The Triple-I Initiative, an online video game showcase organized by indie developer Evil Empire, strives to deliver a viewer-friendly experience by cutting out extraneous content and focusing solely on game trailers. Benjamin Laulan, Evil Empire's co-founder and head of business, explained that the showcase's philosophy is rooted in respecting the audience's time, leading to a concise 45-minute format. "They chose to be there instead of doing something else. This is why we went with a 45-minute 'in and out' structure—only trailers, no host—to really try to give them what they want, which is cool trailers from cool games, basically."
Evil Empire differentiates the Triple-I Initiative by curating a selection of "high-quality" indie games. The challenge lies in balancing new announcements with returning popular titles, considering various factors like art style, genre, IP, and game scope to ensure a smooth flow. Laulan noted that the team often creates multiple versions of the running order to fine-tune the rhythm of the showcase. "We don't want too many similar titles back-to-back, so you need a good flow. It also depends on the style of the trailer itself. We have some pretty hectic trailers and some that are more laid back, so it's about finding a balance between the types of announcements, the tone of the trailers, and what’s actually being shown on screen."
The organization also collaborates closely with developers to ensure their games and trailers shine during the broadcast. Laulan emphasized that the goal is to make each game the star, encouraging developers to build suspense and leverage the energy of a live event. "Our objective is really to make their game, trailer, and announcement shine, so we work closely with them."
Curating the lineup involves identifying games that will attract a targeted audience, making those titles the main draw rather than mere appetizers for larger events. "Essentially putting the right games in front of the right people," Laulan stated. "We wanted our games to be the stars of our own show and the main reason people tune in, rather than just acting as appetizers for larger events or first-party showcases." For less-established titles, the criteria shifts to assessing whether a game brings something novel, different, or exceptionally well-made to the table. "For those titles, we look for a strong sense of novelty, freshness, or sheer creative energy in the trailer."
Evil Empire plans to expand the Triple-I Initiative's reach by increasing the number of events per year and fostering stronger collaborations with first-party partners. The focus remains on delivering high-quality games and trailers to a larger audience without altering the core format or unnecessarily inflating production values. "Our first big objective for this year is to nail running two events in a single year, which is already quite a challenge," Laulan said. "Moving forward, it's more about expanding our reach to a wider audience and forming stronger collaborations—with first-party partners, for instance."
Looking ahead, Laulan envisions the Triple-I Initiative becoming a cornerstone of game marketing campaigns, helping titles find their intended audiences. "Five years from now, if we manage to reach even larger audiences, maintain our efficiency regarding wishlist conversion, and keep studios extremely happy to feature their games with us, then I’ll consider it a success," he concluded. "I would love to reach a point—which is actually starting to happen already—where the Triple-I Initiative becomes the cornerstone of a game's marketing campaign."
The second Triple-I Initiative showcase of 2026 is scheduled for October 8 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, featuring eight world premieres from studios including Team17, Amanita Design, Strange Scaffold, and Norsfell.