‘Balatro' Wins Game of the Year at Game Developers Choice Awards; ‘Consume Me' Takes Top Honor for Independent Games Festival
'Balatro' won Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) on Wednesday, just after 'Consume Me' received the top prize at the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGFA).
From LocalThunk and Playstack, 'Balatro' is a indie roguelike deckbuilding game that has a 'unique spin on the timeless card game Poker where players build unique decks with a variety of distinct cards to score points and defeat blinds within the roguelike gameplay.'
More from Variety
Griffin Gaming Partners' Peter Levin Talks AI, Industry Trends, Emerging Markets & Hollywood Interest Amid GDC
One in 10 Video Game Developers Were Laid Off in 2024, GDC Report Finds
'Consume Me' and 'Despelote' Among Top Nominees for GDC's Independent Games Festival Awards
During the 25th edition of annual awards show, which took place at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco amid the Game Developers Conference, 'Balatro' also won Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design.
PlayStation Studios-owned Team ASOBI's 'Astro Bot' was the runner-up in total wins for the night, taking Best Audio and Best Technology.
Other winners included 'Black Myth: Wukong' (Game Science), which won Best Visual Art, 'Metaphor: ReFantazio' (Studio Zero / ATLUS) which received Best Narrative, 'Life is Strange: Double Exposure' (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix) which won the Social Impact Award and 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' (Square Enix) which took the Audience Award.
Additionally, the GDCA honored writer and director Sam Lake with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Lucas Pope with the Pioneer Award.
Earlier in the evening, the 27th annual Independent Games Festival, which took place back to back with Game Developers Choice Awards at the Moscone Convention Center, 'Consume Me,' won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game. Described as a 'darkly humorous personal game' about creator Jenny Jiao Hsia's relationship with food, 'Consume Me' draws from her past experiences with dieting and disordered eating.
Previous IGF prize winners have included 'Venba,' 'Neon White,' 'TUNIC,' 'Return of the Obra Dinn' and 'Her Story.'
See the full list of the 2025 Game Developers Choice Award winners below.
Best DebutBalatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Best Visual ArtBlack Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Best AudioAstro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best NarrativeMetaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
Social Impact AwardLife is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)
Innovation AwardBalatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Best TechnologyAstro Bot (PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best DesignBalatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Audience AwardFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Game of the YearBalatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Pioneer AwardLucas Pope
Lifetime Achievement AwardSam Lake
And below are the winners of the 27th annual IGF Awards:
Excellence in Visual Art ($2,000)Hauntii (Moonloop Games / Firestoke)
Excellence in Audio ($2,000)Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena / Panic)
Excellence in Design ($2,000)Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)
Excellence in Narrative ($2,000)Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
Nuovo Award ($2,000)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken 'coda' Snyder)
Best Student Game ($2,000)Slot Waste (Vinny Roca)
Audience Award ($2,000)The WereCleaner (The WereCleaner Team / USC Games)
alt.ctrl.GDC Award ($2,000)ChromaCorp (Art Center)
Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($10,000)Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken 'coda' Snyder)
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
Square Enix's Next Game Blends Among Us-Like Murder Mystery With Bloody Carnage
Bet you didn't have this one on your bingo list. Developed by Tactic Studios in partnership with Square Enix, the game was unveiled during the Summer Game Fest livestream, and it's far from the famed RPG maker's bread and butter. Killer Inn, as it's called, is a multiplayer murder mystery that takes Among Us-like gameplay and ratchets it up by handing players knives, guns and many other weapons to kill or be killed while they search for the original killer. Killer Inn might be one of those games that is best understood after playing a few matches, but even from the reveal trailer, there's a lot going on. In each match, 24 players enter a sprawling castle-turned-hotel to determine who the real killers are as they're picked off one by one. There's deduction and mayhem aplenty. Killer Inn's play phases are patterned after detective-style games, from Among Us to Ultimate Werewolf to Mafia. A match begins with most players as cooperative participants ("lambs," in Killer Inn's parlance) mixed with a few secret killers ("wolves"). Players complete tasks to earn tokens redeemable for items and weapons, while the killers quietly go about their business -- until someone discovers a body. On the corpse are clues left by the killer, so the lambs can try deducing the true culprit (or culprits). Square Enix Then it's all about collecting clues and identifying the wolves -- but unlike Among Us, there's no group discussion to present evidence or vote them out. Killer Inn skips the parlor scene and dives straight into action: If you're sure someone's the killer, take them out. Use those token-bought guns and blades to put down the villain. Unless you accidentally murder one of your innocent teammates -- in which case, you're turned to stone for the rest of the match. Bummer. Lambs have another win condition: assembling four keys to escape on the ship that brought them to the murder island. There are other mechanics, too, like finding relative safety in rooms with hotel staff, who will identify any wolves that kill lambs in their line of sight. Players can choose between 25 premade characters that each have their own unique appearances and abilities, the latter of which improve as the match goes on, often reflecting the nefarious dark sides of the participants. For example, Winston is a surgeon who kills more efficiently with knives and, when leveled up, deals extra damage while covered in blood. The Otaku, by contrast, gains 25 HP from finding clues and eventually builds resistance to status effects. Levels don't carry over between matches -- everyone starts fresh at level one. Killer Inn doesn't have a release date, but the game will kick off a closed beta test over Steam in the near future.
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Digital Trends
We uncovered more clues about Killer Inn's murder mystery gameplay
Summer Game Fest 2025 kicked off with a ton of surprise reveals and fresh looks at some highly anticipated upcoming video games. While it is always nice to get new looks at already announced games, one new IP from Square Enix and Tactics Studios took us all by surprise. Killer Inn was shown off as a new asymmetrical mystery game where a secret team of killers, aka Wolves, attempts to pick off the remaining 'survivors, 'Lambs' without getting caught. It gave off strong Among Us vibes on reveal, but we've gotten a deeper look into what makes this social deduction game worth checking out when it hits early access. What stands out most about Killer Inn compared to other games of this type is how action-packed it is. Instead of being all about sneaking and subterfuge, gunfights and brawls will happen often. Each time a player is killed, a clue will be left behind to help the Lambs uncover who the killers are. These clues feel like the freshest addition Killer Inn adds to the genre over pure social deduction. Finding strands of hair can tell you what color hair a Wolf has, or a scrap of clothing could tell you what color coat they are wearing, for example. But you need to be sure you're right because killing another Lamb will eliminate you from the game. Recommended Videos 24 players will pick between one of two factions and over 20 unique characters with their own appearance, skills, and abilities for each match. The range of characters includes classes like Otaku, Cosplayer, Pirate, Boxer, Gamer, and more, with two skills based on that class. 7 players will be assigned as Wolves, while the remaining 16 are Lambs. Besides the usual win conditions of Wolves killing all the Lambs or Lambs uncovering or killing the Wolves, Lambs also have the option of completing objectives to escape the castle as well. This requires them to gather four keys and raise all the anchors in the harbor. Loot will be distributed via colored chests, scattered items, and can also be purchased from NPCs in safe zones. Weapons include a range of melee weapons, rifles, SMGs, shotguns, grenades, and traps. These NPCs also hand out quests that give you tokens needed to open said chests. Safe Zones don't prohibit killing, though. Anyone can still attack another player in these areas, but will instantly be identified to the others. Of course, Killer Inn will feature full 3D audio proximity chat to let players attempt to deceive one another. For those who don't have a mic, emotes are available to do some basic communication. Killer Inn will have a closed beta test on Steam in the near future, but has no set release date.
Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
Killer Inn turns Werewolf into a multiplayer action game
Killer Inn is a little bit murder mystery and a little bit third-person action game, and combined, it looks like a lot of fun. Square Enix and developer Tactic Studios revealed Killer Inn during today's Summer Game Fest kickoff stream. A beta for the game is coming to Steam soon and it's available to wishlist now. Killer Inn is a lot like the movie Clue , or the TV show The Traitors , or the social improv game Werewolf , or the video game Spy Party — it's all about uncovering players' true intentions and concealing your own, with a murderous twist. Each round includes 24 players, some of whom are wolves, while the rest are lambs. As a lamb, the players' goal is sniff out the wolves and survive their attacks, and the wolves are out to blend in with the herd, stealthily killing when they can. Each kill leaves behind a clue for other players to find. The game ends when one team has eliminated all members of the opposing group. It isn't pure social strategy — there are various weapons, traps, poisons, bits of armor and masks to use, and a range of characters to choose from. Killer Inn is playable solo or with up to four players.
