We're thrilled to announce the finalists for the Develop:Star Awards 2026, with the winners to be selected by an industry vote open to the Develop:Brighton community. The vote will be open until 3 June and the winners will be unveiled at the Develop:Star Awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 15 July, during Develop:Brighton 2026.
Shortlists were decided across 18 categories by a panel of industry experts – including the brand-new Best Ongoing Game category.
Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Sucker Punch Entertainment’s Ghost of Yōtei lead the pack with nominations in six categories, including Best Visual Art, Best Game Design, and Best Narrative. Both also received nominations in the Best Game category, where they are joined by Blue Prince, Dispatch, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and PEAK.
“The Develop Star Awards has always been a platform for the best and brightest in the games industry, and this year’s nominees are no exception” said Tandem Events Managing Director Andy Lane. “We’re happy that we can continue providing a space for games makers from all walks of life to be celebrated by their industry peers.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment once again leads the way in studio nominations, thanks to the success of both Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Ghost of Yōtei. They are joined as Best Studio nominees by Frontier Developments, FuturLab, Hangar13, Kinetic Games, Sandfall, and Sucker Punch.
As well as these 18 awards, there will be the Develop Star Award – a lifetime award that celebrates individuals or companies who have made a significant contribution to the games industry. Previous honourees include Remedy Entertainment creative director Sam Lake, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida, and game development studio Sports Interactive, with this year’s recipient set to be announced in due course.
Tables and individual tickets for the awards are available to purchase now, with an Early Bird discount offering up to £400 off until Wednesday 3 June. Tickets can be purchased here. All tickets include a three-course dinner and invite to the drinks reception and after party.
Finalists:
Best Audio
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• Let Them Come: Onslaught
• TR-49
Best Visual Art
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Mafia: The Old Country
• The Midnight Walk
Best Game
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
• PEAK
Best Game Design
• 9 Kings
• Blue Prince
• Cairn
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Ghost of Yōtei
Supporting Star
• Atomhawk
• Dead Nice Studio
• Keywords Studios Ltd
• PitStop Productions
• PlanetPlay
• Side
• Sumo Digital
• Testronic
Best Narrative
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Mafia: The Old Country
• The Alters
• TR-49
Best Original IP
• Date Everything!
• Dispatch
• Ghost Town
• PEAK
• Pieced Together
• The Alters
Best Studio
• Frontier Developments
• FuturLab
• Hangar 13
• Kinetic Games
• Sandfall
• Sucker Punch
Best Ongoing Game – NEW
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
• HITMAN World of Assassination
• No Man's Sky
• Phasmophobia
• Rust
• Vampire Survivors
Best Marketing Campaign
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• CloverPit
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Monument Valley 3 / The Garden of Life - Multiplatform Release
• The Slayeux Tapestry – Bethesda and YRS TRULY
Tomorrow’s Star
• Ayo Norman-Williams
• Deevya Patel
• Dennis Welling
• Elise Barry
• Jing Wang
• Nicole Gregory
Talent & Recruitment Star
• Aardvark Swift Recruitment Ltd
• Amiqus
• Lighthouse Games
• Pixel Movement
• Skillsearch Ltd
• Talent and Academy Team, Double Eleven
• The Pixel Movement
• Playground Games
• The Talent Acquisition team at IO Interactive
Best Technical Innovation
• Crimson Desert (Proprietary BlackSpace Engine)
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• G'AIM'E Lightgun
• Ghost Town
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Jurassic World Evolution 3
Best Mobile Game
• Grand Mountain Adventure 2
• HITMAN World of Assassination (Mobile)
• Mindset GO!
• Pine Hearts
• PowerWash Simulator
Best Small Studio
• Draknek & Friends
• inkle
• Landfall, Aggro Crab
• Magic Notion
• Neolithic LLC
• Panik Arcade
Best EDI Initiative
• Football Manager for Missing Managers
• Into Games - Boost
• Limit Break Mentorship
• Melanin Gamers
• Out Making Games
Publishing Star
• Hooded Horse
• Kepler Interactive
• Megabit Publishing
• Secret Mode
• Sony
• Team17
• Yogscast
Best In-Game Accessibility
• Dead Reset
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Pine Hearts Mobile
• Tiny Bookshop
• Unseen Diplomacy 2
• ustwo games – Monument Valley 3 multiplatform release
Full details of the shortlist can be found here.
