Latest news with #GameDevelopersChoiceAwards
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Has the Decline of Knowledge Work Begun?
When Starbucks announced last month that it was laying off more than 1,000 corporate employees, it highlighted a disturbing trend for white-collar workers: Over the past few years, they have seen a steeper rise in unemployment than other groups, and slower wage growth. It also added fuel to a debate that has preoccupied economists for much of that time: Are the recent job losses merely a temporary development? Or do they signal something more ominous and irreversible? After sitting below 4 percent for more than two years, the overall unemployment rate has topped that threshold since May. Economists say that the job market remains strong by historical standards and that much of the recent weakening appears connected to the economic impact of the pandemic. Companies hired aggressively amid surging demand, then shifted to layoffs once the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates. Many of these companies have sought to make their operations leaner under pressure from investors. But amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and President Trump's targeting of federal agencies, which disproportionately support white-collar jobs, some wonder if a permanent decline for knowledge work has begun. 'We're seeing a meaningful transition in the way work is done in the white-collar world,' said Carl Tannenbaum, the chief economist of Northern Trust. 'I tell people a wave is coming.' To date, few industries epitomize the shift of the last few years better than the making of video games, which began a boom in 2020 as couch-bound Americans sought out new forms of home entertainment. The industry hired aggressively before reversing course and embarking on a period of layoffs. Thousands of video-game workers lost jobs last year and the year before. The scale of the job loss was such that the host of the Game Developers Choice Awards, the industry's annual awards show, complained about 'record layoffs' during her opening monologue in 2024. That same year, a unionization trend that had begun with lower-paid quality assurance testers spread to better-paid workers like game producers, designers and engineers at companies that make the hit games Fallout and World of Warcraft. At Bethesda Game Studios, which is owned by Microsoft and makes Fallout, workers said they unionized partly because they were alarmed by rounds of layoffs at the company in 2023 and 2024 and felt that a union would give them leverage in a softening labor market. 'It was the first time that Bethesda had experienced layoffs in a very, very long time,' said Taylor Welling, a producer at the studio, who holds a master's degree in interactive entertainment. 'That sort of scared a lot of people.' Microsoft declined to comment. Unemployment in finance and related industries, while still low, increased by about a quarter from 2022 to 2024, as rising interest rates slowed demand for mortgages and companies sought to become leaner. On an earnings call last summer, the chief executive of Wells Fargo noted that the company's 'efficiency initiatives' had pruned the company's work force for 16 straight quarters, including a nearly 50 percent reduction of workers in the company's home lending division since 2023. Last fall, Wells Fargo laid off about one-quarter of the roughly 45 employees on its conduct management intake team, which reviews accusations of company misconduct against customers and employees. Heather Rolfes, a lawyer who was let go, said that she believed the company was seeking to save money by shrinking its U.S. work force, and that she and her colleagues were a tempting target because they had recently sought to unionize. 'I think it was great for them to get rid of two birds with one stone,' Ms. Rolfes said. Some of her former co-workers say they anxiously await every Tuesday after a payday, because that's when the company tends to inform workers about job cuts. 'We feel like at any moment we could be laid off,' said Eden Davis, another worker on the team. A Wells Fargo spokesman said in a statement that the layoffs had nothing to do with the union and that 'we regularly review and adjust staffing levels to align with market conditions.' He noted that two managers on the team had also lost their jobs. Atif Rafiq, the author of a book on corporate strategy who has held senior positions at McDonald's and Amazon, said many companies were seeking to emulate Amazon's model of building cross-functional teams that reduce barriers between workers with different expertise, like coding and marketing. In the process, they may discover redundancies and undertake layoffs. In a memo announcing the layoffs at Starbucks last month, Brian Niccol, the chief executive, cited a goal of 'removing layers and duplication and creating smaller, more nimble teams.' Nissan offered a similar rationale for management cuts announced this month. Overall, the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that the unemployment rate for college grads has risen 30 percent since bottoming out in September 2022 (to 2.6 percent from 2 percent), versus about 18 percent for all workers (to 4 percent from 3.4 percent). An analysis by Julia Pollak, chief economist of ZipRecruiter, shows that unemployment has been most elevated among those with bachelor's degrees or some college but no degree, while unemployment has been steady or falling at the very top and bottom of the education ladder — for those with advanced degrees or without a high school diploma. Hiring rates have slowed more for jobs requiring a college degree than for other jobs, according to ADP Research, which studies the labor market. Some economists say these trends may be short term in nature and little cause for concern on their own. Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard, noted that the uptick in unemployment for college-educated workers was only modestly larger than the increase in unemployment overall, and that unemployment for both groups remained low by historical measures. Professor Katz argued that slower growth in wages for upper-middle-class workers could simply reflect a discount that these workers effectively accepted in return for being able to work from home. Data from the liberal Economic Policy Institute shows that wages for workers in the 70th and 80th percentiles of the income distribution have grown more slowly than those of any other group since 2019. But there are other signs that the returns on a college degree may have shifted over a longer period. The gap in wages between those with a college degree and those without one grew steadily beginning in 1980, but flattened during the past 15 years, though it remains high. The flattening may partly reflect the fact that there are more college-educated workers for employers to choose from, as college attendance has increased. But some economists argue that it reflects employers' reduced need for college graduates — for example, fewer jobs like bookkeeping as information technology has become more sophisticated. Such jobs don't necessarily require a college degree but were often attractive to graduates because they once paid them a relatively high wage. And artificial intelligence could reduce that need further by increasing the automation of white-collar jobs. A recent academic paper found that software developers who used an A.I. coding assistant improved a key measure of productivity by more than 25 percent, and that the productivity gains appeared to be largest among the least experienced developers. The result suggested that adopting A.I. could reduce the wage premium enjoyed by more experienced coders, since it would erode their productivity advantages over novices. Mert Demirer, an M.I.T. economist who was a co-author of the paper, said in an interview that a software developer's job could change over the longer term, so that the human coder became a kind of project manager overseeing multiple A.I. assistants. In that case, wages could rise as the human became more productive. And A.I. could end up expanding employment among coders if cheaper software led to even greater demand. Still, at least in the near term, many tech executives and their investors appear to see A.I. as a way to trim their staffing. A software engineer at a large tech company who declined to be named for fear of harming his job prospects said that his team was about half the size it was last year and that he and his co-workers were expected to do roughly the same amount of work by relying on an A.I. assistant. Overall, the unemployment rate in tech and related industries jumped by more than half from 2022 to 2024, to 4.4 percent from 2.9 percent. Then there are Mr. Trump's attempts to remake the federal government, which have so far resulted in job losses and hiring freezes for federal employees and employees at universities and other nonprofits that rely on government funding. Johns Hopkins University, which relies heavily on federal research funding, announced this month that it was laying off 2,000 workers worldwide as a result of Mr. Trump's cuts. Professor Katz of Harvard noted that a larger portion of college-educated workers depended on the federal government for their jobs than other groups, either directly or through the funding of nonprofits. 'What appears to be a major contraction of spending on science and research, on education, by the government — that is going to potentially have a very large impact,' he said. 'The overall unemployment rate for college graduates doesn't look particularly elevated,' he added. 'But it may be in the next six months.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Balatro Goes All In, Winning Game of the Year and More at the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards
Balatro Also Received Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design, with Astro Bot Also Showing a Strong Hand by Winning the Best Audio and Technology Awards SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The indie roguelike deckbuilding game Balatro has taken the pot at the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), receiving the highly coveted Game of the Year Award. The title also secured the win for the Best Debut, Innovation Award and Best Design, tallying up four total wins for the title at the ceremony. The GDCAs are the premier accolades for peer recognition in the digital games industry. Each year, the Choice Awards recognize and celebrate the creativity, artistry and technical genius of the finest developers and games created in the last year. The award ceremony takes place each year as part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), which is taking place this week at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. LocalThunk and Playstack's Balatro is 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. The game was originally released on PC and consoles on February 20, 2024, and was later brought to MacOS, iOS and Android on September 26. Astro Bot, the 3D platforming adventure developed by PlayStation Studios Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, also received two accolades during the GDCA ceremony: Best Audio and Best Technology. The title is a love letter to the many iconic characters and worlds from PlayStation's wide roster of franchises, and has been widely praised for its unique and energetic level design, incredible soundtrack, smart integration with the PlayStation 5's hardware and charming aesthetics. Other winners of the night 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 was honored with the Social Impact Award and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix) which received the Audience Award. The Game Developers Choice Awards also took time to honor two influential figures in the industry. This year, the GDCA honored writer and director Sam Lake with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lake is renowned for his deep, layered storytelling and ability to meld together different mediums to create unique interactive experiences. Most recently, he was the co-director and lead writer of Alan Wake 2, which won over 200 industry awards—including Best Game Direction and Best Narrative at The Game Awards, along with Best Visual Art at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards. Lucas Pope, well known as the creator of Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn, was the well-deserving recipient of the Pioneer Award. Pope is an independent game developer experimenting with the interactions of mechanics, narrative, and art. Papers, Please was highly lauded across the board, winning the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival (IGF) along with several trophies at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2014, along with a BAFTA Games Award for Best Strategy and Simulation Game. Return of the Obra Dinn was also heavily praised by critics, again winning Pope the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at IGF Awards, along with several trophies from the Game Developers Choice Awards, Peabody Awards, D.I.C.E. Awards and BAFTA Games Awards. The 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards winners are: 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 The GDCA awards are live-streamed annually on the official Game Developers Conference (GDC) Twitch channel and are archived both on Twitch and on the official GDC YouTube Channel. For more information about the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit: For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC's official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: About GDC The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world's largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the GDC Networking Meet-ups, GDC Vault, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. GDC is organized by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information visit View source version on Contacts fortyseven communicationsHiro Itogdcpress@
WIRED
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- WIRED
The Creator of the Smash Indie Game ‘Animal Well' Is Already Working on His Next Project
Mar 19, 2025 7:00 AM Billy Basso talks about the seven years he spent developing his hit game, and what he's up to next. Billy Basso, creator of Animal Well , at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 17, 2025. Photograph: Darrell Jackson Billy Basso was glued to his computer. It was launch day for the Chicago developer's debut solo game, a surreal Metroidvania called Animal Well , and he couldn't stop reading reviews online and watching people play the game. He'd pulled off the impossible: breaking through a turbulent industry to create a hit game that would grow to be a critical and commercial success. He just didn't realize how big of one it would be quite yet. Most successful video games are made by teams of people that vary in size from a half dozen to somewhere in the hundreds. Basso had made Animal Well entirely on his own, start to finish. Music, art, story—it was all his, dictated by the singular goal to finish the game. He thought it would take six months. It took seven years. 'My entire life has completely changed since the game has come out,' Basso, 36, says. This year, Animal Well is up for five awards at the Game Developers Choice Awards, including prizes for Best Design, Best Audio, and Best Debut. The awards are being handed out this week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where Basso is also a featured speaker. At a talk on Monday detailing the nitty gritty of how he made the game, from coding to describing the game's lighting, Basso held court in front of a rapt audience packed to the brim. Attendees laughed and 'ooh'd' his presentation. While describing some of his more homebrew methods of development, one developer in the audience whispered 'this guy is the GOAT.' After his talk, a circle of fans surrounded Basso to offer praise and ask questions. Basso had arrived. It just took some time to get there. Basso meets with his fellow developers after his talk on Monday afternoon. Photograph: Darrell Jackson Basso wasn't a new developer when he started Animal Well . He'd worked at large companies before, including a stint at NetherRealm working on mobile versions of Mortal Kombat . He was working at a medical startup that created mobile games for doctors—'as weird and niche as you might expect'—and tinkered with his own projects at night. He'd spent a decade of his career with 'the desire to make something that I would actually be a fan of.' For four years, Basso worked on a primitive version of Animal Well in his free time, supporting himself with his day job. 'It was very clearly a self-indulgent side project for myself,' he told me in an interview. But as the game grew more sophisticated, and Basso invested more time into it, he started to think of it differently. 'It gradually started to seem more like something I could actually release, that I could maybe make a living off of,' he says. Basso gathered his confidence and plotted an exit from his day job. His family didn't quite understand his ambitions. 'My dad didn't want me to quit my job to work on it,' Basso says. 'They were worried that I should keep a full-time job.' Animal Well fans peppered Basso with questions. Photograph: Darrell Jackson They also listened attentively. Photograph: Darrell Jackson Then, in 2021, a turning point: Basso got in touch with Dan Adelman, an industry vet known on the business development side, for help. 'I was kind of an introverted person that doesn't feel very comfortable posting things online and marketing the game,' Basso says. Adelman is well known for running Nintendo of America's indie program and championing small developers. 'Luckily enough, he was into the project,' Basso says. 'He wanted to start working together and then, from that point forward, I felt like I just became a much luckier person.' Basso and Adelman began applying to events like Day of the Devs, an indie showcase, to let people see the game. Their efforts paid off, with Bigmode—the publisher run by YouTuber videogamedunkey—signing Animal Well . 'A little less than a year after working with Dan, I had saved up enough money and had a road map to finishing the game,' Basso says. He quit his job to focus on Animal Well full-time. 'It ended up still being about three years until it was done,' he says. Over the many years of Animal Well 's development, friends urged him to release what he had when interest seemed to be high. 'I knew where the quality bar was for myself and what people expect out of a game,' Basso says. He didn't like the idea of 'cashing out' on what he felt wasn't a complete project, despite the long years that had gone into it. 'It was hard to explain how much work actually goes into releasing a polished game,' Basso says. 'You can't just kind of put pencils down at any point and click the release button on Steam.' How his game debuted mattered. If people like it, 'they'll trust you in the future to buy one of another game.' During his GDC talk, Basso walked through the years of development that went into Animal Well . Photograph: Darrell Jackson His bet had paid off. With Animal Well 's success, Basso says he's now able to 'make whatever arbitrary thing I want and not really have to worry about whether it will sell well or not.' All that matters, he says, is 'I find it fun.' In the game industry of 2025—where funding has been scarce, even studios with popular projects close down, and devs are being laid off en masse—that kind of freedom is a rarity. 'There's so much pressure to chase trends and put AI in your game,' Basso says. 'Or, if you're trying to raise money, you kind of have to pander to a different crowd of investors that are totally out of touch.' Basso is already working on his next project in earnest—a 2D sidescroller that will share some elements of Animal Well —though he's only about six months into it. He says that while it won't be a direct sequel, 'I think it's something people who enjoyed Animal Well will also enjoy. It will have its own identity.' It's too early to share much else about the game, to Basso's relief. 'I'm back in the good, pure phase where I just get to make something on my own, without sharing it with anybody. I guess I'll relish that for the next few years.' Still, Basso says he finds it flattering when people ask about his next game, which he says will likely be even more ambitious. ' Animal Well took seven years,' he says. 'I don't think this next project will take nearly as long. Hopefully.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong and Animal Well Lead Finalists for the 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards
Winners of the Leading Peer-Based Annual Award Show in Games Will Be Announced on Wednesday, March 19 During GDC 2025 SAN FRANCISCO, January 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry's top games and developers, has announced the list of finalists for each of the ceremony's prestigious categories. The winners in each category will be honored at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, which will be taking place on Wednesday, March 19. This celebration of the top games from the past year, as well as the developers who created them, takes place each year at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). The GDC, now in its 39th edition, will be held at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center from March 17 - 21. The GDCA is held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards). All GDC 2025 pass holders will be available to attend these award shows. Those at home can also tune in via the official GDC Twitch channel. The Game Developers Choice Awards is the leading video game awards that are nominated by, voted on, and decided by video game developers within the industry. This year, the GDCA nominations are led by Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment) and Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science), each of which received seven nominations total. Both are nominated for the highly coveted Game of the Year Award alongside Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix) and Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero). Indie hit Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode) also received a high degree of praise, earning nominations in five categories. Astro Bot, developed by Team ASOBI and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is a 3D platforming title that was released alongside PlayStation's 30th anniversary and is a love letter to the many iconic characters and worlds from PlayStation's wide roster of franchises. It has been praised by fans and critics alike for its unique and energetic level design, incredible soundtrack, smart integration with the PlayStation 5's hardware and charming aesthetics. Black Myth: Wukong, developed and published by Game Science, is an action role-playing game rooted in Chinese mythology and inspired by the literary classic 'Journey to the West.' The game features skill-based combat and challenging gameplay that fans of the "soulslike" subgenre have come to appreciate. Also leading the pack for category nominations is Animal Well, developed by Billy Basso and published by Bigmode. The Metroidvania title involves puzzle-solving and exploration, encouraging the player to think outside of the box to find solutions forward. Any video game that was released and made publicly available during the 2024 calendar year is eligible for free nomination for the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards. All nominees and winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization, composed of leading game creators from all parts of the industry. In addition to the categories listed below, the Audience Award welcomes the GDC audience to cast their vote for their favorite game of the year from all 18 of this year's GDCA finalists. The public can cast their vote from the Audience Award ballot here. The complete list of nominees for each category of the 25th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, including honorable mentions, are as follows: Best AudioAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios) Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Silent Hill 2 (Bloober Teams SA / KONAMI) Best Debut1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Honorable Mentions: Manor Lords (Slavic Magic / Hooded Horse), Mullet Madjack (HAMMER95 / Epopeia Games), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Best DesignAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive) Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development / Nintendo), UFO 50 (Mossmouth) Innovation AwardAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)UFO 50 (Mossmouth) Honorable Mentions: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive), Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper /Panic), The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures / Devolver Digital), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Best Narrative1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA)Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / Critical Reflex) Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix), Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios), Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix), Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios) Best TechnologyAstro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)Tiny Glade (Pounce Light) Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso/ Bigmode), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Threyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Activision Shanghai, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Demonware /Activision), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco Studios Inc / Bandai Namco Entertainment) Best Visual ArtAnimal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital) Honorable Mentions: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack), Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (FromSoftware Inc. / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios), Tiny Glade (Pounce Light), Ultros (Hadoque / Kepler Interactive) Social Impact1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor / Fellow Traveller)Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine Games / Square Enix)Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital) Honorable Mentions: Closer the Distance (Osmotic Studios / Skybound Games), Distant Bloom (Ember Trail / Kina Brave), Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare / Electronic Arts), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Surgent Studios / Electronic Arts) Game of the YearAstro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero) Honorable Mentions: Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode), Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC), Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / SEGA), Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios / Coffee Stain Publishing), UFO 50 (Mossmouth) View source version on Contacts fortyseven communicationsHiro Itogdcpress@
