TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry, has today announced its second annual industry awards are open for entry. The TIGA Awards are especially designed to celebrate the best in creativity, technological innovation and games business at all levels and in all sectors of the UK games industry. The 2012 awards were a roaring success, with more than 2000 votes cast by the developer community for the hotly contested ‘Game of The Year’ category.
The purpose of the TIGA Awards is to reward and share the hard work and achievements of everyone that contributes to Britain’s games business, which is why five games categories feature separate awards for small and larger studios, and entry is free for members and non-members alike.
TIGA’s ‘Business of Games’ categories are for members only, and are specifically designed to recognise the great work done by organisations from the wider ecosystem, from educators and tech developers to publishers and accountants.
The TIGA Games Industry 2013 awards ceremony will take place on the evening of November 6, at Pinewood Studios. TIGA’s new Game Developer Conference will also be held at Pinewood during the day, in Theatre Seven, the largest preview theatre in the UK.
Key partners for this year’s awards are BlackBerry, who will once again be sponsoring the event, as will nDreams. TIGA’s chosen charity partner for the 2013 awards is SpecialEffect, a wonderful organisation dedicated to using videogames and technology to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities.
There are 25 categories in total, with the games categories open to the entire industry. The special awards categories will once again include ‘Game of the Year’, chosen by the UK’s development community through a public vote, and ‘Person of the Year’. Please note the special awards categories are not enterable.
To enter or find more information, go to http://awards.tiga.org and keep up to date via the dedicated TIGA Awards twitter feed: https://twitter.com/TIGAAwards/. If you have any further questions at all please email the TIGA awards team at: awards@tiga.org.
Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:
“TIGA is the trade body for developers and digital publishers and we want to give the whole industry the chance to showcase its achievements and to applaud and encourage the next generation, from exciting start-ups to debut games and students.
There has been a big rise in the proportion of developers making games for smartphones and tablets in recent years, many of them smaller development studios. TIGA wants to ensure the achievements of these and other small studios receive the recognition they deserve, which is why five of our games award categories recognise both small and larger studios. On that note I’d like to thank BlackBerry for once again being the main sponsor for the awards. Its commitment to TIGA and the developer community is highly valuable and much appreciated.
TIGA’s success is due to the continued commitment and breadth of world class expertise from all our members. So the TIGA Awards feature the ‘Business of Games’ categories to recognise the achievements and relentless pursuit of business excellence that result from such expertise and commitment. This is a wonderful opportunity for our industry to celebrate success, in all sectors and at all levels, and I hope all games developers will consider entering.”
Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA chairman, Rebellion CEO & creative director, added:
“TIGA was created by games developers for games developers when there was no representation for our sector. Today we aim to champion and strengthen the UK games industry as a whole. The TIGA Awards are very much an extension of that ethos, and a highly effective way to celebrate excellence at all levels of our rapidly evolving business, and inspire the talent of the future.
As well as honouring the best games, the best people and the biggest contributors to Britain’s games business, we want to say thanks and have some fun at the same time. I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of rewarding best practice and long-term innovation and I encourage any studio, large or small to enter.”
Patrick O’Luanaigh, CEO of nDreams said:
“nDreams has been developing and publishing for over seven years now, and we’re big believers in supporting talented studios and helping the UK games industry continue to grow and expand. For us, the TIGA Awards are a fantastic way to highlight talented new teams, innovative new games and exceptional businesses, and we’re delighted to be involved and be part of such an exciting event.”
Giles Farley, Managing Director – Group Digital Content Services, Pinewood Studios Group
“We’re delighted to be hosting not only the TIGA Games Industry 2013 Awards but TIGA’s new game developer conference too. The name of Pinewood has long been synonymous with world class British and International Film and TV productions. However as a consequence of its continued expansion, the Pinewood Group has more recently provided its award winning post production facilities to the global Games Industry. Therefore we’re very much looking forward to providing a fitting environment in which the UK Games Industry can come together – to celebrate and reward the year’s greatest achievements in creativity, technology and business.”
Nick Streeter, fundraising manager, SpecialEffect, commented:
“We’re very pleased to once again be part of the TIGA awards. SpecialEffect is changing the way people with disabilities play computer games and is all about fun and freedom. Ultimately, just like TIGA, we’re trying to make a difference.
There’s a massive demand for the unique work we do, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support we get from the UK’s gaming industry. This event is a great way for us to say thank you, and hopefully meet more people that can help us ensure no child is excluded from experiencing the magic of videogames.”
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Notes to editors:
Although our awards are focused on the UK games industry, TIGA has some non-UK members and some components from entries may be from overseas; as such ownership is not important, as the entry may be a studio of a US or European based company.
The TIGA Games Industry 2013 awards features the following categories:
Games Categories:
(Free to enter and open to all)
- Best Action/Adventure Game
(Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
- Best Arcade Game
(Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
- Best Casual Game
(Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
- Best Social Game
(Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
- Best Game With A Purpose
(Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
- Best Student Game
- Best Debut Game
- Best Visual Design
- Best Game Design
- Best Audio Design
- Most Original Game
- Best Marketing Campaign
Business of Games Categories:
(Free to enter and open to TIGA members only)
- Outstanding Leadership Award
- Best Publisher
- Best Recruitment Agency
- Best Accountancy Firm
- Best Legal Services Firm
- Best QA Provider
- Best Educational Institution
- Best Education Initiative
- Best Start-up
- Best Tools & Technology
- Best New IP
Special Awards:
(Cannot be entered into)
- Person of the Year
- Game of the Year (chosen by the UK development community in a public vote)
About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association representing the video games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have games publishers, outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. Since 2010, TIGA has won 14 business awards.
TIGA focuses on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
Follow TIGA on twitter: https://twitter.com/TIGAMovement
On LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/groups/TIGA-3531527
On Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
TIGA PR contact:
Drew Field
07720 643344