Inscryption, the genre-bending, deckbuilding roguelike game that consistently surprises the player, developed by Daniel Mullins Games, transcends expectations once again to win the Game of the Year Award at tonight’s 22nd annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, as well as the Seumas McNally Grand Prize during tonight’s Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards), making it the first game to ever do so. The IGF Awards is the sister awards show which was held immediately before the GDCAs on the same stage. The ceremony was part of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2022, which returned in-person to the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
Inscryption’s unique blend of deck-building roguelike, escape-room style puzzles and psychological horror is the first game to ever be honored with the top prize at both the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Independent Games Festival Awards. Inscryption uniquely took top honors during the awards ceremony, leading an impressive lineup of some of the very best games of the year. Winners were 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.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the dimension-hopping latest adventure of the famous duo in the long-running series developed by Insomniac Games, won the Best Visual Art and Best Technology awards. The zen puzzle game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home, Unpacking by Witch Beam, received both the award for Best Audio and the Innovation Award. Iron Gate Studio won Best Debut for its work on Valheim, an exploration and survival game set in a mysterious procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Valheim also won the Audience Award, which was selected through a public vote.
The other big winners of the night include the quirky and cerebral platform game Psychonauts 2 developed by Double Fine Productions, which won the Best Narrative award. Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two, the heartfelt cooperative action-adventure about a couple going through a divorce forced to work together, won the Best Design award. The Social Impact Award, which recognizes a game that advances equality, justice, intersectionality, and/or sustainability, and works to positively impact lives in a meaningful way, went to the dungeon crawler-dating sim, Boyfriend Dungeon by Kitfox Games.
In addition to the best games of the last year, the GDCAs also honor the dedicated individuals who have helped further the art, science and craft of video games with special awards. The Ambassador Award, which is presented to someone who has helped video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action, was given to Steven Spohn. Spohn is a driving force for accessibility in games and Senior Director of Development of the AbleGamers charity. The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Yuji Horii, the creator of the legendary Dragon Quest series. Horii’s groundbreaking work has influenced and inspired role-playing game design since the release of Dragon Quest in 1986.
“It’s always wonderful to be able to honor these individuals, who have created some of the most innovative and entertaining games from the past year, but it’s been extra special to be able hold the awards ceremony in person again tonight,” said Katie Stern, who oversees the GDC as VP of Entertainment Media at Informa Tech. “The return of the Game Developers Choice Awards and GDC to the Moscone made this a memorable evening that we were delighted to share with such talented people.”
The Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:
- Best Debut: Iron Gate Studio for Valheim
- Best Visual Art: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Audio: Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)
- Best Narrative: Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios)
- Social Impact Award: Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
- Innovation Award: Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games)
- Best Technology: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Design: It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
- Audience Award: Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)
- Game of the Year: Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
- Ambassador Award: Steven Spohn
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Yuji Horii
In addition to the Grand Prize, Inscryption took home the awards for Excellence in Design, Excellence in Audio and Excellence in Narrative. Inscryption is a genre-bending love letter to video games that blends deckbuilding, roguelike escape-room style puzzles and psychological horror into a surprising mix.
The full slate of 2022 IGF Award winners features many notable independent titles. Papetura by Petums, a handcrafted puzzle adventure game with a unique world handmade entirely out of paper, and beautiful fragile music won the Excellence in Visual Art award. The Nuovo Award, which honors the title that makes jurors ‘think differently about games as a medium,’ went to developer Lily Zone for Memory Card, a collection of development builds, small creations, pictures, works in progress, and worlds in the process of coming together, captured as-is by their developer and laid out for the player to experience.
The Best Student Game winner, Live Adventure by the Live Adventure Team, is a second-person adventure game that follows the expedition of two young explorers in search of their parents. Mini Motorways by Dinosaur Polo Club won the community-driven Audience Award, which is chosen by fans through a public voting process.
All IGF titles, including both finalists and winners, are playable for any GDC pass holder at the IGF Pavilion located on the GDC Expo Floor in San Francisco's Moscone Center through Friday, March 25th.
The winners of the 24th annual IGF Awards are:
- Best Student Game ($2,000): Live Adventure (Live Adventure Team)
- Excellence in Design ($2,000): Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
- Excellence in Visual Art ($2,000): Papetura (Petums)
- Excellence in Audio ($2,000): Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
- Nuovo Award ($2,000): Memory Card (Lily Zone)
- Excellence in Narrative ($2,000): Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)
- Audience Award ($2,000): Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($10,000): Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games)