The dates have been set for Last Chance Game Chef!

The Game Chef 2012 design competition will take place between April 7-15,* with contest rules announced the afternoon of Friday, April 6 (for the benefit of participants in foreign time zones). The post-submission peer-review period will follow the week after, and then another week for final judging means the winner will be announced around May 1st.

Last year, I leaked the theme a few days before the competition, and we may do something similar again this year, so watch this space in the days ahead. The Game Chef blog will also provide updates on some of the games from the 2010 and 2011 competitions, tracking their post-contest progress towards being finished or formally published (whether for free or for sale).

* Yes, unfortunately this overlaps with Solmukohta 2012 in Finland, where Emily Care Boss, Jason Morningstar, and a number of other veteran chefs will be. We wish them them best and invite them to participate in Game Chef on their own schedule, even if their games will not be eligible in this year’s competition.