German developer award 2022: The "best games" of the year

The nominees for the German Developer Award 2022 have been chosen. Twelve specialist juries selected the best computer games of the year from 190 submissions. Now the work of the "Grand Jury" begins.

From all nominated games, she determines the winning title in the top category "Best German Game". The nominees in this category will be announced on November 16, 2022. The German Developer Award will be presented on December 8, 2022 in the Flora in Cologne. In addition to the nominees, numerous guests of honor and representatives of the German games industry are expected.

The "best games" in 13 categories

The German Developer Award is the oldest award for the development of outstanding computer games from German-speaking countries. The prize will be awarded in 2022 categories in 13. Hot contenders for an award this year are the game "LEGO Bricktales" by Studio Clockstone from Innsbruck, with four nominations, followed by "Chorus" by Fishlabs from Hamburg and "The Wandering Village" by Stray Fawn Studio from Zurich, each with three nominations.

It will also be exciting in the new award category "Best Game Beyond Entertainment". Here, for the first time, a game is honored that takes the potential of games beyond pure entertainment. The games "Beholder 3" by Paintbucket Games, "White Shadows" by Monokel and "Wo ist Goldi?" by Wegsrand are competing for the award.

The best games of the year are determined in a two-stage jury process. First, a jury of five experts discusses the best games in twelve categories. From the nominated games in the specialist categories, the "Grand Jury" then determines the "Best German Game" and the nominees in this category by voting. Games can be awarded that were primarily developed in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). This also includes the fact that most of the development budgets were invested there and the majority of the teams are based there.

The nominated games and their development teams:

Best German game
The nominees in the category "Best German Game" will be determined by the grand jury and announced on November 16, 2022.

Best indie game – presented by the game association
ITORAH (Grimbart Tales, Kaiserslautern)
Revita (BenStar, Buchenbach)
White Shadows (Monocle, Cologne)

Best Casual Game
Idle Ant Colony (Bling Bling Games, Karlsruhe)
LEGO Bricktales (Clockstone, Innsbruck – Austria)
Wildshade: Horse Racing (Tivola, Hamburg)

Best Game Beyond Entertainment
Beholder 3 (Paintbucket Games, Berlin)
White Shadows (Monocle, Cologne)
Where is Goldi? (roadside, Mönchengladbach)

Best game design
LEGO Bricktales (Clockstone, Innsbruck – Austria)
The Cycle: Frontier (YAGER Development, Berlin)
The Wandering Village (Stray Fawn Studio, Zurich – Switzerland)

Best Audio Design
Chorus (Fishlabs, Hamburg)
Hell Pie (Sluggerfly, food)
ITORAH (Grimbart Tales, Kaiserslautern)

Best graphics
Chorus (Fishlabs, Hamburg)
Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed (Black Forest Games, Offenburg)
LEGO Bricktales (Clockstone, Innsbruck – Austria)

Best story
Beholder 3 (Paintbucket Games, Berlin)
Cleo – a pirate's tale (Greycap Audiovisual Mediadesign, Wegberg)
The Fermi Paradox (Anomaly Games, Berlin)

Best Technical Achievement
Chorus (Fishlabs, Hamburg)
LEGO Bricktales (Clockstone, Innsbruck – Austria)
The Wandering Village (Stray Fawn Studio, Zurich – Switzerland)

innovation award – presented by KölnBusiness
BEETHOVEN // OPUS 360 (agon eV, Bonn)
The Wandering Village (Stray Fawn Studio, Zurich – Switzerland)
Townsmen VR (HandyGames, Giebelstadt)

Special award for social engagement – presented by Gaming-Aid eV
Antura & the Letters (TH Cologne / Cologne Game Lab, Cologne)
esports player foundation: Equal Esports Initiative (Cologne)
LetsPlay4Charity eV (Berlin)

Ubisoft Newcomer Award
Light of Atlantis (DrownTown, Hamburg)
Lose Ctrl (Play From Your Heart, Berlin)
Paws and Leaves – A Thracian Tale (grownarts, Brake)

NRW sponsorship award As in previous years, young developers are awarded without nominations.

Last updated on 26.05.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate Links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. * = Affiliate links. Images from Amazon PA API