Last night, IGEA held the 2023 Australian Game Developer Awards at The Forum in Melbourne. We were at the venue to celebrate all the winners live, and it was fantastic to see so many Australian developers live and in person celebrating the local industry.
The winners were chosen from a group of over 80 judges from around Australia, with the event hosted by ABC Gamers Gemma Driscoll and Harry Jun.
“Congratulations to all the 2023 AGDAs winners, this is a time to celebrate your achievements and the incredible games you have worked so hard to release this year. Australia has an international reputation for creating high quality, diverse games, as this year’s awards have once again demonstrated. With the recent introduction of the Digital Games Tax Offset and continued Screen Australia support, the local video games industry will see more innovation, more investment, and more opportunities in the coming years. There has never been a better time to make games in Australia.” said Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA.
Here are all the winners from the show.
Excellence in ART
- The Master’s Pupil by Pat Naoum
Excellence in GAMEPLAY
- Moving Out 2 by SMG Studio, Team17
Excellence in NARRATIVE
- Amarantus by ub4q
Excellence in SOUND DESIGN
- Gubbins by Studio Folly
Excellence in MUSIC
- Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical by Summerfall Studios
The Rising Star Award
- Ryan Penning
The Empower Award
- Dylan Bennett
- Caitlin Lomax
Inaugural MIGW Award
- O’Saurus Studios
Excellence in TECHNICAL DESIGN
- Phantom Abyss by Team WIBY
Excellence in ACCESSIBILITY
- Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical by Summerfall Studios
Excellence in EMERGING GAMES
- Partum Artifex by DalaKoala Games
Adam Lancman Award (excellence in the industry)
- Trent Kusters
Excellence in IMPACTFUL GAMES
- Earthlingo by Earthlingo
Excellence in MOBILE GAMES
- My Little Pony: Mane Merge by Gameloft Brisbane
Excellence in AR/VR Games
- Espire 2: Stealth Operatives by Digital Lode Immersive Media
Excellence in ONGOING Games
- Wylde Flowers by Studio Drydock
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical by Summerfall Studios
“Stray Gods was a Herculean effort from all involved, and we are deeply grateful to receive this award, and to the Australian game development community for all the support over the years,” said Liam Esler, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Summerfall Studios. “We’re thrilled with the response to the game. Thank you to our publisher, Humble Games, as well as the judges for all their work, and congratulations to all of the winners tonight!”
You can check out the full AGDAs 2023 below.
