The Recreation Builders Convention (GDC) this week introduced the finalists for the Unbiased Video games Competition’s awards occasion, which is a part of the previous’s convention. The IGF’s awards occasion, the place it reveals the winners of every award, will happen on March 26 alongside the Recreation Builders Selection Awards. The earlier winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize in 2024 was Venba by Visai Video games.
The video games with essentially the most nominations are Jenny Jiao Hsia’s Devour Me, a darkish comedy life sim impressed by the creator’s expertise with disordered consuming; and Despelote, a slice-of-life recreation about enjoying soccer and assembly folks on the streets of Quito, Ecuador.
Here’s a full record of the nominees:
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
- Caves of Qud (Freehold Video games / Kitfox Video games)
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
- Thank Goodness You’re Right here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
- UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Honorable Mentions: Animal Properly (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Uncooked Fury), Mouthwashing (Fallacious Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), 9 Sols (RedCandleGames), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Nuovo Award
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Excessive Evolution: Drive to Divinity (Sam Atlas)
- Ginger (Kevin Du / lizu ktap)
- individualism within the dead-internet age: an anti-big tech asset flip shovelware rant manifesto (alienmelon)
- Starship Dwelling (Creature)
- tapeçaria (tapestry) (mut/moochi (with assist from plunderludics working group))
- The Exit 8 (KOTAKE CREATE / Energetic Gaming Media Inc)
Honorable Mentions: Arctic Eggs (The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex / CRITICAL REFLEX), Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), Onto Maisillind Unto Infinity (Kas Ghobadi, Julián Palacios Gechtman / Kasrah Ghobadi), Worth of Flight (WATERBOX), Challenge Y (Project_Y Manufacturing Committee), Refind Self: The Persona Check Recreation (Lizardry / PLAYISM)
Excellence in Visible Arts
- Kids of the Solar (René Rother / Devolver Digital)
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Hauntii (Moonloop Video games / Firestoke)
- Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)
- 9 Sols (RedCandleGames)
- Thank Goodness You’re Right here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
Honorable Mentions: Crow Nation (SFB Video games), Demise of the Reprobate (Joe Richardson), Miniatures (Different Tales Interactive), Tiny Glade (Pounce Gentle), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)
Excellence in Narrative
- Caves of Qud (Freehold Video games / Kitfox Video games)
- Nearer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Video games)
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
- No Case Ought to Stay Unsolved (Somi)
Honorable Mentions: Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Uncooked Fury), Miniatures (Different Tales Interactive), Mouthwashing (Fallacious Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments), Thank Goodness You’re Right here! (Coal Supper / Panic), The Thaumaturge (Idiot’s Concept / 11 bit studios)
Excellence in Design
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Uncooked Fury)
- Caves of Qud (Freehold Video games / Kitfox Video games)
- Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
- Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Honorable Mentions: Animal Properly (Billy Basso / Bigmode), No Case Ought to Stay Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Video games / Draknek and Mates), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics), The Rise of the Golden Idol (Coloration Grey Video games / Playstack)
Excellence in Audio
- Anger Foot (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Odd Meter / 11 bit studios)
- ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff)
- Thank Goodness You’re Right here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
- Utopia Should Fall (Pixeljam)
Honorable Mentions:
Animal Properly (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Mouthwashing (Fallacious Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Coloration Grey Video games / Playstack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Greatest Pupil Recreation
- A Twin Ascent (Mountain Toad Leisure / Rubika Supinfogame)
- DisplaceMen (Eversea Membership / leafaleaves)
- Development Spurt: A Meandering Intermission into the Afterhours of a Miscalculation (Video games for my Pc)
- Slot Waste (Vinny Roca / pickpanpuck productions)
- The WereCleaner (Howlin’ Hugs / USC Video games)
- 12 months Unknown (Julian Heuser)
Honorable Mentions:
Playing cards of Coronary heart (GoodMind Video games), Duck Paradox (Magic Video games / Midwest Video games), Misplaced Backyard (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Excellent World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (Starworks Studios)