Game Connection Europe Development Awards nominees

B2B conference Game Connection Europe today announced the nominees for the coveted Game Connection Development Award (formerly „Selected Projects“). The contest is open to console, mobile, social, casual, and online games at any stage of development with no restriction on genre, platform, or distribution method. Out of a large number of entries from around the world, a Judging Committee of international industry experts picked their top five games for each of the ten categories.

On the opening day of Game Connection, each of the finalists will be presented to all the publishers, distributors, buyers, and the press at the event, providing each studio with a unique opportunity to showcase their project to a large number of potential partners. Winners of each category will be announced at the end of each category presentation. Previous winners include Loading Human from Untold Games, White Night from OSome Studio, Contrast from Compulsion Games, Badland from Frogmind, and Limbo from PlayDead.

Leading the field of nominees is French studio Area Effect, who received five nominations for their action-exploration game Izle. Four nominations each went to Hero Craft from Russia for Warhammer 40.000: Space Wolf, Mild Mania LTD. from Turkey for Darklings, osao Games from Denmark for Chronology, and Illusion Group&Riccardo Boccuzzi from Italy for Perfect Circle. Other hopefuls include Bulgarian studios Imperia Online Ltd. (Imperia Online) and Masthead (Guns and Robots), Night Light Interactive from the United States (Whispering Willows), British studio Nyamyam (Tengami) and Austrian Zeppelin Studio (Schein) with three nominations each.

The Game Connection Development Awards are given out in partnership with Microsoft Games, Bandai Namco Games and Focus Home Interactive. In addition to the Development Award, there will be a „European Games Booster Award“, supported by MEDIA Creative Europe. This special mention will go to one European nominee in each category.

All categories and nominees at a glance, including trailers:

ORIGINALITY

• Remembering – Monobanda, The Netherlands (PC; PSN; Wii U)
• Izle  – Area Effect, France (PC; PSN; Xbox Live Arcade)
• Darklings – Mild Mania LTD., Turkey (Smartphones; Tablets)
• Perfect Circles – Illusion Group&Riccardo Boccuzzi, Italy (Smartphones; Tablets)
• Schein – Zeppelin Studio, Austria (PC)

STORY TELLING

• Izle  – Area Effect, France (PC; PSN; Xbox Live Arcade)
• The Town of Light – Lka.it, Italy (PC)
• Whispering Willows – Night Light Interactive, United States (PC; Ouya)
• Chronology – osao Games, Denmark (Smartphones; PC; Xbox One)
• Perfect Circles – Illusion Group&Riccardo Boccuzzi, Italy (Tablets; Smartphones)

ART

• Guns and Robots – Masthead Studios, Bulgaria (PC; Web browser)
• Tengami – Nyamyam, United Kingdom (Tablets; Wii U)
• Darklings – Mild Mania LTD., Turkey (Smartphones; Tablets)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Wolf – HeroCraft, Russia (Tablets; Smarthphones; PC)
• Chronology – osao Games, Denmark (Smartphones; PC; Xbox One)

PROMISING IP

• Imperia Online – Imperia Online LTD., Bulgaria (Web browsers; Smartphones; Social Networks)
• Izle  – Area Effect, France (PC; PSN; Xbox Live Arcade)
• Pix the Cat – Pastagames, France (PS4; PS Vita)
• Overkill 3 – Craneball Studios, Czech Republic (Tablets; Smartphones; Ouya)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Wolf – HeroCraft, Russia (Tablets; Smarthphones; PC)

CONSOLE/PC HARDCORE

• ParVaNeh: Legacy of the Light’s Guardians – Bearded Bird, Iran (PC)
• Pix the Cat – Pastagames, France (PS4; PS Vita)
• Narcosis – Honor Code Inc., United States (PC; Oculus VR; PS4)
• Shiness – ENIGAMI, France (PC; PS4; Xbox One)
• NERO – Storm in a Teacup SRL, Italy (Xbox One; PC; PS4)

DESKTOP DOWNLOADABLE

• Izle  – Area Effect, France (PC; PSN; Xbox Live Arcade)
• Imperia Online – Imperia Online LTD., Bulgaria (Web browsers; Smartphones; Social Networks)
• Guns and Robots – Masthead Studios, Bulgaria (PC; Web browser)
• Whispering Willows – Night Light Interactive, United States (PC; Ouya)
• Schein – Zeppelin Studio, Austria (PC)

MOBILE/TABLETS

• Chronology – osao Games, Denmark (Smartphones; PC; Xbox One)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Wolf – HeroCraft, Russia (Tablets; Smarthphones; PC)
• Darklings – Mild Mania LTD., Turkey (Smartphones; Tablets)
• Tengami – Nyamyam, United Kingdom (Tablets; Wii U)
• Perfect Circles – Illusion Group&Riccardo Boccuzzi, Italy (Tablets; Smartphones)

CASUAL GAME

• Guns and Robots – Masthead Studios, Bulgaria (PC; Web browser)
• Whispering Willows – Night Light Interactive, United States (PC; Ouya)
• Chronology – osao Games, Denmark (Smartphones; PC; Xbox One)
• Darklings – Mild Mania LTD., Turkey (Smartphones; Tablets)
• Tengami – Nyamyam, United Kingdom (Tablets; Wii U)

HARDCORE GAME

• Izle  – Area Effect, France (PC; PSN; Xbox Live Arcade)
• Imperia Online – Imperia Online LTD., Bulgaria (Web browsers; Smartphones; Social Networks)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Wolf – HeroCraft, Russia (Tablets; Smarthphones; PC)
• Schein – Zeppelin Studio, Austria (PC)
• Perfect Circles – Illusion Group&Riccardo Boccuzzi, Italy (Tablets; Smartphones)

SOCIAL GAME

• Dead Cells – Motion Twin, France (Tablets; Smartphones; Web browsers)
• Tropical Wars – Vertige SAS, France (Smartphones; PC; Social Networks)
• Super Dungeon Bros. – React! Games, USA (PC; PS4; Xbox Live Arcade)
• What on Earth! – Traplight Games, Finland (Tablets)
• Velvet Sundown – Tribe Studios, Finland (PC; Tablets)

The Judging Committee consists of the following industry experts: Agostino Simonetta (Independant), Arthur Chow (6waves), Careen Yapp (Gaikai), Casey Lee (Com2us USA), Cedric Lagarrigue (Focus Home Interactive), Deborah Papiernik (Ubisoft Entertainment), Guy Richards (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe), Jennie Sue (:DeNA), Jere Mäkiniemi (Rovio Entertainment), Jim Ying (Tango), Katie Morgan (Reverb Publishing), Dennis Yi (Gamevil), Levi Buchanan (Chillingo), Neil Haldar (GREE International), Robert Loya (Activision Blizzard), Samuel Gatté (Namco Bandai Games), Sarita Churchill-Viramontez (Microsoft Studios), Tatiana Timoshenko (G5 Entertainment), Vincent Dondaine (Bulkypix), Jack Hong Suk Chun (LINE Corporation) and Thierry Beaujard (Peaceful Fish).

The Game Connection Development Awards will be given out on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 between 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm. Nominees for the Marketing Awards, held on the same day between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, will be announced shortly.