The International Game Developers Association’s (IGDA) inaugural Global Industry Game Awards (GIGA) show at devcom 2021 celebrated 39 peer-nominated winners during the event’s broadcast on Friday, August 27, 2021. Highlighting various outstanding achievements in fields related to Art, Writing and Narrative, Engineering and Technology, Audio, Design, Support, and Miscellaneous categories, the event acknowledged the efforts of global teams driving the industry forward.
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IGDA Announces First Global Industry Game Awards Winners
Created as a partnership between the IGDA and devcom with the intent to fill an absence of game award shows that highlight the accomplishments of individuals and their teams, the inaugural GIGA awards celebrate a diverse array of games industry professionals. A complete breakdown of the GIGA winners is detailed below, broken into disciplines and subcategories:
Art
- 2D Animation – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- 2D Character Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- 2D Environment Art – Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- 3D Animation – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- 3D Character Art – CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077
- 3D Environment Art – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Cinematography – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- UI Art – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Visual Effects – Nolla Games’ Noita
Audio
- Music Composition – iD Software’s DOOM Eternal
- Sound Design – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Voice Acting – Supergiant Games’ Hades
Design
- Accessibility Innovation – Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Gameplay Design – Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Level Design – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Serious Game Design – Dry Cactus’ Polybridge 2
- Systems Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- UI/UX – Supergiant Games’ Hades
Engineering and Technology
- Achievements in New Technology – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Artificial Intelligence – Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Audio Technology – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Engine Technology – Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4
- Gameplay Technology – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Graphics Technology – Nolla Games’ Noita
- Networking Technology – Asobo Studios’ Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Systems Technology – Ubisoft Toronto’s Watch Dogs: Legion
Support
- Community Management – Innersloth’s Among Us
- Customer Support – Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Marketing – Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass
- Production/Management – Insomniac
- Quality Assurance – iD Software’s DOOM Eternal
- Research & Analytics – Asobo Studios’ Microsoft Flight Simulator
Writing and Narrative
- Dialogue – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Narrative Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Story – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- World Building – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
Miscellaneous
- Representation – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Upcoming Indie – Kinetic Games
- Diversity and Inclusivity – Microsoft
Following the devcom-produced award show, data pertaining to audience viewership from the ceremony was made available. Over 12,000 viewers tuned into the award show broadcast, with 7,932 peak concurrent viewers and 26,000 total views across all channels.
“The inaugural GIGA broadcast was an amazing opportunity to celebrate beloved games, and champion the people whose hard work too often goes unacknowledged,” said Renee Gittins, executive director, IGDA. “By focusing on the human aspect of game development, we are honoured to have an award ceremony not only highlighting games but, more importantly, recognizing the talents of a diverse group of international developers.”
