Gaming
TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023: Finalists shortlist revealed!
Games, studios, education and service companies are in the running for a prestigious TIGA Games Industry Award
Ceremony will take place on the evening of Thursday November 16th at the iconic and historic Troxy venue in London
The finalists of the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023 have been unveiled, and the shortlist features some of the most exciting games from the last 12 months, plus the cream of the UK’s game development, business and education community.
Continuing its long tradition of visiting historic and iconic venues, this year’s TIGA Awards presentation ceremony will take place on the evening of November 16th at Troxy, a spectacular Grade II-listed Art Deco entertainment venue in East London.
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA, said:
“The TIGA Games Industry Awards celebrate excellence in the video games industry. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations to our Awards and congratulations to all of our finalists. The finalist shortlist illustrates the depth of talent and creativity to be found amongst our game developers, service providers and educators. We’re excited to welcome everyone for an evening of celebration in November! Thank you to our sponsors for making this fantastic occasion possible.”
The TIGA Awards 2023 finalists across the Games and Business categories are:
GAMES CATEGORIES
BEST ACTION AND ADVENTURE GAME
Auroch Digital: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Out of the Bit Ltd: Full Void
Pentakill Studios: The Occultist
Rain Games: Teslagrad 2
Sloclap: SiFU
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerilla: Horizon: Call of the Mountain
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Santa Monica Studio: God of War Ragnarök
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me
The Parasight: Blacktail
BEST ARCADE GAME
Exient: Ultimate Sackboy
Island Bender Games: Island Bender
Ping Creates: Super Stretchy Chicken Legs
Secret Base Pte Ltd: Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
Staffordshire University: MechHead
Sumo Digital Academy: Zool Redimensioned
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
BEST CASUAL GAME
Awaceb: Tchia
Deadpan and Gaziter: Wildfrost
Exient: Ultimate Sackboy
FuturLab: PowerWash Simulator
Gearbox Publishing: Blanc
Kwalee: Hunt and Seek
Outplay Entertainment: Subway Surfers Blast
Outright Games: DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
Terahard Studios: Monster Mop Up
BEST SOCIAL GAME
Disney Games/Dlala Studios: Disney Illusion Island
Dovetail Games: CATAN – Console Edition
FuturLab: PowerWash Simulator
GameXPlosion Ltd: Ultimate Supremacy
Gearbox Publishing: Tribes of Midgard
Gearbox Publishing: Homeworld Mobile
Gearbox Publishing: Blanc
Hugecalf Studios: Turbo Golf Racing
Outright Games: DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
BEST EDUCATIONAL, SERIOUS OR SIMULATION GAME
Auroch Digital: Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator
BBC /Mobile Pie: Planet Planners
BBC / Playerthree: Operation Ouch! It Take Guts!
Charles Games: Beecarbonize
FuturLab: PowerWash Simulator
Fish in a Bottle / BBC: Divided Islands
Frontier Developments: F1 Manager 2023
Frontier Developments/Haemimont Games: Stranded: Alien Dawn
Slitherine Software UK Ltd: Command: Modern Operations
Somewhat Unsettling: The Longest Walk
BEST STRATEGY GAME
Abylight: One Military Camp
Deadpan & Gaziter: Wildfrost
Dovetail Games: CATAN – Console Edition
Gearbox Publishing: Homeworld Mobile
Kraken Empire: Toy Tactics
Only4Gamers: Space Menace
Slitherine Software UK Ltd: Starship Troopers: Terran Command
The Iterative Collective: Homeseek
Thing Trunk: Hellcard
BEST RPG GAME
BBC / Jollywise: Silverpoint: The Game
GameXPlosion Ltd: Ultimate Supremacy
Gearbox Publishing: Tribes of Midgard
Imperia Online JSK: Crush Them All
Pentakill Studios: The Occultist
The Iterative Collective: Knight Crawlers
Ustwo Games: Desta: The Memories Between
BEST PUZZLE GAME
ARTE France: How to say Goodbye
Chanko Studios: It’s a Wrap!
Disney Games/Dlala Studios: Disney Illusion Island
Max Inferno: A Little to the Left
Outplay Entertainment: Gordon Ramsay’s Chef Blast
Space Ape Games: Chrome Valley Customs
Staffordshire University: Mental Block
Supersolid: Cook & Merge
Trailmix: Love & Pies
Wired Productions: Tin Hearts
BEST CREATIVITY IN GAMES
Disney Games/Dlala Studios: Disney Illusion Island
Fireshine Games: Shadows of Doubt
FuturLab: PowerWash Simulator
Hugecalf Studios: Turbo Golf Racing
Jump Over the Age: Citizen Sleeper
Noun Town: Nown Toun: VR Language Learning
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me
Ustwo Games: Desta: The Memories Between
Wired Productions: Tin Hearts
HERITAGE IN GAMES
Cave Monsters: Lord Winklebottom Investigates
D’Avekki Studios: Murderous Muses
Frogwares: Sherlock Holmes The Awakened
The Parasight: Blacktail
Sugar Creative: 878 AD: Winchester Revealed
Sumo Digital Academy: Zool Redimensioned
Ustwo Games: Desta: The Memories Between
Wales Interactive, Dead Pixel Productions, Good Gate Media: Mia and the Dragon Princes
Wales Interactive and Good Gate Media: Ten Dates
DIVERSITY AWARD
Awaceb: Tchia
D’Avekki Studios: Murderous Muses
DON’T NOD: Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
GameXPlosion Ltd: Ultimate Supremacy
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Santa Monica Studio: God of War Ragnarök
Staffordshire University: Staffordshire University Games Development
Trailmix: Love & Pies
Ustwo Games: Desta: The Memories Between
Wales Interactive and Good Gate Media: Ten Dates
Women in Games
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
Air Edel Associates Ltd: After Us
Auroch Digital: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Dovetail Games: Train Sim World 3
Frontier Developments: F1 Manager 2023
Frontier Developments: Deliver Us Mars
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Santa Monica Studio: God of War Ragnarök
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerilla: Horizon Call of the Mountain
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me
TiMi Studio Group: Honor of Kings – Mayene
Wired Productions: Tin Hearts
BEST VISUAL DESIGN
Arte France: To Hell with Ugly
DON’T NOD: Harmony: The Fall of Reverie
Gearbox Publishing: Blanc
Max Inferno: A Little to the Left
Plot Twist: the Last Case of Benedict Fox
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerilla: Horizon Call of the Mountain
The Parasight: Blacktail
Trailmix: Love and Pies
Wales Interactive, Dead Pixel Productions, Good Gate Media: Mia and the Dragon Princes
Wired Productions: The Last Worker
BEST VR/AR/XR/MR GAME
Maze Theory: Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom
nDreams: Synapse
Noun Town: Nown Town: VR Language Learning
Squido Studio: No More Rainbows
Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerilla: Horizon Call of the Mountain
Sugar Creative: 878AD: Winchester Revealed
Supermassive Games: The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR
Wired Productions: The Last Worker
XR Games: Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded
BEST SMALL STUDIO
D’Avekki Studio
Dlala Studios
Exient
Fireshine Games
Huge Calf Studios
Party for Introverts
Purple Yonder
Trailmix
Ustwo Games
Wired Productions
BUSINESS CATEGORIES
BEST ART/ANIMATION TRAILER SUPPLIER
Airship Interactive
Atomhawk
Liquid Crimson
Maverick Media
Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation Studios
TrailerFarm
1518 Studios
BEST AUDIO SERVICES PROVIDER
PitStop Productions
SIDE
Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation Studios/Creative Arts
Soundcuts Ltd
Tazman-Audio
BEST LARGE STUDIO
Auroch Digital
Dovetail Games
Flix Interactive
Guerrilla
Kwalee
nDreams
Outplay Entertainment
Rebellion
Santa Monica Studio
Space Ape Games
Sumo Digital
Supermassive Games
OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD
Ben Forrester, Head of PC and Console, Kwalee
Ben Lavery, Studio Head TrailerFarm
Bobby Thandi CEO XR Games
John Sanderson, CEO PitStop Productions
John Tearle, CEO Flix Interactive
Nathan Burlow Studio Director and Darius Sadeghian Studio Production Director, Rocksteady Studios.
Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO nDreams
Professor Martin Jones, Vice-Chancellor Staffordshire University
Russ Clarke, CEO, Co-Founder and Creative Director, Payload Studios
Simon Iwaniszak, Studio Director Red Kite Games
Trevor Williams, Studio Head, Playground Games
Viki Freeman, Chief Strategy Officer Airship Interactive and Tim Horton, Chief Commercial Officer Airship Interactive
COMMITMENT TO ESG AWARD
Airship Interactive
Behaviour Interactive
London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London
PlanetPlay
Rebellion
Rocksteady Studios
Santa Monica Studio
Sumo Group
Testronic
Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington Spa
University of Portsmouth
COMMITMENT TO WORKPLACE WELLBEING AWARD
Airship Interactive
Dovetail Games
nDreams
Outplay Entertainment
Payload Studios
Playground Games
PlayStation London Studio
Rebellion
Rocksteady Studios
Sumo Group
TrailerFarm
Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Leamington Spa
BEST EDUCATION INITIATIVE
Birmingham City University STEAMHOUSE
London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London
Norwich University of the Arts
Staffordshire University
University of Hertfordshire
University of Portsmouth
BEST TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Dlala Studios
Dovetail Games
Flix Interactive
Grads in Games
nDreams Academy
PlayStation London Studio
Rocksteady Studios
Sumo Group
XR Games
BEST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
Birmingham City University
Bournemouth University
London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London
Norwich University of the Arts
Staffordshire University
University of Gloucestershire
University of Greenwich
University of Hertfordshire
University of Portsmouth
University of the West of England
University of the West of Scotland
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
Dovetail Games
Rebellion
Sumo Group
LEGAL SERVICES PROVIDER
Charles Russell Speechlys
Eaton Smith LLP
Lewis Silkin LLP
Stevens & Bolton LLP
Wiggin LLP
BEST PUBLISHER
Curve Games
Kwalee
nDreams
Rebellion
Secret Mode
Sony Interactive Entertainment
BEST QA and/or LOCALISATION PROVIDER
PTW
Testronic
Universally Speaking
BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY
Aardvark Swift
Amiqus
Avatar
Big Planet
BEST SERVICES PROVIDER
Airship Interactive
Big Planet
Flix Interactive
Liquid Crimson
Magic Media
Maverick Media
PitStop Productions
PTW Family of Brands
Testronic
TrailerFarm
Sky Life Accountancy
RSM
TECHNICAL INNOVATION
CG Hero Ltd
Rebellion
Speech Graphics
TrailerFarm & Big Farmer
In addition, the Outstanding Individual Year 2023 and Game Of The Year special awards winners will be announced on the night.
Midjiwan, the award-winning independent studio behind The Battle of Polytopia has today released a new Aquarion Special Skin, additional language options and balance updates to the recently reworked Aquarion tribe. Players will dive deep into the Ritiki Marshlands encountering a lost Aquarion outpost with the new skin known as “The Forgotten”.
Long ago, when the Aquarion Empire vanished beneath the waves. One remote outpost in the swampy atolls lost all contact, leading its inhabitants to believe they were the last of their kind. This forgotten tribe evolved in isolation, adapting to the marshy landscapes with squid-like appendages and unique abilities to command the swamp and its creatures.
Using the unique abilities of “The Forgotten”, players can build on water, summon giant squids, create speed enhancing bubbles, ride crocodiles, tame toads, and traverse their marshy terrains with ease.
In addition, the latest update to the game now offers expanded language options: Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Thai, Turkish & Vietnamese.
Christian Lövstedt, CEO of The Battle of Polytopia, commented: “I feel that this skin is one of the best we’ve created and has quickly become my personal favourite. Additionally, we have added Bubble Tech to the Aquarion Waterways, making that tribe even greater. With expanded language options and new gameplay mechanics, we’re inviting players to dive into the rich lore and strategy that make the Battle of Polytopia truly special.”
To celebrate the launch of the new update, Midjiwan hosted an exclusive livestream event, offering fans a unique look behind the scenes, live gameplay, and discussions with the development team – the livestream is available to watch now: The Forgotten livestrea m by Midjiwan.
Conferences in Europe
Gamecity Hamburg connects Decision Makers from International Studios with new “Portside Game Assembly” Conference Format
Gamecity Hamburg announces the premiere of the “Portside Game Assembly” (PSGA) for June 27, 2025. The new B2B conference format focuses on networking and the exchange of learnings between leading international indie game studios. Portside Game Assembly enables studio heads and decision-makers to exchange knowledge in a confidential setting in extraordinary locations of Hamburg, around the harbor – and on the water.
“The idea for Portside Game Assembly was born out of conversations with studio heads and managers from Hamburg and around Europe. Anyone navigating an indie studio through the games market benefits greatly from exchanging learnings with other decision-makers facing similar challenges. With a curated guest list and a focus on impulse talks and roundtables, PSGA will offer studio leads contacts and discussions which are highly relevant to their work and current developments in the industry,” explains Margarete Schneider, Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg.
“The heart of PSGA is the conference, which will be held on a ship sailing through the Hamburg harbor and to which we welcome attendees from all over Europe and beyond. The conference will be complemented by a networking brunch and two evening events, which invite PSGA participants to meet the vibrant and diverse Hamburg games scene,” adds Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg.
The conference program for decision-makers at game studios
On June 27, 2025, the first Portside Game Assembly will kick off with a networking brunch.
Afterwards, the studio managers and decision makers will enter the conference ship, which offers three decks for keynote speeches, roundtables and networking, including a cruise through the famous Hamburg harbor.
Studio managers and decision-makers from the following studios are already attending:
- bippinbits (Dome Keeper, PVKK: Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant) / Germany
- Ghost Ship Publishing (Deep Rock Galactic) / Denmark
- Indoor Astronaut (Unrailed 1 & 2) / Switzerland
- Landfall Games (Content Warning, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator) / Sweden
- mooneye studios (Lost Ember) / Germany
- Maschinen-Mensch (Curious Expedition 1 & 2, Mother Machine, Codecks) / Germany
- Overhype Studios (Battle Brothers, Menace) / Germany
- Rockfish Games (Everspace 1 & 2) / Germany
- Torpor Games (Suzerain) / Germany
Leads and executives from established indie game studios can register to take part in the Portside Game Assembly via our registration form.
Networking events as part of the Portside Game Assembly
The evening closing event “Games Industry Party” brings conference guests and other members of the games industry together for networking with cool drinks and snacks. Tickets for the Indie Networking Brunch and the Games Industry Party are available separately for non-conference attendees and will go on sale at a later time.
On the evening before, June 26, 2025, there will be an “Opening Mixer” with a panoramic view over Hamburg’s famous St. Pauli district in the Astra Tower, at Bytro Labs office. Portside Game Assembly participants and contacts from the games industry in Hamburg will be invited.
Registration for studios and participants
The conference itself is aimed exclusively at studio managers and decision-makers from internationally successful indie game studios. To enable a curated selection of participants, there will be no direct ticket sales, but studios can register for participation here: registration form.
The conference ticket includes the Opening Mixer event the evening before, access to the Networking Brunch, the main Conference and the Games Industry Party for a total of 189 euros.
Asia
Nazara integrates with ONDC Network to Launch “gCommerce” in India, Unlocking a new era of In-Game Monetization
Nazara Technologies Limited, a leading diversified gaming and sports media platform, and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) are proud to announce their integration to launch “gCommerce” – an innovative in-game monetization platform that seamlessly integrates e-commerce within games.
The integration aims to address a persistent challenge for Indian game developers: low in-app purchase (IAP) conversion rates and poor yields from advertising. Through gCommerce, Nazara and ONDC Network are reimagining game monetization by leveraging India’s thriving e-commerce landscape and providing developers with new, scalable revenue streams.
This strategic integration will allow game developers to monetize through an affiliate revenue-sharing model, earning a commission on every successful transaction initiated by players through the gCommerce platform.
Creating Value for Developers and Gamers
ONDC Network’s expertise in creating an open, interoperable network for digital commerce will enable Nazara’s gCommerce platform to connect with a wide range of sellers across more than 10 categories, ensuring a rich diversity of product offering for gamers. This integration enhances the user experience by allowing them to make informed purchases while they continue their gaming journey.
“We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of gCommerce by Nazara via integration with the ONDC Network, as it represents a significant step forward in our mission to empower game developers with effective and innovative monetization solutions,” said Nitish Mittersain, CEO of Nazara Technologies. “We are not only creating new revenue opportunities for developers but also enriching the overall experience for our gamers.”
T Koshy, CEO of ONDC, added, “Nazara coming on ONDC Network to launch gCommerce is a testament to the versatility of the Network in supporting various industries and use cases. By bringing e-commerce into the gaming ecosystem, we are paving the way for a seamless blend of entertainment and shopping that adds value for players, developers, and the broader digital commerce network.”
The gCommerce platform is currently in soft launch and will be rolled out to game developers starting Q1, FY26.
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