Nominees for Best German Game and Studio of the Year

The nominees for the two main categories of the German Developer Award 2023 have been announced. "Chained Echoes", "Everspace 2" and "Shadow Gambit" are the contenders for "Best German Game". Deck13, Mimimi Games and Paintbucket Games could become "Studio of the Year".

Meanwhile, the 160-strong Grand Jury has also met and announced the nominations for the main categories "Best German Game" and "Studio of the Year". "Chained Echoes" by Matthias Linda, "Everspace 2" by Rockfish Games and "Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew" by Mimimi Games are the contenders for the main prize of the German Game Developer Award 2023. Deck13 Interactive from Frankfurt, Mimimi Games from Munich or Paintbucket Games from Berlin could win Best Studio. Unfortunately, Mimimi Games will soon cease operations.

Chained Echoes", "Dome Keeper", "Everspace 2", "Shadow Gambit" and "Signalis" have the most nominations with three each. Twelve teams from North Rhine-Westphalia have been nominated, followed by eight from Hamburg and seven from Berlin. Compared to last year, when Stray Fawn Studio from Zurich won the "Best German Game" award for "The Wandering Village", the number of nominees from Austria and Switzerland has decreased. The award is open to games developed primarily in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The awards ceremony will take place on 7 December 2023 at the Flora in Cologne. Tickets are available in advance. This year's show will be presented by Daniel Budiman and Lynne Glaner.

Kristin Janulik, project manager and deputy chairwoman of games.nrw: "Our guests can look forward to a particularly exciting awards ceremony this year with some new features. Behind the scenes, we have been able to further develop the award together with the industry and have, for example, reintroduced the 'Studio of the Year' category. We would like to thank all the companies and experts who support the DEP as idea providers, sponsors or with their commitment and expertise in the work of the jury".

Best German Game
"Chained Echoes" (Matthias Linda, Ratingen - NRW)
"Everspace 2" (Rockfish Games, Hamburg)
"Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew" (Mimimi Games, Munich - Bavaria)

Studio of the Year
Deck13 Interactive from Frankfurt am Main in Hessen
Mimimi Games from München in Bayern
Paintbucket Games from Berlin

Best Indie Game
"Chained Echoes (Matthias Linda, Ratingen - NRW)
"Dome Keeper (Bippinbits, Radeberg - Saxony)
"Signalis (rose-engine, Hamburg)

Best Casual Game
"Spells & Secrets (Alchemist Interactive, Düsseldorf - NRW)
"Sticky Business (Spellgarden Games, Stuttgart - Baden-Württemberg)
"Thronefall" (Grizzly Games, Berlin)

Best Game Beyond Entertainment
"Duru - About Mullets and Depression" (Twisted Ramble Games, Berlin)
"Friedrich Ebert - The way to democracy" (Playing History, Berlin)
Natural? Political". (Tiny Crocodile Studios, Berlin)

Best Game Design
"Chained Echoes" (Matthias Linda, Ratingen - NRW)
"Dome Keeper (Bippinbits, Radeberg - Saxony)
"Everspace 2" (Rockfish Games, Hamburg)

Best Audio Design
"The Settlers: New Alliances" (Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf - NRW)
"Fall of the Porcupine (Critical Rabbit (Buntsprecht), Cologne - NRW)
"Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew" (Mimimi Games, Munich - Bavaria)

Best Graphics
"The Settlers: New Alliances" (Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf - NRW)
"Signalis" (rose-engine, Hamburg)
"Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew" (Mimimi Games, Munich - Bavaria)

Best Story
"Ad Infinitum" (Hekate, Berlin)
"Fall of the Porcupine" (Critical Rabbit, Cologne - NRW)
"Signalis" (rose-engine, Hamburg)

Best technical performance
"Everspace 2 (Rockfish Games, Hamburg)
"Farming Simulator 22 - Platinum Edition" (Giants Software, Schlieren - Switzerland)
"Railway Empire 2 (Gaming Minds Studios, Gütersloh - NRW)

Innovation Award
"Dome Keeper (Bippinbits, Radeberg - Saxony)
"Marble Maze (Fox-Assembly, Hamburg)
"Touch Type Tale - Strategic Typing (Pumpernickel Studio, Münster - NRW)

Special prize for social engagement
Andreas Gottschalt (Halberstadt - Saxony-Anhalt)
GAME:IN (Cologne - NRW)
Loot for the World (Berlin)

Ubisoft Newcomer Award
"Misgiven (Symmetry Break Studio, Hamburg)
"Tiny Bookshop (neoludic Games, Cologne - NRW)
"Tom the Postgirl (Oopsie Daisies Studio, Zurich - Switzerland)

As in previous years, the NRW Development Prize for Young Developers will be awarded without nominations.

The DEP has been awarded for outstanding computer games since 2004. The prize is organised by games.nrw e.V., which represents the interests of the digital games industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. "The award is supported by the great commitment of the games industry. Numerous experts from the industry serve on the juries on a voluntary basis. In addition, many companies support the award as partners and sponsors," reads the announcement.