Gaming

The TIGA Games Industry Award Winners 2022 are revealed!

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The great and the good of the games industry were celebrated at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2022 last night at the historic Church House Westminster in London.

It was the first in-person awards for TIGA since the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 300 games industry VIPs attending to cheer the games, the studios, the universities and the vital service support companies that have excelled over the past year.

Supermassive Games picked up the prestigious Game of the Year award for The Quarry, with the game also winning Best Audio Design. The studio also snapped up a third award – Creativity in Games – for The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes.

ustwo Games stepped on stage twice, winning Best Small Studio, as well as Best Casual Game for Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.

Rebellion was named Best Large Studio, while Kwalee claimed the award for Best Publisher, and Sumo Group was awarded Outstanding Employer of the Year.

A new category – Commitment to CSR – was introduced for 2022, with PlayStation London Studio the first winner of this important award.

Two individuals were presented with awards during the evening. Karen McLoughlin, Group Director of HR at Sumo Group was presented with the Outstanding Leadership Award. Meanwhile, Dovetail Games’ CEO Jon Rissik was named Outstanding Individual of the Year.

The full list of TIGA Games Industry Awards 2022 winners are:

BEST ACTION & ADVENTURE GAME 2022

Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerrilla Games

Horizon Forbidden West

BEST ARCADE GAME 2022

Space Ape Games

Beatstar – Touch Your Music

BEST CASUAL GAME 2022

ustwo Games

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

BEST AUDIO DESIGN 2022

Supermassive Games

The Quarry

CREATIVITY IN GAMES 2022

Supermassive Games

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

DIVERSITY 2022

Women in Games

BEST EDUCATIONAL, SERIOUS OR SIMULATION GAME 2022

BBC/Playerthree

Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade

HERITAGE IN GAMES 2022

Antstream

Antstream Arcade

BEST PUZZLE GAME 2022

Cosmonaut Studios

Eternal Threads

BEST SOCIAL GAME 2022

Fireshine Games

Core Keeper

BEST STRATEGY GAME 2022

Creative Assembly

Total War: WARHAMMER III

BEST VISUAL DESIGN 2022

Roll7

OlliOlli World

BEST VR/AR GAME 2022

nDreams

Fracked

BEST ART, ANIMATION OR TRAILER SUPPLIER 2022

Liquid Crimson

BEST AUDIO SERVICES 2022

Soundcuts

BEST EDUCATION INITIATIVE 2022

Staffordshire University

BEST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION 2022

Birmingham City University

BEST QA PROVIDER 2022

Universally Speaking

BEST TAX & ACCOUNTANCY COMPANY 2022

RSM UK

BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY 2022

Amiqus

BEST TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 2022

Speech Graphics

BEST LEGAL SERVICES 2022

Eaton Smith LLP

BEST SERVICES PROVIDER 2022

PTW Family of Brands

BEST SMALL STUDIO 2022

ustwo Games

BEST LARGE STUDIO 2022

Rebellion

COMMITMENT TO CSR 2022

PlayStation London Studio

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR 2022

Sumo Group

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP 2022

Karen McLoughlin, Group Director of HR, Sumo Group

PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR 2022

Kwalee

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR 2022

Jon Rissik, CEO, Dovetail Games

GAME OF THE YEAR 2022

Supermassive Games

The Quarry

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA, said: “A huge and hearty congratulations to all the winners of the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2022. They are all worthy winners and it was wonderful to once again celebrate, in-person, the fantastic achievements of the games industry. I would like to thank everyone who entered the Awards. Thank you also to our finalists, judges and to all who joined us on the night. Finally, thank you to the TIGA team and to all our generous sponsors for enabling TIGA to promote and recognise excellence through our Awards.”

SpecialEffect was the Charity Partner for the TIGA Awards. This inspirational organisation transforms the lives of physically disabled people right across the world through the innovative use of technology.

The TIGA Awards were made possible thanks to supporters of the not-for-profit organisation. Sponsors included (Gold Sponsors) Amiqus, Sumo Group, Supermassive Games and Ubisoft; (Silver Sponsors) Abertay University, Airship, Dovetail Games, Games Jobs Direct, Hangar 13, Liquid Crimson, Pearson, Space Ape Games, Staffordshire University, Universally Speaking and the University of Portsmouth; (Bronze Sponsors) Antstream, Avatar Games, Birmingham City University, Bournemouth University, CCP Games, Creative Wales, Eaton Smith LLP, Hot House Music, Invest Newcastle, MMP Tax, Outplay, Payload Studios, PTW, RSM, S-Tech Insurance Services, Stevens & Bolton, Tazman Audio, Testronic and Worldmakers; plus (Drinks Sponsor) Kwalee.

Gaming

FANDOM EXPLORES THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF GAMING & SELF-EXPRESSION IN 2024 INSIDE GAMING REPORT

Published

4 days ago

May 21, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

fandom-explores-the-growing-importance-of-gaming-&-self-expression-in-2024-inside-gaming-report

Study Provides New Insights Into How Brands Can Authentically Engage With Gamers to Help Them Express Their Best Selves Off-Screen.

KEY FINDINGS

Gaming has exploded over the past decade, becoming one of the most dynamic and expansive industries across the globe. Fandom, the world’s largest fan platform, dives into the heart of the gaming community to uncover the evolving motivations behind why people game in its 4th annual Inside Gaming report. The 2024 Inside Gaming report – a proprietary study coupled with Fandom’s first-party data from its 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content and 250k fan-powered wikis – captures a notable shift: gaming is increasingly seen as a means for personal expression, exploring one’s identity and providing empowerment and confidence in one’s real life.

Dominant Gaming Motivations

While stress relief remains the top reason people turn to games, a striking 46% of gamers list creation, imagination, and self-expression as their main motivations for gaming, up 10% from last year.

Influence on Gaming Habits

People who are gaming for self-expression, creation & imagination are 30% more likely to increase their gaming time, feeling more drawn to the gaming world than ever before.

Games Driving Self-Expression

60% of gamers claim that self-expression through gameplay is more important to them than ever before. Titles like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox lead in enabling personal expression through extensive customization options, open-world exploration, and other game updates

Exploring Gamer Identity

The report also highlights a significant gap between players’ in-game identities versus their real-life personas, with 80% of respondents feeling their gaming identity differs from their real-life identity.
However, half of respondents claim they’d prefer to be more like their in-game personality IRL and 72% would feel more favorably towards brands that help them achieve this.
This is especially true of 18-34 year olds, multicultural (specifically African American & Hispanic) audiences as well as women and non-binary audiences.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARKETERS

Emphasize Self-Expression:

Self-expression is a key driver for gaming engagement. In fact, 32% of gamers want their physical appearance to be more like their in-game appearance.
Brands that align with this motivation can enhance their connection with gamers. For example, this represents an opportunity for fashion & beauty brands to explore dedicated product extensions for gamers looking to explore this self-expression.

Create Brand Safe Spaces:

64% believe that gaming communities are vital safe spaces where they can truly be themselves, presenting opportunities for brands to foster and cater to these communities.

Align with Gamers’ IRL Aspirations

Many gamers wish to integrate their gaming and real-life personas. Brands that help facilitate this integration can achieve deeper consumer relationships.
The study found that 48% of gamers want their IRL skills to be as strong as their gaming skills, opening up an opportunity for brands to explore how they can create ways to provide gamers with products that enhance IRL skills and provide a sense of accomplishment & achievement they get while playing.

“From character customization to cosplay and content creation, video games have empowered gamers to explore, express and enhance their identity – nearly two thirds of gamers claim it’s easier to be themselves with a controller in their hands,” said Stephanie Fried, CMO of Fandom. “With the growing significance of gaming as a means for self-expression and personal evolution, it’s crucial for brands to connect to these motivators to help players bring their gaming personas to life in the real world.”

For an interview with a Fandom executive to discuss the study in more detail, please contact Rachelle Savoia at [email protected].

Methodology:

Fandom surveyed 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans globally to understand the ever changing entertainment landscape. The insights from the study were joined with proprietary insights from Fandom’s first-party platform data of over 350MM users, 45MM content pages across 250K wikis.

Gaming

Flexion Enters into Partnership with Jam City

Published

2 weeks ago

May 9, 2024

Niji Narayan

flexion-enters-into-partnership-with-jam-city

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Flexion, the games marketing company, has partnered with Jam City, a leading mobile entertainment company behind some of the world’s highest-grossing and most enduring mobile games, to bring a selection of the publisher’s best-in-class games to the Alternative App Stores: Amazon Appstore, Huawei App Gallery, Aptoide, ONE store, Samsung Galaxy Store, DT Hub and Xiaomi GetApps.

“We are always looking for new opportunities to build our network of global players, and Flexion is a proven partner that will help introduce our award-winning titles to new audiences in the alternative stores,” Curtis Barnes, Senior Director of Publishing Operations for Jam City, said.

“We’re all about helping developers like Jam City reach the full potential of their games. We’re delighted they have chosen us to add revenue and audiences for their games on the alternative app stores,” Jens Lauritzson, CEO of Flexion, said.

The post Flexion Enters into Partnership with Jam City appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Gaming

Mobile Games Index: Analysis of 95M Game Interactions Reveals Shifting Engagement Trends, Available Now

Published

3 weeks ago

May 7, 2024

George Miller

mobile-games-index:-analysis-of-95m-game-interactions-reveals-shifting-engagement-trends,-available-now

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The anticipated fourth edition of the annual Mobile Games Index, powered by adjoe and Statista, is now available.

The latest report offers a clear look into the current state of the mobile gaming sector, analyzing the past 12 months of the first-party data from 95 million app interactions across 27 million users. The MGI 2024 reveals what people choose to play on their mobile devices, filling the gap in industry knowledge and enabling game developers and user acquisition specialists to benchmark their products and ultimately target the right audiences with the right content.

Moving forward, it is up to the industry decision-makers to analyze the findings and promptly adapt to the newly-emerged engagement trends from MGI 2024, effectively engaging desired audiences.

A Peek at Shifting Engagement Trends to Capitalize on

Based on predictions from Statista, the overarching trend in the market is its robust growth with a forecasted expansion from $166.1 billion in 2024 to $227 billion by 2028.

Remarkably, Card games are expected to grow the most dramatically at 13.8% a year, nearly doubling their global revenue by 2028. Judging from the engagement charts of MGI 2024, the main driver of growth in this category is Solitaire games. The audience is showing a clear preference for Solitaire – these games hold 7 out of 10 positions in the top list of card games worldwide by time spent with titles from MobilityWare, Gimica, Scopely, and Playvalve, among others.

What allows the market to show revenue growth is the positive changes in global daily time spent. After the dip in engagement highlighted by the last year’s Index, adjoe confirms that average daily sessions have rebounded to 21.5 minutes from 17.3 minutes reported last year, marking a 22% increase.

The most engaged demographic of mobile gamers globally is the 40-49 age group, which has experienced a remarkable 33% increase in daily gaming time, now at 23 minutes daily. The strategies targeted at older demographics over the past 12 months can be deemed successful. However, this has led to a loss of focus on engaging Gen-Z, which has shown only modest growth in time spent.

The MGI also reveals that women are outpacing men in daily gaming time across most genres – as reported for the 4th edition in a row. This consistent and high performance makes the female audience a continuously safer bet when it comes to user targeting.

Another continued trend is the dominance of top publishers such as Supercell, Garena, King, and Playrix, while there’s still space to occupy for smaller publishers. For instance, ForgeGames tops the engagement charts with their game Special Forces Group 2 – capturing over 43 minutes of average daily engagement.

The insights continue in the MGI 2024, going granular to segment and visualize global mobile game engagement data from adjoe by genre, region, and demographic. At the same time, Statista’s extensive market research provides a macro-view of the current and future industry, offering figures for global downloads and revenues with forecasts extending to 2028.

Mobile Games Index 2024 Is Available in Open Access

The MGI 2024 goes deep below the surface of market data and creates a comprehensive snapshot of the mobile gaming industry today. Inside are

For developers and marketers, this report is the green light to benchmark performance against industry leaders and align their products with the rising expectations of mobile gamers. This comprehensive tool is now available for free to inform decision-making and help optimize strategies for short- and long-term actions.

The post Mobile Games Index: Analysis of 95M Game Interactions Reveals Shifting Engagement Trends, Available Now appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.