Australia’s games industry is fantastic, and each year there’s a tone of great games and talent worth celebrating. We can do that daily, but the Australia Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) are among the highest honours every year. This year’s event is slightly different as Melbourne Internation Games Week will be held online, as will PAX Australia, but you can still watch the ceremony online.
The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association gathered a panel of over 50 industry professionals to lock in the finalists and winners in each category. There were a total of 59 entries this year, making it a record-breaking year.
Here’s the list of AGDA fiinalists.
Core Awards
Excellence in Art
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The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
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art of rally (Funselektor)
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Unpacking (Witch Beam)
Excellence in Gameplay
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Unpacking (Witch Beam)
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Ring of Pain (Twice Different)
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Webbed (Sbug Games)
Excellence in Narrative
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TOPOGRAPHY (Cecile Richard)
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The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller)
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Choices That Matter: And The Sun Went Out (Tin Man Games, Screwtape Studios)
Excellence in Audio
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Webbed (Sbug Games)
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TRIOS (Samurai Punk)
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The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
Game of the Year
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Webbed (Sbug Games)
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The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
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Unpacking (Witch Beam)
Specialty Awards
Excellence in Accessibility
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Submerged: Hidden Depths (Uppercut Games)
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Unpacking (Witch Beam)
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Eastern Market Murder (True Crime Games)
Excellence in Mobile Games
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The Oregon Trail (Gameloft Brisbane)
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Eastern Market Murder (True Crime Games)
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Botworld Adventure (Featherweight Games)
Excellence in Serious Games (Applied/Impactful)
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Sharmila (World Food Programme and Chaos Theory Games)
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Streets of My Town (Institute of Games)
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TRIOS (Samurai Punk)
Bespoke Awards
Excellence in Ongoing Games (Games as a Service)
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Pico Tanks (Panda Arcade)
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Crossy Road Castle (Hipster Whale)
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The Sims FreePlay (The Firemonkeys)
Excellence in Emerging Games (Student or Early Career)
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Pebble Witch (Fuzzy Ghost)
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Project Wingman (Sector D2)
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Video World (Things for Humans)
IGEA CEO Ron Curry had the following to say about the AGDA’s this year:
“Australian developers have a long history of making award-winning games, and it’s wonderful to see so many new studios, developers, and individuals making their mark locally. The industry has expanded and proven to be adaptable and flexible during the pandemic. There is a lot of confidence around our sector thanks to the Federal Government announcing the introduction of the Digital Games Tax Offset in 2022, which will ensure a complete thriving and creative game development ecosystem and community.”
The AGDA’s will see Amanda and Angharad Yeo return as hosts, who said they’re “thrilled to be back hosting this year’s awards.”
You can watch the AGDA’s online on October 6th at 7 PM AEDT via IGEA’s Twitch channel.
