The 9th annual Fantastic Arcade celebration of indie & cult videogames put on by Juegos Rancheros in Austin, TX this past weekend brought together game designers, devs, and enthusiasts –many from NYC. Alongside a full line-up of games nominated for “Most Fantastic” and “Audience Choice” awards, the festival commissioned several new games from designers around the world.

Grass Stains, a commissioned Fantastic Arcade game and collaboration between NYU graduates Nina Freeman, Aaron Freedman, and Diego Garcia. Photo from Diego Garcia.

Of the 6 games commissioned for the festival, two have ties to NYU. The first, Grass Stains, was created by Nina Freeman (creator of the 2015 NYU No Quarter Exhibition game Bum Rush) with Game Center alumni Aaron Freedman and Diego Garcia. The second, ComPETition, was created by Catt Small, who created Breakup Squad for the 2016 NYU No Quarter Exhibition. Both games along with the other festival commissions are available in the 2018 Fantastic Arcade Bundle.

Other NYU games nominated for awards on display at Fantastic Arcade included: