The Australian Game Developer Awards, also known as the AGDAs, celebrate the best of Australian video games – from art direction to gameplay, narrative, and beyond. The country makes incredible games, and 2022 was no exception. A range of excellent titles blew us away in the past year, from Studio Drydock’s Wylde Flowers, to the cutesy cult simulator Cult of the Lamb, from Massive Monster.
The 2022 AGDAs were a brilliant recognition of the talent and prowess that goes into creating a range of Australian games, with each getting the praise and love they deserve.
‘The AGDAs is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of talent and projects here in Australia,’ Ron Curry, CEO of industry body IGEA said ahead of the awards night.
‘These awards highlight the creativity amongst Australian game developers as we see new, creative IP and Australian-told stories having significant success on the international stage. We can see that successful games tend to be those that are also inclusive and accessible, and we are delighted that Australian game developers are embracing these elements, as are those who enjoy playing games’
This diversity and creativity were certainly on show at the AGDAs, where several deserving winners were crowned.
A huge congratulations goes to the team at Massive Monster, for taking out the AGDAs Game of the Year award for Cult of the Lamb, as well as other coveted accolades.
Here’s the complete list of the ADGAs 2022 nominees in each category, with the winners bolded.
AGDAs 2022: Full List of Finalists and Winners
AGDAs Game of The Year
- Heavenly Bodies
- Wylde Flowers
- Cult of the Lamb [WINNER]
Excellence In Art
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand
- Cult of the Lamb [WINNER]
- Heavenly Bodies
Excellence In Gameplay
- Cult of the Lamb [WINNER]
- Heavenly Bodies
- JUSTICE SUCKS
Excellence In Narrative
- You Will (Not Remain)
- Wylde Flowers [WINNER]
- Wayward Strand
Excellence In Sound Design
- JUSTICE SUCKS
- Cult of the Lamb
- Heavenly Bodies [WINNER]
Excellence In Music
- Cult of the Lamb [WINNER]
- Heavenly Bodies
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand
Excellence In Technical Design
- Puzzle Quest 3
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand [WINNER]
- Heavenly Bodies
Excellence In Accessibility – Presented by VicScreen
- Wylde Flowers
- Raw: Emotions Unite Us
- Lost and Hound [WINNER]
Excellence In Mobile Games
- Dream Hopper
- Wylde Flowers [WINNER]
- Hot Lap League
Excellence In AR/VR
- Flush Back
- Raw: Emotions Unite Us
- Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown [WINNER]
Excellence In Serious Games (Applied/Impactful)
- Kinder World [WINNER]
- Wayward Strand
- Raw: Emotions Unite Us
Excellence In Emerging Games (Student or Early Career)
- Fantasy Town Regional Manager
- Queer Man Peering Into a Rock Pool.jpg [WINNER]
- Born Punk
Excellence In Ongoing Games (Games As A Service)
- The Oregon Trail [WINNER]
- It’s Literally Just Mowing
- Crash of Cars
Rising Star Award
- Raymond Corrigan
Ambition Award
- Ryan McMahon
Adam Lancman Award
- Clara Reeves
Studio of the Year
- Gameloft
The AGDAs take place during Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) annually, with this year’s show being the first return to an in-person model since 2019.
