t already) to meet the community, ask questions, and submit requests for the upcoming asset folder expansion
- Stand by for info on the upcoming Jam Weekend, including timings & playtest sign up
- Share snippets of your work so far with the community and your larger audiences. It’s time to generate the hype!
We can’t wait to see what you all create!
FAQ
Q: Can I work in a team? What happens if we win prizes?
A: You absolutely can. Feel free to reach out to other participants in the Discord server to join up. Any prizes won will be split evenly amongst your teammates–and if your team wins Best in Show, we’ll find a way for you all to share in the glory :)
Q: I’m an animator/streamer/artist and I don’t know what to do. Help!
A: Don’t worry, we’ll be hosting some digital events via our Discord Server in the coming weeks. Our team will give you a look behind the hood at a studio, and we can offer some advice for newcomers, but remember: your own voice is most important.
Q: Is this a game jam? Can I use your assets to make my own game?
A: Games are totally welcome–and you can absolutely use our assets. Submit these projects to our ‘Best New Take’ category.
Q: If we’re submitting to ‘Best Cinematic,’ can the animation be 2D or 3D?
A: Any form of animation is acceptable, as long as it incorporates at least one game asset in some way.
Q: Is the ‘Best Filth’ Category Seriously a Thing? Like, Seriously Seriously?
A: Yes, it is.
Now go make something awesome!
Disclaimer: By submitting an entry to the Ascendant Jam, you grant the organizers a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and promote your submission for purposes related to the jam, including but not limited to showcasing it in videos, social media, and other promotional materials.
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