Tandem Events has today announced the shortlist for the Develop:Star Awards 2019. The winners will now be selected by industry vote, open to 4,000+ attendees of the Develop:Brighton conference. The vote opens soon and closes on 7 June. Winners will be announced during the Develop:Star Awards ceremony on the evening of 10 July 2019, during Develop:Brighton 2019.

The shortlist was selected by a panel of industry experts and developers, who reviewed more than 200 submissions across 15 categories. Among the hotly contested categories are Game of the Year, Best Studio, and Best Original IP.  

Develop:Brighton attendees both past and present will soon receive an email inviting them to cast their vote on the shortlist. To vote, you must be involved in the industry and have registered for Develop:Brighton in the past three years or be registered for 2019 conference passes.

“I’d like to thank our judges for dedicating their time to the selection process,” said Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events. “It was no easy task, with several close calls across the categories. We even had a draw in Best Studio and have had to squeeze in an extra nomination.”

“The industry vote opens soon, so keep an eye on your inboxes. Good luck to all our nominees, we’re looking forward to seeing you at the ceremony.”

Tickets for the awards can be purchased on the Develop:Star Awards website. Early Bird rates are available until 5 June and offer a 15% saving on all options, including exclusive Premium Tables with upgraded drinks package, company branding and prime seating. Studios with four employees or less are eligible for an additional discount through the Micro Indie Ticket*. All tickets include a three-course dinner and invite to the drinks reception and After Party.

The nominees for the Develop:Star Awards 2019 are:

Best Visual Art

• 11-11: Memories Retold - DigixArt Studio & Aardman Animations / Bandai Namco
• Forgotton Anne - ThroughLine Games / Square Enix Collective
• Forza Horizon 4 - Playground Games / Microsoft Studios
• Metro Exodus - 4A Games / Deep Silver
• Yoku’s Island Express - Villa Gorilla / Team17

Best Narrative

• Cultist Simulator - Weather Factory
• Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Forgotton Anne - ThroughLine Games / Square Enix Collective
• Quarantine Circular - Bithell Games
• Sunless Skies - Failbetter Games

Best Game Design

• Cultist Simulator - Weather Factory
• Forza Horizon 4 - Playground Games / Microsoft Studios
• Jurassic World Evolution - Frontier Developments
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft
• Yoku’s Island Express - Villa Gorilla / Team17

Best Audio

• DiRT Rally 2.0 - Codemasters
• Forza Horizon 4 - Playground Games / Microsoft Studios
• Jurassic World Evolution - Frontier Developments
• Tetris Effect - Monstars Inc. & Resonair / Enhance Inc
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 - Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft

Best Original IP

• Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Forgotton Anne - ThroughLine Games / Square Enix Collective
• Sunless Skies - Failbetter Games
• Two Point Hospital - Two Point Studios / Sega
• Yoku’s Island Express - Villa Gorilla / Team17

Best Innovation

• ClientBots: Automated Testing for The Division 1 and 2 - Ubisoft
• Cultist Simulator - Weather Factory
• Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Old School RuneScape mobile - Jagex
• Track Lab - Little Chicken Game Company / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Diversity Star

• Christina Myers - The Omnis Institute
• Ian Hamilton - Consultant
• Kitty Powers - Magic Notion
• Kish Hirani - BAME in Games
• Liz Prince - Amiqus

Best Supplier

• Amazon Game Tech
• Player Research
• Super Rare Games
• Testronic
• Universally Speaking

Recruitment Star

• Aardvark Swift
• Amiqus
• Avatar Games Recruitment
• OPM
• Skillsearch

Best Use of Game Engine

• Detroit: Become Human - Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• F1® 2018 - Codemasters
• Forza Horizon 4 - Playground Games / Microsoft Studios
• Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - The Bearded Ladies / Funcom
• The Occupation - White Paper Games / Sold Out

Publishing Star

• Curve Digital
• No More Robots
• Sega Europe Ltd
• Square Enix Collective
• Wales Interactive

Best Mobile Game

• F1® Mobile Racing - Codemasters
• Old School RuneScape Mobile - Jagex
• Photographs - EightyEight Games
• Rolando: Royal Edition - HandCircus
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm War - Pixel Toys

Game of the Year

• Forza Horizon 4 - Playground Games / Microsoft Studios
• Metro Exodus - 4A Games / Deep Silver
• Overcooked! 2 - Ghost Town Games / Team17
• Sunless Skies - Failbetter Games
• Two Point Hospital - Two Point Studios / Sega

Best Micro Studio

• Ground Shatter
• Playniac
• Radical Forge
• Villa Gorilla
• Weather Factory

Best Studio

• Failbetter Games
• Frontier Developments
• Playground Games
• Sumo Digital
• Sports Interactive
• Two Point Studios

*Micro indie tickets must be purchased over the phone and are limited to four per studio.

For more information call the Develop:Star Awards team on 020 3741 7660.

About The Develop:Star Awards

Taking place alongside the conference, the new Develop:Star Awards will recognise the very best of the game development community. The achievements of developers and success of great games and creativity will be celebrated across 15 categories, including one ultimate ‘Develop Star’. This award will honour an extraordinary game developer for outstanding achievement and contribution to the industry.

About Develop:Brighton conference & expo

The Develop:Brighton conference is where the European developer community comes together to learn from each other and share experiences, be inspired by world renowned experts and gurus, get up-to-date with the latest development tools and techniques, make new contacts and catch up with old ones.

With a programme that is shaped by some of the industry's key figures, the conference touches all levels of the development community from the largest studios to the smallest indies; from development directors to programmers.

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Facebook /developconference