IGF 2007 Finalists Announced

December 11, 2006 1:02 PM

Today, the finalists for the ninth annual Independent Games Festival, held annually during the Game Developers Conference, were announced. This year's competition saw a record 141 entries across six categories: Design Innovation, Excellence in Visual Art, Excellence in Audio, Technical Excellence, Best Web Browser Game, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for the year's best independent game. Additionally, finalists for the IGF Modding Competition will be announced later this month, while finalists for the IGF Student Showcase will be announced in January 2007.

Bit Blot's Aquaria came out on top in terms of nominations earned, receiving nods for Design Innovation, Excellence in Visual Art, Excellence in Audio, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Next up with three nominations was Queasy Games' Everyday Shooter, which is up for Design Innovation, Excellence in Audio, and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Peter Stock's Armadillo Run, Three Rings Design's Bang! Howdy, and Naked Sky Entertainment's RoboBlitz each picked up two nomations including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize; Amanita Design garnered two nods for its web-based adventure Samorost 2.

Other nominations included Sam & Max episodic developer Telltale Games being recognized for Excellence in Audio in Bone: The Great Cow Race and Alien Hominid developer The Behemoth for Excellence in Visual Art in Castle Crashers. Notably, both RoboBlitz and Castle Crashers have secured Xbox Live Arcade distribution, with the former having been recently released both on Xbox Live Arcade and Steam, while Bugs of War, from experienced Xbox Live Arcade developer NinjaBee, has been rumored to be releasing on the service some time next year.

The Independent Games Festival award ceremony will take place during Game Developers Conference on March 7, 2007 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Click here for the full list of nominees.

Chris Remo

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Johnny Law

 reply
December 11, 2006 1:14 PM

It seems a little odd to nominate games that haven't been released yet?
- Chris Remo
  
   reply
  December 11, 2006 1:23 PM
  
  No, because the judges have still played them. It's not like retail game development where it's a big secretive process. This is always how the IGF has been conducted. Some games are done, some games aren't done but they're playable, and they get awards for thing that can be reasonably judged.
  - mrwolf710
    
     reply
    December 11, 2006 1:29 PM
    
    I guess what comes to mind is that being idependent games there's a very good chance that they will never get finished but there's still a great chance that they'll get an award. Sounds backwards or something.
    That being said Aquaria looks really cool.
    - mittense
      
       reply
      December 11, 2006 1:31 PM
      
      You're pretty off on your assumption that there's a "very good chance that they will never get finished."
      
      By the time the games get to this level, indie or not, they will reach a degree of completion.
      - mrwolf710
        
         reply
        December 11, 2006 1:37 PM
        
        Guess I made a wrong assumption that a bunch of guys and girls with no big money behind them could have financial problems and have to get other jobs or something and not be able to work on a game anymore. It's good that that never happens.
        
        Chris Remo
        
         reply
        December 11, 2006 1:38 PM
        
        It happens all the time. Those generally aren't the games that get nominated for Independent Games Festival awards, though. Furthermore, many of these games are commercially released, they're just independently funded. "Independent" doesn't mean "guy in a basement," though it certainly can.
        
        mittense
        
         reply
        December 11, 2006 1:40 PM
        
        Well, based on your other posts, you don't really seem to understand the idea behind the IGF stuff in the first place.
        
        The "indie" component of the IGF doesn't necessarily mean that it's people who spend every ounce of time outside their "real lives" just to develop a title. Introversion (Uplink, Darwinia, and DEFCON), for instance, is considered an indie developer for the most part, but they're an actual development studio... Just with a far, far smaller staff.