The Day of the Devs 2025 showcase featured dozens of new indie video game reveals Wednesday, including the announcement of a never-before-played Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game that will be released next year as a charity fundraising effort.
Per the description for the NES project, titled “Xcavator 2025,” “The Video Game History Foundation, iam8bit and Mega Cat Studios are collaborating to bring a long-lost NES prototype to life as a fundraiser to promote video game preservation. Working with source code from original developer Incredible Technologies (of Golden Tee Golf fame), fans can get their hands on the first-ever premium physical release and NES cartridge of ‘Xcavator 2025.’ The release comes complete with a 14-page manual exploring the game’s history and the legacy of the late programmer and original creator Chris Oberth, who died in 2012 leaving a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes game development material, more than 30 years after he last worked on the project.”
According to the partners, all of the profits from the game will go toward supporting the Video Game History Foundation’s preservation mission.
“Xcavator 2025” pre-orders opened Wednesday and will close Jan. 10. Priced at $100, the game is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2026.
See below for more new indie games announced and teased during the Day of the Devs 2025 showcase. The event takes place just as many in the gaming industry are descending upon Los Angeles ahead of The Game Awards Thursday.
Awaysis
Developer: 17-BIT
Publisher: Cult Games
“Awaysis” is billed as a “revolutionary, physics-fueled throwdown where you’ll jump, slide, and collide on your adventure to restore peace to the Awaysis – an ancient floating relic under attack by forces of great darkness.”
Big Hops
Developer and Publisher: Luckshot Games
“Big Hops” is described as “a fresh and froggy action platformer where you’ll tongue-swing, free climb, and plant veggies to build paths forward. You play as Hop, a young frog kidnapped from his home by a mysterious spirit named Diss. To get back to your family, you’ll need to gather Airship Parts scattered across the Red Desert, Open Ocean, and Shattered Mountain—all while getting roped into Diss’s strange, important job.”
CorgiSpace
Developer: Adam Atomic (Adam Saltsman) Publisher: Finji
“This collection by Adam ‘Atomic’ Saltsman includes more than a dozen action, adventure, arcade, and puzzle games, and each can be thoroughly explored in under an hour.”
Demon Tides
Developer and Publisher: Fabraz
Per Fabraz, “Explore the open seas and uncover the kingdom’s dark secrets as you platform your way across dozens of locales, upgrading your gear every step of the way!”
Frog Sqwad
Developer: Panic Stations
Publisher: Skeleton Crew
“Frog Sqwad” is “a slapstick, physics-based multiplayer game in which you storm the sewers in the name of the Swamp King with up to 7 of your froggy friends. Use your sticky tongue to swing from pipes, solve physics puzzles, drag giant food through winding tunnels, catapult your friends, and grow as you consume food. Every mission is an unpredictable adventure through ever-changing sewers full of hazards, weird creatures, and opportunities for creative problem-solving using physics.”
Lucid Falls
Developer and Publisher Eldamar Studio
“Trapped inside a lucid dream, the protagonist must fight to survive in surreal, horrifying worlds, uncovering the dark secrets of Lucid Falls.”
Mirria
Developer: Carl Burton
Publisher: Mografi
“Mirria” is described as “an atmospheric casual puzzle game. Players navigate a strange cryptic world that blurs the line between dream and reality. Using inspection and memory, players will uncover hidden anomalies between mirrored worlds.”
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth
Developer and Publisher: Hyper Games
From the creators of “Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley” comes “a heartwarming new adventure inspired by the beloved Moomin stories by Tove Jansson. This time, join Moomintroll himself on a charming but cold winter journey.”
Scramble Knights Royale
Developer and Publisher: Funktronic Labs
“Scramble Knights Royale” is described as “a battle royale inspired by classic adventure games like ‘Legend of Zelda.’ 32 players enter an arena made up of islands with towns, dungeons, and quests oozing with a retro feel.”
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