6 October – Last night, the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) announced the winners of the 2022 Australian Game Developer Awards (AGDAs) with Cult of The Lamb by Massive Monster sweeping four awards, including Game of The Year. The critically acclaimed title also won the Excellence in Gameplay, Excellence in Music and Excellence in Art categories.
After rigorous judging from 70 game industry professionals, winners from 13 categories were announced in addition to four cultural awards. Hosted by Queens of the Drone Age, this year’s AGDAs highlight the diversity of skill, talent, and creativity within the Australian games industry and community and the quality of products and technology being developed locally.
Victorian games studios saw significant success, claiming awards from 10 of the 13 categories.
Julian Wilton, Creative Director of Massive Monster said he was thrilled to see Cult of the Lamb recognised at the AGDAs. “After experiencing our success overseas, it was an amazing feeling to see our game really resonate with Australians as well. We received such strong support locally and we love that it’s being enjoyed, not just for the gameplay, but also for the art and music.”
Women-led studios saw recognition and success in this year’s awards, with Wylde Flowers by Studio Drydock claiming Excellence in Narrative Games and Excellence in Mobile Games, and Kinder World by Lumi Interactive winning Excellence in Serious Games.
This year’s AGDAs also saw many firsts, with Lost and Hound by Daisy Ale Soundworks winning Excellence in Accessibility – the first time a regional WA studio has been named a finalist and winner in the AGDAs twenty year history. Queer Man Peering into A Rock Pool.jpg by New South Wales studio Fuzzy Ghost claimed Excellence in Emerging Games, following its second nomination in two years.
“With such a high calibre of games nominated, shortlisted and crowned winners, we expect further global success for many of our Australian creators. Australia has a strong and well-deserved reputation across the world for developing innovative, unique, and fun games for all types of players,” says Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA.
“The Australian games industry is thriving and with the long awaited, and still to be introduced DGTO, we are poised for future success. Coupled with the ongoing support from State governments and the new Games: Expansion pack from Screen Australia, our industry can continue to scale at a rapid pace.”
In addition to the 13 award categories, the AGDAs also presented four cultural awards to people and studios of significance. The four awards are community and industry nominated, highlighting each winner’s impact in the sector beyond their scope of work. These cultural awards include the Rising Star, Ambition, Adam Lancman, and Studio of the year.
Raymond Corrigan, the creator of Earthlingo, won the Rising Star award, while Ryan McMahon, Art Director at Playside Studios, secured the Ambition Award. Industry powerhouse Clara Reeves, CEO of the very successful studio Hipster Whale was recognised with the prestigious Adam Lancman Award for her ongoing contributions to the Australian games industry. Gameloft Brisbane won the Studio of the Year award, following their success with an AGDA for Excellence in Ongoing Games.
The AGDAs took place as part of Melbourne International Games Week, a week-long celebration of the Australian games industry.
A complete list of winners can be found on the AGDAs website and below.
Australian Game Developer Awards winners.
Game of the Year
Excellence in Art
Excellence in Gameplay
Excellence in Narrative
Excellence in Sound Design
Excellence in Music
Excellence in Technical Design
Excellence in Accessibility – Presented by VicScreen
Excellence in Mobile Games
Excellence in AR/VR
Excellence in Serious Games (Applied/Impactful)
Excellence in Emerging Games (Student or Early Career)
Excellence in Ongoing Games (Games as a Service)
Rising Star Award
Ambition Award
Adam Lancman Award
Studio of the Year
About IGEA
IGEA (Interactive Games & Entertainment Association) is the peak industry association representing the voice of Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and video games industry. IGEA supports the games industry’s business and public policy interests through advocacy, research and education programs. For more information, please visit www.igea.net
Media spokespeople available
Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA
For any media enquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact igea@doublejump.com.au.
