Develop:Star Awards 2020 Shortlist Announced

Wednesday 7 October 2020: Tandem Events has today announced the shortlist for the Develop:Star Awards 2020. The virtual ceremony will take place at 5pm GMT on Wednesday 4 November as part of Develop:Brighton Digital 2020.

A closed industry vote opens today and will last one week, closing on Wednesday 14 October. Develop:Brighton attendees from over the past four years have been invited to take part.

The winners will be announced during the Develop:Star Awards ceremony, which will be broadcast for free as part of the Develop:Brighton Digital conference, running 2-4 November, and through Develop’s YouTube channel.

The finalists were selected by a panel of judges comprised of industry experts and developers, who reviewed hundreds of submissions across the 16 categories.

In addition to these categories, the Develop:Star Award will also be presented to Bethesda Game Studio’s Todd Howard in recognition of his incredible career. Todd Howard will be delivering a keynote session during Develop:Brighton Digital on Monday 2 November.

“This year has been a difficult one for everyone, but through it the talent and dedication of the games development community has shone through. It’s only right that we celebrate their achievements,” said Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events.

“I’d like to thank our judges for committing their time to the selection process. The quality of our finalists this year is truly impressive, a testament to the industry’s hard work and limitless abilities. There will be winners, but certainly no losers.”

The nominees for the Develop:Star Awards 2020 are:

Best Visual Art

• Assemble with Care - ustwo games
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE
• Knights and Bikes - Foam Sword / Double Fine Presents
• Sayonara Wild Hearts – Simogo / Annapurna Interactive

Best Narrative

• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Heaven's Vault - inkle
• INMOST - Hidden Layer Games / Chucklefish
• Life is Strange 2 - DONTNOD Entertainment / Square Enix

Best Game Design

• Assemble with Care - ustwo games
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE
• Lair of the Clockwork God - Size Five Games
• What the Golf? - Triband

Best Audio Sponsored by Dolby

• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE
• Knights and Bikes - Foam Sword / Double Fine Presents
• Sayonara Wild Hearts – Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
• Total War: Three Kingdoms - Creative Assembly / SEGA

Best Original IP

• Assemble with Care - ustwo games
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE
• What the Golf? - Triband

Best Innovation 

• Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey - Panache Digital Games / Private Division
• Autonauts - Denki / Curve Digital
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE
• Heaven's Vault - inkle

Diversity Star

• Gemma Abdeen - Outreach Manager, Media Molecule
• Harinder Sangha - Operations Director, Sumo Digital
• Ian Hamilton – Game Accessibility Conference
• Liz Prince - Putting the G into Gaming
• Robin Gray - Gayming Magazine Founder
• Shay Thompson - Level Up Link Up

Best QA & Localisation Provider

• INLINGO
• Localsoft
• PTW
• Testronic
• Universally Speaking

Best Creative Provider

• PitStop Productions
• SIDE UK
• Warp Digital

Best Technology Provider

• Amazon Web Services Game Tech
• Game Maker Studio 2, YoYo Games
• Genba Digital
• Unity
• Unreal Engine, Epic Games

Recruitment Star

• Aardvark Swift
• Amiqus Recruitment
• Big Planet Recruitment
• Datascope Recruitment
• OPMjobs
• Skillsearch Limited

Publishing Star Sponsored by GamesIndustry.biz

• Bethesda Softworks
• Curve Digital
• Nintendo
• SEGA Europe
• Team17

Best Mobile Game

• Assemble with Care - ustwo games
• Call of Duty: Mobile - TiMi Studios / Activision
• INMOST - Hidden Layer Games / Chucklefish
• Sayonara Wild Hearts - Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
• What the Golf? - Triband

Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Doom Eternal - id Software / Bethesda Softworks
• Dreams - Media Molecule / SIEE

Best Micro Studio

• Denki
• Fireblade Software
• Foam Sword
• Inkle

Best Studio

• Codemasters Birmingham
• Creative Assembly
• Frontier Developments
• Media Molecule
• Mediatonic

Media Molecule have secured the most nominations, with eight in total including Game of the Year and Best Game Design for Dreams. Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games’ Control is a finalist in five categories, the same number as ZA/UM for Disco Elysium. ustwo games have secured four nominations for Apple Arcade exclusive Assemble with Care.

The Develop:Star Awards 2020 will be broadcast for free. Anyone wishing to watch the ceremony can register in advance to be sent all the details: https://developstars2020.eventbrite.co.uk

Develop:Brighton Digital is a three-day conference and expo running 2-4 November which will be free for all industry professionals and students. Further details about the conference will be announced very soon.