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Scottish Games Week unveil the finalists for the inaugural Scottish Games Awards
Scottish Games Week has announced the finalists for the first-ever Scottish Games Awards, ahead of the ceremony at Malmaison, Dundee, on Thursday 27 October. Celebrating the very best of the games industry across the country, the shortlist includes categories such as Best Large-Budget Game, Best Small-Budget Game, Lifetime Achievement and Diversity Champion.
A world-first event, the Scottish Games Awards will truly showcase and reward those currently working in the games industry. The Awards are sure to be a highlight of Scottish Games Week, taking place next week (24 – 27 October) at venues across Scotland. Limited remaining tickets are available now via Citizen Ticket, with More Than Games and the Education Symposium sold out.
The Scottish Games Awards shortlist is as follows:
Art and Animation
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Just Take Your Left (Mehrdad Rezaei)
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Cloudpunk (ION LANDS)
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Train Sim World 2: Island Line 2022 (Rivet Games)
Audio
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SOLAS 128 (Amicable Animal)
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Train Sim World 2: Island Line 2022 (Rivet Games)
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A Bonnie Odyssey (Astrodreamer Studio)
Best Educational Programme
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University of the West of Scotland Games Development Programme
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Robert Burns’ Farm at Ellisland in Minecraft
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Dundee & Angus College: HN Games Development
Best Educator
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Daisy Abbott
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Erin Hughes
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Dr Lynn Love
Best Large-Budget Game
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From the Depths (Brilliant Skies Ltd.)
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Cloudpunk (ION LANDS)
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Island Saver (Stormcloud)
Best Small-Budget Game
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The Black Iris (Jamie Ferguson)
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SOLAS 128 (Amicable Animal)
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The Baby in Yellow (Team Terrible)
Creativity
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SOLAS 128 (Amicable Animal)
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Cloudpunk (ION LANDS)
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Temple of Snek (Aetheric Games)
Diversity Champion
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Joanne Lacey
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Searra Dodds
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Tanya Laird
Lifetime Achievement
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Tanya Laird
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Dave Jones
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Chris Sawyer
Stewart Gilray Award (Community Spirit)
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Malath Abbas
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Colin Macdonald
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Dr Amanda Ford
Technical Achievement
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Monstrum 2 (Team Junkfish)
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A Bonnie Odyssey (Astrodreamer Studio)
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From the Depths (Brilliant Skies Ltd.)
Tools and Technology
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Dislectek
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Murder Mystery Machine
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Kythera AI
A judging panel of industry experts, chaired by Chris Scullion, will now select winners for each category. The panel includes:
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Brian Baird: Technical Director at Bethesda Games Studios Austin
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Joe Donnelly: Feature Writer at GamesRadar+
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Alisdair Gunn: Director at Glasgow City Innovation District
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Steven Hamill: COO at Scottish Edge
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Keza MacDonald: Video Games Editor at The Guardian
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Jim Trinca: Games journalist and video producer
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Jo Twist: CEO of UKIE
Chris Scullion, Features Editor at VGC and author of The N64 Encyclopedia said: “The quality of the nominees in this inaugural Scottish Games Awards is a testament to the level of talent that can be found in all sectors of the Scottish games industry. It was an honour to chair the judging panel for the first ever Awards, and I look forward to it being a catalyst for future celebrations of this thriving industry for years to come.”
Winners will be announced at the Scottish Games Awards at Malmaison, Dundee, on Thursday 27 October.
Brian Baglow, Director of Scottish Games Week and Founder of the Scottish Games Network said: “It has been inspiring to see the whole games awards unfold and take shape. From the call for entries it was clear that the judges were going to have a difficult task given the quality of the people, organisations and games which were received.
Scotland is home to some of the most creative, talented and passionate people creating, teaching, or working in the global games ecosystem. I’m delighted we are able to recognise and celebrate them as part of Scottish Games Week.
I’d like to thank Chris and the judges for all of their hard work and wish all of our finalists the very best of luck. We will see you in Dundee!”
The Scottish Games Awards ceremony is the culmination of Scottish Games Week, a first-of-its-kind suite of events that will take place across Scotland from the 24 – 27 of October. Other events occurring during Scottish Games Week include:
More Than Games – 24 October (Barclays Campus, Glasgow) SOLD OUT
Designed to onboard an audience unfamiliar with the games ecosystem, More Than Games will host an array of speakers to show the uninitiated just how important games are to Scotland’s tech industry. The event will be taking place at the brand new Barclay’s Campus in Glasgow.
Education Symposium – 25 October (CodeBase, Edinburgh) SOLD OUT
A meeting of the minds in academia, the Education Symposium will bring together academics from across Scotland to discuss how important educational institutions are to shape the future generations of game development talent.
SGW Industry Conference – 27 – 28 October (Malmaison, Dundee)
Taking place at the Malmaison in Dundee over the course of two days, the Scottish Games Week Industry Conference will bring together a large host of those currently or previously involved in the industry, from all over the world. Panels, talks and networking will be the focus, bringing together the many game developers, engineers, storytellers and more that Scotland houses.
Scottish Games Week is being delivered by the Scottish Games Network and is supported by the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, delivered as part of its Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (STER) programme. Scottish Games Week is sponsored by Blackadders LLP and Johnston Carmichael.
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Expanse Studios (GMGI) Secures ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification
Expanse Studios, the iGaming division of Golden Matrix Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGI), proudly announces its recent certification to the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard, which demonstrates globally leading data security standards.
This globally recognized certification reinforces the Group’s dedication to safeguarding confidential information, client trust, and strengthening its competitive position in the iGaming industry.
The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard establishes a rigorous framework for managing and protecting information security across all operations. By attaining this certification, Expanse Studios has implemented a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. This certification goes beyond compliance and assures our clients and partners of our stringent security protocols, protecting against cyber threats and unauthorized access.
“Achieving the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification marks a significant milestone in Expanse Studios’ journey. This certification not only reinforces our security framework but also highlights our commitment to upholding the highest standards of trust and integrity for our clients and players worldwide.”, said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios.
In an industry where information security is paramount, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification demonstrates Expanse Studios’ proactive stance on cyber risk management and adherence to international best practices. The certification process included comprehensive evaluations, audits, and stringent checks, all contributing to a secure environment that benefits our clients, players, and business partners.
ISO certification assures the clients that Expanse Studios operates with top-tier security mechanisms, solidifying the role of the GMGI entity as one of the most trusted and compliant partners in the iGaming sector.
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Almedia Hires 17 New Staff Fuelling Exponential Growth
– Powering the next generation of rewarded user acquisition –
Almedia, the data-driven platform engineering the future of mobile gaming user acquisition – today proudly announces a major hiring wave which includes over 17 people from leading global tech and gaming brands. The new hires are essential to Almedia’s ambitious strategy for achieving exponential growth across Europe and Northern America over the next 12 months.
The new team members will join an already established team, based in Berlin, with a current headcount of 80, supporting a global client base of mobile game developers and publishers. The expanded team joins established departments including product development, marketing, account management, fraud, and talent acquisition. The 17 new hires will drive Almedia’s core mission: elevating user acquisition to new heights and engineering the future of intelligent engagement.
Moritz Holländer, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Almedia, commented: “Since 2020, we’ve been at the forefront of rewarded user acquisition, and our services and results are being embraced by the global mobile gaming industry, by companies such as Playtika, SuperPlay, Plarium, and Monopoly Go. Team Almedia is witnessing real-time exponential demand for its rewarded UA services, hence we have a robust scaleup roadmap in place to help us manage demand.”
He added: “What we’ve proudly achieved in four years is quite remarkable. With zero funding, a highly profitable organisation, we are humbled to be assembling a true dream team for the global mobile gaming industry. We are thrilled to welcome the latest waves of new hires to the team, which will help us to further establish our brand as the most credible, data-driven rewarded user acquisition company in the world.”
The new hires include
- Andrey Shilin, Lead Product Manager
- Holly Pickerell, Workplace and Culture Manager
- Sabina Halilovic, Fraud Analyst
- Alexander Rasch, Senior Finance Manager
- Alisson Paschoal Hausmann, Senior Mobile Developer
- Anthony Clement, SEO Manager
- April Chen, Senior Customer Success Manager;
- Benedikt Roth, Lead User Acquisition Google Ads Manager
- Caroline Sobkow, Talent Acquisition Partner
- Federica Stiscia, Senior Gaming Partnership Manager
- Marc Hammes, SEO Manager
- Mapa Vega, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner
- Pablo Herranz, Senior Talent Acquisition Partne
- Ravisankar Chinnam, Senior Frontend Developer
- Kutay Akalin, Data Scientist
- Aleksei Smagin, Junior Affiliate Specialist UA
- Neil Laverty, Senior Customer Success Manager
Almedia currently has a range of positions open across operations, talent, product, marketing and more. To learn more about careers at Almedia, visit the jobs section on the website.
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