The shortlists for the prestigious Game Developer Awards, spotlighting the talented teams behind the top casino titles in the industry, have just been released.
Scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 23 at the Hilton Malta, the exclusive ceremony will host 300 industry professionals for an evening dedicated to celebrating excellence.
The 20 shortlists covering categories like Game Performance, Game Creation, Game People, Streamers and Casino Platforms are now available for review, with the remaining three SlotCatalog data-driven awards to be revealed at a later stage.
In the Game Performance categories, the competition for the Slot of the Year title is set to be fierce with ten prominent studios including AvatarUX, ELA Games, ELK Studios, Endorphina, EveryMatrix, Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play, Push Gaming, Red Tiger and Relax Gaming locking horns for the coveted title.
Pragmatic Play is in the running for multiple accolades including the Slot Legacy title with its Gates of Olympus as well as the Game Mechanic of the Year award for its MultiHold mechanic. Additionally, the studio is contending for the Game Feature of the Year and Game Design and Art Direction awards in the Game Creation Categories with Zeus Versus Hades. Competing alongside Pragmatic Play for the Slot Legacy award are studios such as Blueprint Gaming, Eyecon, Fortune Factory Studios, Games Global, IGT, Light & Wonder, Mascot Gaming and NetEnt.
In the Game Creation categories, an impressive lineup of 14 companies earned their spot in the shortlist for the Game Mechanic of the Year title. These companies, apart from the previously-mentioned Pragmatic Play, include 7777 Gaming, BGaming, Bragg Gaming, Evoplay, Fortune Factory Studios, Hacksaw Gaming, Nailed It! Games, Omnigame, PearFiction Studios, Slotmill, Spribe, Swintt and Wazdan, each having introduced a ground-breaking game mechanic that has either redefined industry standards or elevated existing features to offer players an unmatched level of gaming excitement.
The Game Feature of the Year award also witnessed a record-breaking number of 15 shortlisted companies including Wazdan with its unique feature in the Coins series; the winner of last year’s award in the same category. Other categories within the Game Creation segment include Game Licensed Content, Game Retro-Style, Game Design and Art Direction and Game Music/Soundtrack.
Among the noteworthy nominees for Game Music/Soundtrack is Mascot Gaming, recognised for its Dreamshock Jackpot X soundtrack. Mascot Gaming has also been shortlisted for the Slot to Watch award with Hook Up! Fishing Wars, Slot to Debut with Crash, Hamster, Crash! and the Game Composer of the Year award for its Dreamshock Jackpot X soundtrack composed by Maxim Shulgin.
The Game Composer of the Year award falls under the umbrella of the Game People categories, uniquely designed to honour the individuals responsible for the triumph of various titles. This year, alongside composers, recognition will be extended to game designers and product managers. Notably, ten individuals will contend for the Product Manager of the Year title, twelve for Game Designer of the Year and seven for Game Composer of the Year.
On the streaming scene, three prestigious awards are on offer, honouring the Streamer of the Year, Next-Gen Streamer of the Year and Responsible Streamer of the Year. Competing for the Streamer of the Year title are casino streamers Brian Christopher, CasinoDaddy, Chipmonkz, Classy Beef, Fruity Slots, GamDucks, Haddzy, Hideous Slots and Kim Hultman (LetsGiveItASpin). Notably, Haddzy is also in contention for the Next-Gen Streamer of the Year while CasinoDaddy, Chipmonkz and Hideous Slots are up for the Responsible Streamer of the Year. Bob Slots is set to appear in both the Next-Gen Streamer of the Year and Responsible Streamer of the Year categories.
Among the contenders in the Casino Platform categories, WA.Technology, Bragg Gaming Group, Digitain, EveryMatrix and iGP emerged as notable presences, securing nominations in both the Aggregator of the Year and Platform Innovation of the Year category shortlists.
To reserve a table at the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards ceremony, please reach out to Sales @ SBCGaming. com. For comprehensive details regarding the CasinoBeats Summit conference and exhibition taking place at the InterContinental in St Julian’s, Malta from May 21 to 23 May and to secure your pass, kindly visit the event website.
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