Orkney-bound dog tale leads Scottish hopes at top UK games awards

The National

04-05-2025

MCV/Develop is a monthly trade publication for the UK's gaming industry and has recently announced the shortlist for its annual prize ceremony.
Vince Pavey, editor of the magazine, recognised the pressure that comes with managing an industry-recognised awards event.
'The MCV/Develop Awards have been recognising the successes of the UK games industry for more than 20 years, and the magazine has been around for longer than that,' he said.
READ MORE: John Swinney urged to put 'country before party' and join Independence Summit
'People really do care about whether they win or lose, which is equal parts lovely and terrifying. I take the responsibilities and pressures of it all very seriously.
'It's a genuine pleasure to get so many people in the industry together to celebrate on the big night. In video games, we are often so secretive, and I think taking any chance you can to celebrate a big win is important.
'The MCV/Develop Awards are a staple event on the calendar for many for just that reason.'
Scotland's video game industry was estimated to be worth £350m to the Scottish economy in 2023 and is home to some of the best-known developers out there, including Epic Games and Rockstar North.
Last year's awards ceremony was the largest yet, but MCV/Develop has expanded it even further for 2025 with two new categories.
(Image: MCV/Develop)
Any UK-based games industry organisation is eligible to submit nominations for the work they have done through the last year. The nominations are then consolidated into a shortlist, which will be judged by a closed panel of experts.
The four Scottish finalists are Code Wizards for Service Partner of the Year, Farewell North by Kyle Banks for Narrative Innovation of the Year, Team Junkfish for Indie Studio of the Year and Hubworld Scotland for Outstanding Association Award.
Banks's game, Farewell North, is a beautiful but sad story of a dog and his owner making their way back to their childhood home in Orkney.
'When I started work nearly five years ago, I set out to tell a specific story, with the belief that games offer tremendous opportunity for rich storytelling,' Banks said.
'I felt that this story was uniquely suited to being told as a game, putting the player in the shoes – or, rather, paws – of a character who must learn to empathise with and support their human in order to progress.
'The story was always meant to be emotional, it's not always a happy tale and we knew there would be some tears along the way. Above all, we wanted to make sure the player left the game feeling uplifted and perhaps with a bit of compassion and a desire to cherish their loved ones, both human and animals.'
Banks (below) added: 'Being nominated for the MCV/Develop Narrative Innovation award is a great honour.
(Image: Supplied)
'I was fortunate enough to work with some truly talented folks who brought their expertise and authenticity to the project – John Konsolakis, who brought the world to life with his music; Johan Ross, who brought a voice and her experience growing up in Skye to our main character; Mooneye Studios, who saw the game when it was much rougher around the edges and somehow still believed in it, and so many others who supported the game along the way.'
Hubworld Scotland is an organisation dedicated to supporting the games industry across the country, from running events to providing training and more.
Since its founding in 2023, it has grown to represent more than 700 games industry professionals across Scotland.
Events manager Fergus Coyne said that the Hubworld team are thrilled to be recognised.
He went on: 'It's an honour to be nominated for MCV's Outstanding Association award – mainly because we have been chosen along with some of our personal favourite organisations that do such fantastic work across the country.
'This is the first award we have ever been nominated for, and we're very grateful, not to mention proud to represent our country as we are the only organisation nominated [for the Outstanding Association award] that is fully based in Scotland.'
Team Junkfish's senior marketing manager Ellie Gibbs said: 'We're super happy and excited to be shortlisted, there are a lot of wonderful other companies in the indie section and it's amazing to see our name next to them!
'Team Junkfish pride ourselves on being a person-first company, especially during these times when the industry is a little rocky. While I can't say too much about what we're currently working on, we do have a big announcement coming this year for those interested in horror survival games.'
MCV/Develop also hosts the annual Women in Games awards, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.
The awards ceremony will take place on June 19 in London.