About the Develop:Star Awards
Bringing together the game dev community to celebrate the very best games and talent.
Taking place on the evening of Wednesday 12 July during Develop:Brighton, the Develop:Star Awards 2023 will recognise the very best games and talent within the industry with categories that enable studios of every size to shine.
These awards are all about the game dev community celebrating the creative excellence of the game makers behind the best games of the previous 12 months.
The Stars Schedule
- 1 February - Nominations open
- 31 March - Entry deadline
- 11 April to 5 May - Judging for the shortlist
- 18 May - Shortlist announced and online voting for the winners opens
- 31 May - Voting closes
- Early Bird Deadline - 8 June
- 12 July - Winners announced at the awards ceremony
Categories
The awards are split into 20 different categories, focusing on the achievements of development teams and the success of great games over the previous 12 months. In addition to these categories, one ultimate ‘Develop Star’ will be awarded to honour an extraordinary studio or game developer for outstanding achievement and contribution to the industry.
As we all move towards our net zero carbon targets, the new Sustainability Star award recognises an individual, team or company that has passionately embraced the cause and put in place significant changes to the way their studio or company works to reduce impact and be more sustainable.
Entry Requirements:
Please submit an overview of the person or group detailing the relevant initiatives and the changes they have achieved within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023). Please limit your entry to 500 words.
Judges are particularly interested in studios who are involving their players within these initiatives. They may ask more questions after submission.
This award recognises a team responsible for exceptional and creative game design via the use of controls, level design, pacing and mechanics.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Game Design award and what is extraordinary about the team’s work. Give examples from the nominated game and how the team’s work supported the overall goals of the game. What makes this game design stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement.
Rewarding a game that demonstrates distinction in the use of sound or music to improve player experience.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Audio award and what is extraordinary about it. Give examples from the nominated game and how the team’s work supported the overall goals of the game. What makes the audio in this game stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement.
This award will recognise the creation of the best new intellectual property.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your nominated game deserves the Best Original IP award and what is extraordinary about it. Give examples from the game, its inspirations and what the goals were. What makes this original IP stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement.
Recognising a game which demonstrates exceptional achievement in visual art and/or animation, across any genre.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Visual Art award and what is extraordinary about the team’s work. Give examples from the nominated game and how the team’s work supported the overall goals of the game. What makes the visual art in this game stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement.
Rewarding a team who have far exceeded expectation in their storytelling to create an outstanding player experience – through innovative or ground-breaking writing.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Narrative award and what is extraordinary about the team’s work. Give examples from the nominated game and how the team’s work supported the overall goals of the game. What makes this narrative stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement in dialogue and narrative design.
The award which recognises technological innovation in the video game space. This could be a pioneering gameplay experience, a breakthrough new development technique, inventive hardware or anything showing true innovation.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why the team responsible for this innovation deserves the Best Technical Innovation award and what’s extraordinary about their work. Explain how they came up with the new idea, what makes it so ground-breaking and why it has been such a success. What makes this project and the achievements of the team stand out?
Judges will look for a real departure from anything that has gone before, plus evidence of critical and/or commercial success.
This award celebrates an individual who has shown a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the games industry.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this person deserves the Diversity award and what is extraordinary about what they’ve achieved. Give examples of how they’ve successfully promoted diversity and inclusion. What makes this person stand out? Include any supporting evidence and testimony within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023)
Judges will look for a trailblazer who has gone above and beyond to further the cause of diversity in our industry.
Recognising a UK-based individual, in-house team or external agency that has shown outstanding achievement in promoting a game – including marketing, PR, influencer relations and community development.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why you, your team or organisation deserves to be recognised as our Marketing Star. Give us an overview of your strategy, goals and successful execution for a campaign which launched within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget.
Please include one testimonial regarding your work on this campaign from another function within your business or from your client.
Judges will look for creativity, innovative approaches, delivery on brief and within budget, plus the resulting commercial success.
Recognising the organisation that has provided the highest quality of service and contributed the most to usability, testing and localisation within the game developer community.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your organisation deserves the Best QA and Localisation award. What is your core business and how has your product/service supported game developers? Please describe in depth one title that you’re especially proud of helping bring to market within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and why. You may provide up to three customer testimonials.
Judges will look for excellence in service levels, delivery on brief and resulting critical and/or commercial success for the client.
This award recognises the organisation that has provided exceptional audio assets (voice acting, music or sound effects) or visual assets (porting or creating sections of the game) for the game developer community.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your organisation deserves the Best Creative Provider award. What is your core business and how has your product/service supported game developers? Please describe in depth one title that you’re especially proud of helping bring to market within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and why. Please provide up to three customer testimonials.
Judges will look for innovation, creativity, excellence in service levels, delivery on brief and resulting critical and/or commercial success for the client.
For this award we’ll be rewarding the organisation that has provided outstanding hardware and/or technological support for UK game developers. This could include third party engines, motion capture tools, dev kits or microprocessors.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your organisation deserve the Best Technology Provider award. Please describe in depth one title that you’re especially proud of helping bring to market within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and why. Please provide up to three customer testimonials.
Judges will look for innovation, excellence in service levels, delivery on brief and resulting critical and/or commercial success for the client.
Recognising an in-house team that has shown outstanding policies and initiatives, and produced impressive results in successfully recruiting, retaining and developing talent within their team.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your team deserves to be recognised as our Talent Development Star. Give us an example of your achievements within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and tell us how you contributed to your company's success.
Judges will look for innovative, inclusive approaches and the resulting success.
Recognising an external organisation that has shown outstanding policies and initiatives, and produced impressive results in successfully recruiting new team members for development studios.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your organisation deserves to be recognised as our Recruitment Star. Give us an example of your best placement within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and tell us how you contributed to your client's success. Please provide up to three client testimonials.
Judges will look for innovative approaches and the resulting success.
The Tomorrow's Star award will recognise the achievements of new talent in the games industry. Nominees should be below senior management or director level.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this person deserves the Tomorrow's Star award and what is extraordinary about what they’ve achieved. Give examples of how they’ve successfully contributed to your organisation. What makes this person stand out? Include any supporting evidence and testimony within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023)
Judges will look for an individual who strives to achieve success and results, inspires others and has the potential to become a future leader in our industry.
Recognising an organisation that has shown outstanding support helping developers get their game published. This can include via funding, discoverability, research or anything else that helped secure a successful route to market for new games.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your organisation deserves to be recognised as our Publishing Star. Give us examples of a game or games you’re really proud to have supported within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023) and tell us how you contributed to their success. Please provide up to three testimonials from developers you’ve worked with.
Judges will look for innovative approaches and the resulting critical and/or commercial success for the developer.
This award will be given to the game that offers best overall player experience on a mobile phone or tablet.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Mobile Game award and what’s extraordinary about it. Give examples from the nominated game & explain what makes this game and the team’s achievements stand out?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement.
Rewarding the game that stands out above all others in terms of gameplay, storytelling, art style, character development, creativity and overall player experience - across all genres and platforms.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why this game deserves the Best Game award and what’s extraordinary about it. Give examples from the nominated game, their inspirations and what the goals were. What makes this game stand out as the Best Game?
Judges will look for innovation, creativity and technical achievement not just commercial success.
This award will go to a studio with ten or fewer employees who’ve achieved exceptional critical and commercial success during the qualifying period.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your studio deserves to win Best Small Studio. What makes your studio and the achievements of your team stand out? Explain your company culture and team dynamic, what’s remarkable about your game(s), development and production process and community engagement?
Link to examples of your latest game(s) from within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023)
Judges will look for evidence of all round outstanding achievement and individuality as well as critical and commercial success.
This award celebrates any studio with five or more employees who’ve achieved exceptional critical and commercial success during the qualifying period.
Entry Requirements:
Tell us why your studio deserves to win Best Studio. What makes your studio and the achievements of your team stand out? Explain your company culture and team dynamic, what’s remarkable about your game(s), development and production process and community engagement?
Link to examples of your latest game(s) from within the qualifying period (1 April 2022 - 31 March 2023)
Judges will look for evidence of all round outstanding achievement and individuality as well as critical and commercial success.
Develop:Star Awards Party
The Develop:Star Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 12 July during Develop:Brighton.
Party Timings
- 19:00 Drinks and Canapes
- 20:00 Awards Presentation
- 21:00 Dinner
- 22:00 Awards Presentation
- 22:30 After Party
- Late bar with dessert stations, a live DJ and some surprises..
Party Tickets
- Premium Table of 10
Ticket includes premium drinks package, prime table location, your logo displayed on your table, dinner and access to the drinks reception and after party.
Early Bird Rate (by 8 June): £2,950 (+ VAT)
Full Rate (after 8 June): £3,350 (+ VAT)
- Standard Table of 10
Ticket includes standard drinks package, dinner and access to the drinks reception and after party.
Early Bird Rate (by 8 June): £2,600 (+ VAT)
Full Rate (after 8 June): £3,000 (+ VAT)
- Single Seat at a Table
Ticket includes drinks, dinner and access to the drinks reception and after party.
Early Bird Rate (by 8 June): £260 (+VAT)
Full Rate (after 8 June): £300 (+VAT)
- Single Seat at a Table Micro Indie Rate
(Dev studios with 4 or fewer employees only)
Ticket includes drinks, dinner and access to the drinks reception and after party.
Early Bird Rate (by 8 June): £150 (+VAT)
Full Rate (after 8 June): £195 (+VAT)
Please note: If you've booked a ticket for the Awards you'll need a wristband to get in, which you can collect from the Develop:Brighton Registration desk between 2pm and 7pm on that Wednesday.
Sponsorship
The Develop:Star Awards offer a range of sponsorship opportunities to help you achieve your marketing & promotional goals. Whatever your aims, there’s something to suit every pocket - all designed to maximise your exposure.
To find out how you can get involved contact us at:
E: [email protected]
T: +44 (0)20 3927 6440
The Develop:Star Award 2023

Guerrilla have been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Develop Star Award which recognises outstanding achievements and contributions to the games industry. This is the first time a development studio has received the award rather than an individual - congratulations to the Guerrilla team!
The 2023 Develop:Star Awards Finalists:
Best Studio
- Codemasters
- Creative Assembly
- FuturLab
- INTERIOR/NIGHT
- Roll7
- Santa Monica Studio
- Sumo Digital
- ustwo games
Best Small Studio
- Awaceb
- Black Salt Games
- Max Inferno
- Nosebleed Interactive
- Purple Yonder
- Wales Interactive
Best Game
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- God of War Ragnarök
- IMMORTALITY
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- PowerWash Simulator
- Rollerdrome
- Tchia
- Vampire Survivors
Publishing Star
- Curve Games
- Kepler Interactive
- Kwalee
- nDreams
- No More Robots
- Playstack
- Private Division
- Team17 Digital
Best Mobile Game
- Desta: The Memories Between
- Farmside
- Hunt & Seek
- Magic Spellslingers
- MARVEL Snap
- Mighty DOOM
Best Game Design
- DREDGE
- God of War Ragnarök
- Hi-Fi RUSH
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Rollerdrome
- Vampire Survivors
Best Original IP
- A Little to the Left
- As Dusk Falls
- Desta: The Memories Between
- Hi-Fi RUSH
- Rollerdrome
- Tchia
Best Narrative
- As Dusk Falls
- Desta: The Memories Between
- Gerda: A Flame in Winter
- God of War Ragnarök
- IMMORTALITY
- The Quarry
Best Visual Art
- DREDGE
- God of War Ragnarök
- Hi-Fi RUSH
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- Rollerdrome
- Scorn
Best Audio
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- DREDGE
- God of War Ragnarök
- Hi-Fi RUSH
- IMMORTALITY
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Rollerdrome
Best QA & Localisation
- Keywords Studios
- LocalizeDirect
- Player Research
- PTW
- Testronic
- Universally Speaking
Best Technical Innovation
- Eternal Threads
- God of War Ragnarök
- Gotham Knights
- Horizon Call of the Mountain
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- The Quarry
Best Technology Provider
- GameMaker
- PopcornFX
- Speech Graphics
- Unity
- Unreal Engine
Best Creative Provider
- Airship Interactive
- Atomhawk
- d3t
- SIDE
- Soundcuts
- Studio Gobo
- Warp Digital
Diversity Star
- Brandon Cole – Into Games
- Cari Watterton - Rebellion
- Dom Shaw - Ukie
- Kirsty Kirby – Lab42 Games
- Ladell Smith – Auroch Digital
- Marie-Claire Isaaman – Women in Games
- Tamsin O’Luanaigh - nDreams
- Zakia Abdullah - Pixelynx
Sustainability Star
- Green17
- Hutch Games
- Imagine Earth
- PlanetPlay
- Sports Interactive
- Sumo Group
- Ubisoft
- ustwo games
Recruitment Star
- Aardvark Swift Recruitment
- Amiqus
- Datascope Recruitment
- Games Jobs Direct
- One Player Mission - OPM
- Skillsearch Limited
Talent Development Star
- Andy Driver – XR Games
- Anita McIntyre – Airship Interactive
- Double Eleven
- Fiona Turner – Dovetail Games
- nDreams Academy
- Payload Studios
- Splash Damage
- Sumo Group
Marketing Star
- Ben Symons – Dovetail Games
- Caitlin Stratford – Bithell Games
- Plan of Attack
- Claire Sharkey – Creative Assembly/Freelance
- Courtney O'Connor – Supermassive Games
- Etch Play
- nDreams
- YRS TRULY
Tomorrow’s Star
- Chloe Sinclair - Firesprite
- Flo Burchill – Snap Finger Click
- Hannah Corcoran – Auroch Digital
- Harry Foster – 10:10 Games
- Holly O'Neill – Media Molecule
- Natalie Dodd – Dovetail Games
- Sara Veal – Uplift Games
- Shaye Poulton Richards – INTERIOR/NIGHT