The Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week announced the finalists for its independent game festival awards ceremony, part of the conference. IGF’s awards event to announce the winners of each award will be held on March 26th in parallel with the Game Developers Choice Awards. The previous winner of the 2024 Seumas McNally Grand Prize was Venba from Visai Games.
The game with the most nominations is Consume Me by Jenny Jiao Hsia. It’s a darkly comedic life sim inspired by the author’s experience with eating disorders. Despolote is a slice-of-life game about playing soccer and meeting people on the streets of Quito, Ecuador.
The full list of candidates is:
Seamus McNally Award
- Cave of Kudo (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
- Consume Me (Jenny Zhao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jian Li, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Desperote (Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (odd meter / 11 bit studio)
- Thank you, you are here! (Call Supper / Panic)
- UFO 50 (Mosmus)
Honorable mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Mouthwash (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Nine Sols (RedCandleGames), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Nuovo Prize
- Consume Me (Jenny Zhao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jian Li, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Desperote (Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Extreme Evolution: Drive to Divinity (Sam Atlas)
- Ginger (Kevin Doe/Liz Cutup)
- Individualism in the Dead Internet Age: Anti-Big Tech Asset Flip Shovelware Rant Manifesto (Alien Melon)
- Starship Home (Creature)
- Tapeçaria (mut/moochi (with help from the plunderludics working group))
- The Exit 8 (Kotake Create / Active Gaming Media Co., Ltd.)
Honorable mentions: Arctic Eggs (The Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex / CRITICAL REFLEX), Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), Onto Maisillind Unto Infinity (Kas Ghobadi, Julian Palacios Gechtman) /) Kasra Ghobadi), Price of Flight (Waterbox), Project Y (Project_Y Production Committee), Refind Self ~Personality Test~ game (Lizardry / PLAYISM)
great visual art
- Children of the Sun (René Rother / Devolver Digital)
- Consume Me (Jenny Zhao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jian Li, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Hauntii (Moonloop Games / Firestoke)
- Judero (Talja and Jack Coe, J. Kingspooner, Talha Kaya)
- Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)
- Thank you, you are here! (Call Supper / Panic)
Honorable mentions: Crow Country (SFB Games), Death of the Reprobate (Joe Richardson), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)
excellent storytelling
- Cave of Kudo (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
- Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games)
- Consume Me (Jenny Zhao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jian Li, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Desperote (Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (odd meter / 11 bit studio)
- Don’t let the case go unsolved (Somi)
Honorable mentions: Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Miniatures (Other Tales Interactive), Mothwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments), Thank Goodness You’re Here! (Coal Supper / Panic), The Thaumaturge (Fool’s Theory / 11 bit studios)
excellent design
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
- Cave of Kudo (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
- Consume Me (Jenny Zhao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jian Li, Violet WP, Ken “Coda” Snyder)
- Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios/Kepler Interactive)
- Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Development)
Honorable mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), No Case Should Remain Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games / Draknek and Friends), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics), The Rise of Golden Idol (Color Gray Game/Playstack)
Excellence in audio
- Anger Foot (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
- Desperote (Julian Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (odd meter / 11 bit studio)
- Odada (Sven Ahlgrim, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorf)
- Thank you, you are here! (Call Supper / Panic)
- Utopia Must Fall (Pixel Jam)
Honorable mention:
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Mothwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
best student games
- A Dual Ascent (Mountain Toad Entertainment / Rubika Supinfogame)
- DisplaceMen (Eversea Club / Leaf Leaves)
- Growth Spurt: A tortuous break in the aftermath of a miscalculation (computer game)
- Slot Waste (Vinny Roca / Pickpan Pack Productions)
- The WereCleaner (Howlin’ Hugs / USC Game)
- Unknown year (Julian Heuser)
Honorable mention:
Cards of Heart (GoodMind Games), Duck Paradox (Magic Games / Midwest Games), Lost Garden (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Perfect World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (Starworks Studios)
