CREATIVITY New IP..................................................................10 Use of a Licence ...............................................11 Use of Narrative................................................12 Visual Arts ..........................................................13 Audio Accomplishment................................14 Publishing Hero ...............................................15
TECHNOLOGY Technical Innovation......................................20 Use of Online.....................................................21 Visual Outsourcer ............................................22 Audio Outsourcer............................................23 Engine .................................................................26 Tools Provider ...................................................28 Recruitment.......................................................30 Services...............................................................31
STUDIOS Best New Studio...............................................35 Micro Studios....................................................36 Business Development..................................39 Independent Studio.......................................40 In-House Studio...............................................43
SPECIAL AWARDS Development Legend....................................46
Grand Prix...........................................................47 www.developawards.com
MY OPENING text to the yearly Develop Awards finalists supplement does often, I do admit, reiterate classic themes. Creativity. Commercial prowess. Business smarts.
How European developers have stood up to globalised superstudios. The ever-increasing importance of online. The power of middleware and technology. How games design marries science and art. Why even the ancillary services firms deserve their moment of glory. For 2012, all these things ring true once again. However as this is also the 10th Anniversary
Develop Industry Excellence Awards, I look back and see some dramatic changes. Bedroom coders and small teams have made a
resurgence, able to compete commercially with 100- man teams and –without spoiling anything – managing to scoop awards in the process. Third-party engines and outsourcing is no longer just a luxury option, it’s a necessity. Even those firms have adapted, cutting rates, or even offering services free to businesses of all scales. With 96 companies in the running this year,
representing 15 different countries, it’s clear that power hasn’t just shift in the games development sector across Europe; power in this sector has become more readily available. The playing field is flatter and fairer than it has ever been. But amidst it all, the very meaning of what it is to be a games developer hasn’t changed much. It’s still a job about science, and design genius, and craftsmanship, and negotiation. And if you’ve managed to get one or all of those right this year, you might just be one of the winners we will welcome on stage come July 11th. Good luck.
Michael French Editor-in-Chief, Develop Develop Industry Excellence Awards 2012 | 07