THE FINALISTS 2012 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS Previous Winners 10th Anniversary
2008: Assassinʼs Creed 2009: LittleBigPlanet 2010: Just Dance 2011: Dance Central
This award
recognises a new game brand
introduced in the last 12 months that has made a significant impact at consumer level, within the UK marketplace
BASTION (WARNER BROS INTERACTIVE
ENTERTAINMENT) Developed by SuperGiant Games, Bastion was well received when it was first shown at Penny Arcade Expo in 2010. After a strong showing at 2011ʼs Independent Games Festival – where it was a finalist for Excellence in Visual Art and Excellence in Audio – it was quickly snapped up by Warner Bros, who took the game to E3. There, it received 17 Best of Show nominations and went on to headline Microsoftʼs Summer of Arcade promotion when it debuted in July. It has been hugely popular with consumers and journalists alike, earning a Metacritic score of 86.
DEAD ISLAND
(KOCH MEDIA) The Deep Silver-published zombie hack ʻnʼ slasher made perhaps the biggest impact of any new IP in recent years, let alone 2011. From the moment that striking first trailer aired in February, Dead Island was on the lips of the industry and consumers all the way up to its launch in September. The game topped both Amazon and ShopTo.netʼs pre-order charts and spent two weeks at No.1 in the UK All Formats Chart when it debuted, making it one of the most successful New IPs to launch in the last three years.
L.A. NOIRE
(ROCKSTAR GAMES) Rockstar Games has some of the biggest properties on the market – GTA, Max Payne, Red Dead – and L.A. Noire was quickly established as a worthy addition to that portfolio. The game was one of the most anticipated releases of last year, and was critically acclaimed by journalists around the world, earning a Metacritic rating of 89. Rockstar put its full marketing weight behind the game, with London Underground posters still reaching commuters months after release. It spent three weeks at No.1 when it launched last May, and was the UKʼs fastest-selling new IP ever.