The Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week announced the finalists for the Independent Games Festival awards event, which is part of the previous conference. The IGF awards event, where it will reveal the winners of each award, will take place on March 26 along with the Game Developers Choice Awards. The previous winner of the James McNally Grand Prize in 2024 was Venba by Visai Games.
The games with the most nominations are Jenny Jiao Hsia's Consume Me, a dark comedy life sim inspired by the creator's experience with disordered eating; and Despelote, a slice-of-life game about playing soccer and meeting people on the streets of Quito, Ecuador.
Here is the full list of candidates:
James McNally Grand Prize
- Qud Caves (Freedom Games / Kitfox Games)
- Eat Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Strange meter / 11 bit studio)
- Thank you very much You are here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
- UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Honorable Mention: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Mouth (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Nine Sols (RedCandleGames), Magic Break Wizard (Suspicious Developments)
New Award
- Eat Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- Extreme Evolution: Path to Divinity (Sam Atlas)
- Ginger (Kevin Doo / lizu ktap)
- individualism in the dead internet age: an anti-tech asset flip shovelware rant manifesto (alienmelon)
- Starship Home (Creature)
- tapeçaria (tapestry) (mut/moochi (with help from plunderludics working group))
- The Revolution 8 (KOTAKE CREATE / Active Gaming Media Inc)
Honorable mentions: Arctic Eggs (Water Museum, cockydoody, abmarnie, Cameron Ginex / CRITICAL REFLEX), Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya), Onto Maisillind Unto Infinity (Kas Ghobadi, Juliáncios Gechtman / Kasrah Ghobadi), Price of Flight (WATERBOX), Project Y (Project_Y Production Committee), Define Yourself: The Personality Test Game (Lizardry / PLAYISM)
Excellence in the visual arts
- Children of the Sun (René Rother / Devolver Digital)
- Eat Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Hauntii (Moonloop / Firestoke games)
- Judero (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya)
- Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)
- Thank you very much You are here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
Honorable Mentions: Crow Country (SFB Games), Death of Vengeance (Joe Richardson), Miniatures (Other Stories Interactive), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive)
Excellence in Reporting
- Qud Caves (Freedom Games / Kitfox Games)
- Closer to the Distance (Osmotic Studios/Skybound Games)
- Eat Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Strange meter / 11 bit studio)
- No issue should remain unresolved (Somi)
Honorable Mentions: Prince of Blue (Dogubomb / Raw Fury), Miniatures (Other Interactive Stories), Mouthwash (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Tricky Break Wizard (Suspicious Developments), Thank You for Being Here! (Coal Supper / Panic), The Thaumaturge (Fool's Theory / 11 bit studios)
Excellence in Design
- Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
- Prince Blue (Dogubomb / Raw Fury)
- Qud Caves (Freedom Games / Kitfox Games)
- Eat Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet WP, Ken “coda” Snyder)
- Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
- Tricky Breakthrough Magic (Suspicious Developments)
Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), No Case Should Go Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Design, Icedrop Games / Draknek and Friends), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics ), The Rise of a Golden Idol (Grey Games / Playstack)
Excellence in audio
- Fury Foot (Free Life / Devolver Digital)
- Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
- INDIKA (Strange meter / 11 bit studio)
- ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann, Bastian Clausdorff)
- Thank you very much You are here! (Coal Supper / Panic)
- Utopia Must Fall (Pixeljam)
Honorable Mentions:
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Mouthwash (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX), Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive), Rise of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games / Playstack), UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Best Student Game
- A Dual Ascent (Mountain Toad Entertainment / Rubika Supinfogame)
- DisplaceMen (Eversea Club / Leaf Pages)
- Growth Spurt: A Curved Transition into the Hours After a Mistake (Games for My Computer)
- Slot Waste (Vinny Roca / Pickpanpuck Productions)
- The WereCleaner (Howlin' Hugs / USC Games)
- Unknown Year (Julian Heuser)
Honorable Mentions:
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)
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