The four finalists include Data Realms' Cortex Command, an offbeat real-time strategy 2D title featuring fully destructible terrain; Hemisphere Games' Osmos, an elegant "orbital osmosis simulator"; Rudolf Kremers and Alex May's Dyson, an RTS/colonization game where players try to gain control of an entire asteroid belt; and Pieces Interactive's Puzzlegeddon, a "puzzle brawler" with action and strategy elements.

IGN insiders voted on the winning game based on five criteria: game design, innovation, visual arts, audio and overall enjoyment. Three of the four finalists have already signed agreements to make their respective games available to consumers through Direct2Drive.

"Indie games and the developers that are creating them are incredibly important to the future of the games industry, and with that in mind, we can’t wait to reward one of these deserving developers with a $10,000 prize to help them continue to build new and unique games," says IGN Entertainment Digital Content VP Sutton Trout.

"Our independent games channel on Direct2Drive, partnership with the IGF, and D2D’s Vision Award are testament to our commitment and support of the independent game development community," he continues "We expect these games to continue to become increasingly popular with gamers and thus we will continue to promote indie games via Direct2Drive."