Every year a thread kinda creeps up and disappears, this year it didn't and the awards were streamed live last night via Gamespot.
Now I always find myself playing some of these free games/demos/betas or simply just checking out the videos and I always come away seriously impressed by independant games developers out there, personally it's mostly what I game on PC.
This year also introduced the XBLA Prize Award (Ted Woolsey head of MS first party publishing for XBLA said "Microsoft Studios invests more than $20 million dollars per year to fund Xbox LIVE Arcade games")
"The prize will consist of a guaranteed first-party publishing deal to release the selected title on Microsoft’s LIVE-enabled platforms, including the Xbox LIVE Arcade service, Windows Phone, and Windows. The sponsor-supported prize includes full game funding to complete the title, if desired."
So a pretty big opportunity and I'm happy that Capy Games won it this year, spoiler!
So with that here are your Nominees AND Award Winners, I will do follow up post with Honourable Mentions as they are always worth a mention.
Since I spoiled it we will go with that first.
Microsoft XBLA Sponsorship Award: Super T.I.M.E Force
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
• Dear Esther
• Fez
• Frozen Synapse
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Spelunky
WINNER: FEZ
Excellence In Visual Art
•Botanicula
•Dear Esther
•Lume
•Mirage
•Wonderputt
WINNER: Dear Esther
Technical Excellence
•Antichamber
•Fez
•Prom Week
•Realm of the Mad God
•Spelunky
WINNER: Antichamber
Excellence In Design
•Atom Zombie Smasher
•English Country Tune
•Frozen Synapse
•Gunpoint
•Spelunky
WINNER: Spelunky
Excellence In Audio
•Botanicula
•Dear Esther
•Pugs Luv Beats
•To the Moon
•Waking Mars
WINNER: Botanicula
Best Mobile Game
•ASYNC Corp.
•Beat Sneak Bandit
•Faraway
•Ridiculous Fishing
•Waking Mars
WINNER: Beat Sneak Bandit
Nuovo Award Finalists
•At a Distance
•Dear Esther
•Fingle
•GIRP
•Johann Sebastian Joust
•Proteus
•Storyteller
•WAY
WINNER: Storyteller
Student Showcase Finalists
•The Bridge
•Dust
•The Floor Is Jelly
•Nous
•One and One Story
•Pixi
•The Snowfield
•WAY
WINNER: Way
Audience Award
• Antichamber
• ASYNC Corp.
• At a Distance
• Atom Zombie Smasher
• Beat Sneak Bandit
• Botanicula
• Dear Esther
• English Country Tune
• Faraway
• Fez
• Fingle
• Frozen Synapse
• GRIP
• Gunpoint
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Lume
• Mirage
• Prom Week
• Proteus
• Pugs Luv Beats
• Realm of the Mad God
• Ridiculous Fishing
• Spelunky
• Storyteller
• To The Moon
• Waking Mars
• WAY
• Wonderputt
WINNER: Frozen Synapse
Now I always find myself playing some of these free games/demos/betas or simply just checking out the videos and I always come away seriously impressed by independant games developers out there, personally it's mostly what I game on PC.
This year also introduced the XBLA Prize Award (Ted Woolsey head of MS first party publishing for XBLA said "Microsoft Studios invests more than $20 million dollars per year to fund Xbox LIVE Arcade games")
"The prize will consist of a guaranteed first-party publishing deal to release the selected title on Microsoft’s LIVE-enabled platforms, including the Xbox LIVE Arcade service, Windows Phone, and Windows. The sponsor-supported prize includes full game funding to complete the title, if desired."
So a pretty big opportunity and I'm happy that Capy Games won it this year, spoiler!
So with that here are your Nominees AND Award Winners, I will do follow up post with Honourable Mentions as they are always worth a mention.
Since I spoiled it we will go with that first.
Microsoft XBLA Sponsorship Award: Super T.I.M.E Force
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
• Dear Esther
• Fez
• Frozen Synapse
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Spelunky
WINNER: FEZ
Excellence In Visual Art
•Botanicula
•Dear Esther
•Lume
•Mirage
•Wonderputt
WINNER: Dear Esther
Technical Excellence
•Antichamber
•Fez
•Prom Week
•Realm of the Mad God
•Spelunky
WINNER: Antichamber
Excellence In Design
•Atom Zombie Smasher
•English Country Tune
•Frozen Synapse
•Gunpoint
•Spelunky
WINNER: Spelunky
Excellence In Audio
•Botanicula
•Dear Esther
•Pugs Luv Beats
•To the Moon
•Waking Mars
WINNER: Botanicula
Best Mobile Game
•ASYNC Corp.
•Beat Sneak Bandit
•Faraway
•Ridiculous Fishing
•Waking Mars
WINNER: Beat Sneak Bandit
Nuovo Award Finalists
•At a Distance
•Dear Esther
•Fingle
•GIRP
•Johann Sebastian Joust
•Proteus
•Storyteller
•WAY
WINNER: Storyteller
Student Showcase Finalists
•The Bridge
•Dust
•The Floor Is Jelly
•Nous
•One and One Story
•Pixi
•The Snowfield
•WAY
WINNER: Way
Audience Award
• Antichamber
• ASYNC Corp.
• At a Distance
• Atom Zombie Smasher
• Beat Sneak Bandit
• Botanicula
• Dear Esther
• English Country Tune
• Faraway
• Fez
• Fingle
• Frozen Synapse
• GRIP
• Gunpoint
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Lume
• Mirage
• Prom Week
• Proteus
• Pugs Luv Beats
• Realm of the Mad God
• Ridiculous Fishing
• Spelunky
• Storyteller
• To The Moon
• Waking Mars
• WAY
• Wonderputt
WINNER: Frozen Synapse