This evening, the winners of the Dutch Game Awards 2024 were announced at the leading award show for the Dutch game industry. The award show took place during Dutch Media Week at Beeld & Geluid in Hilversum.
Winners
The Dutch Game Awards features various categories, from ‘Best Game’ to ‘Best Innovation,’ as well as four special awards. The winners were chosen by a professional and diverse jury. In addition to the award, the winners will also be given a place in the collection of Beeld & Geluid, where the games will be preserved as cultural heritage for eternity.
And the winners are…!
Best Game: News Tower – Sparrow Night
Best Art: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk – Team Reptile
Best Audio: News Tower – Sparrow Night
Best Innovation: The Score – The Smartphone Orchestra (produced by WildVreemd)
Best Technology: The 7th Guest VR – Vertigo Games
Best Game Design: News Tower – Sparrow Night
Best Applied Game: Jungle the Bungle – Hulan
Best Debut Game: News Tower – Sparrow Night
Best Student Game: King of the Bridge – Finn Schuuring, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht
The big winner this year is News Tower by Sparrow Night. The jury selected News Tower as the winner in the categories Best Game, Best Audio, Best Game Design, and Best Debut Game. “In every way, News Tower is a spectacular debut. Like any good game, each mechanic is utilized to its full potential; the depth of the gameplay caters to both strategy enthusiasts and newcomers, making it enjoyable every time a new newspaper is printed. Additionally, the game features an impressive variety in its soundtrack, taking you from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression and back again. Everything comes together in the game, creating such a cohesive experience that it towers above the other nominations in the Best Game Award category.”
Best Technology was awarded to The 7th Guest VR by Vertigo Games. The jury: “The 7th guest has quite a few nice tricks up its sleeve, from flourishes like the lantern revealing how things looked in the past to uncannily real 3D captured animated scenes with full 3D characters that look very lifelike, even on the Quest 2. The game creates a believable unrealistic world. The animations are very well polished and don’t destroy the immersion but only further enhance it.”
About Hulan with the Best Applied Game award for Jungle The Bungle the jury said: “The great variety, looks, theme and catchy music make this language-learning game a joyful experience and very suitable for playing at home as well as in primary schools. Although the game is still being developed and shows room for perfection, the jury was impressed with the way how learning has truly been turned into a game that is hard to stop playing, even for adults!”
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk by Team Reptile wins Best Art: “The game shows a unique style, consistent throughout the game in every little detail, and stays true to the cultural expression of street art. It adds to the immersion while remaining functional.”
The Score by The Smartphone Orchestra (produced by WildVreemd) has been awarded Best Innovation: “A reinvention of how to experience a classical music concert. Not just for the audience, but for the musicians as well! A unique experience for both, because no version of The Score will ever be the same. We can see this experience going international and drawing a new type of audience into concert halls.”
Best Student Game was awarded to King of The Bridge by Finn Schuuring: “Knowing chess might be to your disadvantage in this chess challenge! Think outside of the board, sometimes literally, while taking on the AI opponent that keeps investing new rules. The judges were impressed by this game that doesn’t play by the book.”
Special Awards
The Special Awards were created to recognize studios, individuals, or initiatives that may not always be in the spotlight but are nonetheless crucial to the Dutch game industry. The winners of the Special Awards are:
Inclusion Award: Zuraida Buter
Awesome Achievement: Dutch Game Garden
Best Studio: &ranj
Career Achievement: Derk de Geus
Inclusion Award – Zuraida Buter
“Zuraida has been part of the industry for over 20 years as a mentor, judge, lecturer, speaker, advisor, game jam and event organiser among other things, always working on ways to make the industry more accessible to indie developers and women in games. Through events like AMAZE, the Global Game Jam, Independent Games Festival of the Playful Arts Festival she brings art, culture and play closer together, opening up the games industry to different perspectives and talent.”
Awesome Achievement – Dutch Game Garden
“Since 2007 the Dutch Game Garden has helped hundreds of developers and game industry professionals by providing a starting point in the industry. Always willing to help and support through the incubation program, network lunches, mentoring programs, pitch perfect, and in general being a welcoming and visible “info point”. Our Dutch game hub and club house will certainly be missed.”
Best Studio – &ranj
“Started 25 years ago as one of the first applied game studios in the Netherlands, &ranj has never lost its focus on high quality game projects. Always striving for innovation and staying true to their own philosophy about what applied games should bring to the world.”
Career Achievement – Derk de Geus
“To keep a game studio running for nearly 20 years is no small feat. But if that wasn’t challenging enough, in 2019 Derk decided to “be the change” he thought the Dutch Games Association needed and took on the role of Chairman. In 4 Years Derk built the DGA back up from the ground and laid the solid foundation that the association thrives on today.”