On 18 May, Nordic Game presented the eleventh annual Nordic Game Awards at NG17 in Malmö, Sweden. This year’s Nordic Game Awards were hosted by Niels Forsberg, also known as the “Biggest Geek-Comedian in the World” as honored by Utrecht International Comedy Festival. Niels presented prizes in eight categories and entertained the audience in the Unreal Theatre, the main auditorium of venue Slagthuset.
And the winners are…
2017 Best Audio: INSIDE, Playdead (DK)
Jury’s motivation: This beautiful nightmare would simply not be possible without its masterful soundscape. It has texture and weight, even when it lurks in the shadows. It flows through this world with an ever present, crystal clear and unsettling purpose.
2017 Best Audio nominees also included:
Battlefield 1, EA DICE (SE)
GoNNER, Art in Heart (SE)
Hitman, IO Interactive (DK)
Owlboy, D-Pad Studio (NO)
2017 Best Fun for Everyone: Clapper, Bridgeside Interactive (SE)
Jury’s motivation: Clever, creative and interesting ideas often end up as novelties. But sometimes they touch our souls. This fantastic game takes play in its purest form and creates a gaming experience that truly is fun for everyone.
2017 Best Fun for Everyone nominees also included:
Fuzzy House, Fuzzy House (DK)
Mussila: Musical Monster Adventure, Rosamosi (IS)
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure, Game Swing (DK)
Toca Hair Salon 3, Toca Boca (SE)
2017 Best Debut: GoNNER, Art in Heart (SE)
Jury’s motivation: The vision to create something amazing is the easy part. This gorgeous debut follows-up with the confidence and skills of seasoned veterans. Fresh visuals, fantastic sound and exceptional mechanics come together in a complete, irresistible package.
2017 Best Debut nominees also included:
Clapper, Bridgeside Interactive (SE)
Manual Samuel, Perfectly Paranormal (NO)
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure, Game Swing (DK)
Through the Woods, Antagonist (NO)
2017 Best Technology: Hitman, IO Interactive (DK)
Jury’s motivation: “I wonder if I can do this?” asks the player. This game answers “Yes, you can.” We’re invited into unbelievably complex worlds teeming with irresistible opportunities. There are a million things that could go wrong, leaving us with a struggle against technological limitations. Instead, everything just works beautifully. This comes from world class skills. But it feels like magic.
2017 Best Technology nominees also included:
Battlefield 1, EA DICE (SE)
EVE Valkyrie, CCP (IS)
INSIDE, Playdead (DK)
Tom Clancy’s The Division, Massive Entertainment (SE)
2017 Best Game Design: INSIDE, Playdead (DK)
Jury’s motivation: To survive in this world, you need to experiment and deduce your way through deadly traps and hostile enemies. There are no tutorials, no prompts to “press X to jump” and no guides. Your wit is your only tool, and yet you find all the information you need from the world around you. This mature and powerful sense of accomplishment is a master class in game design.
2017 Best Game Design nominees also included:
Battlefield 1, EA DICE (SE)
Hitman, IO Interactive (DK)
Owlboy, D-Pad Studio (NO)
Tom Clancy’s The Division, Massive Entertainment (SE)
2017 Best Art: INSIDE, Playdead (DK)
Jury’s motivation: Pick a scene from this game, any scene. You can frame it, hang it on your wall and proudly call it art. Yet, the true art comes from experiencing the menacing beauty come alive before your very eyes, wrapped in powerful shades of black. It simply leaves us breathless.
2017 Best Art nominees also included:
Battlefield 1, EA DICE (SE)
GoNNER, Art in Heart (SE)
Owlboy, D-Pad Studio (NO)
Unravel, Coldwood Interactive (SE)
2017 Nordic Game of the Year – Small Screen: Twofold Inc., Grapefrukt Games (SE)
Jury’s motivation: A unique, gorgeous puzzle game on your smartphone, a game that stands out in a sea of lazy clones, a game created with heart and passion. It sounds like a myth, but this game hasn’t left our phones since release. It continues to amaze and engage us this very day. And it shows us that our phones truly can be a place for fantastic games.
2017 Nordic Game of the Year – Small Screen nominees also included:
Clapper, Bridgeside Interactive (SE)
Clash Royale, Supercell (FI)
Mekorama, Martin Magni (SE)
Space Marshals 2, Pixelbite Games (SE)
2017 Nordic Game of the Year: INSIDE, Playdead (DK)
Jury’s motivation: This year, the jury had the privilege of considering games that are exceptional in all areas of game creation. There was, however, one game that stood above the rest. It’s a game that seized our hearts and minds from the very start. Its mind-boggling conclusion made us gasp with joy. Close to a year after release, this game still haunts us. It’s not only the best Nordic game of 2016; it was one of the best games in the world. Playdead has our deepest gratitude for creating something magical. You made us proud to be a part of the 2017 Nordic Game Awards.
2017 Nordic Game of the Year nominees also included:
Battlefield 1, EA DICE (SE)
Clash Royale, Supercell (FI)
Hitman, IO Interactive (DK)
Owlboy, D-Pad Studio (NO)
Tom Clancy’s The Division, Massive Entertainment (SE)
2017 Jury’s Special Mention: Owlboy, D-Pad Studio (NO)
Jury’s motivation: The jury decided to use their privilege to award a special mention, after a day of careful deliberation in this year’s Nordic Game Awards. This amazing game was nominated in several categories, and was an extremely close runner-up in the “Best Art” category. The dedication of this small team, their unrelenting love of the craft, is an inspiration to us all. The thought of getting through the 2017 award show without getting D-Pad Studio up on stage to receive the jury’s love and the love of their peers was simply inconceivable.
Congratulations to all the winners and the nominees of the 2017 Nordic Game Awards!
About the Nordic Game Awards
The Nordic Game Awards is organised by the Nordic Game Institute in cooperation with Nordic Game Resources and the Nordic Game event team.
The Nordic Game Institute consists of the following game producer associations in the region: Dataspelsbranschen (SE), Icelandic Gaming Industry (IS), Neogames (FI), Spillprodusentforeningen (NO) and Producentforeningen (DK).
The organisers appoint the NGA jury, this year with the following members: Bjarki Thor Jónsson (Iceland), Juho Kuorikoski (Finland), Rune Fjell Olsen (Norway), Niklas Sintorn (Sweden) and Astrid Mie Refstrup (Denmark).
Learn all about last year’s proud winners at NG16 here.
About the Nordic Game conference
Nordic Game is the leading games conference in Europe, and 2017 is its fourteenth year. Gathering over 2,000 games industry professionals in Malmö annually, Nordic Game is the one and only “home turf” meeting place for the highly successful game developers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Learn more about Nordic Game 2017, 17-19 May in Malmö, Sweden at conf.nordicgame.com.
Nordic Game 2017 sponsors and partners include:
Nordic Game Institute, Amazon Lumberyard, Amazon Web Services, Annapurna, Appodeal, Autodesk/Future, Awapatent, AzPlay, Bandai Namco Entertainment, BerlinBalticNordic.net, Big Games Machine, BIU, Copenhagen Game Collective, Collide + Disconnect, Creative Media, Cursor, Devcom, DevGamm, DGC Games Dubai, Diversi, DGA, DYTG, Elias Music, Epic Games/Unreal Engine 4, EGCA, EGDF, Esports Conference Poland, Gamvento/Forest Interactive, Game City Malmö, Game Connection, Game Factory, Games from Québec, Gamescom, GG Conference, GamesIndustry.biz, GameSparks, GetIT, GIST Gaming Istanbul, Gothia Science Park, Gumbler, Gumi, Hamar Game Collective, IGDA, IMGA, Kavio Cluster, King, Konsoll, Localize Direct, Malmö Stad, Massive Entertainment, Media Evolution, Media:net Berlin-Brandenburg, MGF, Nevaly, Nintendo, Northern Game Summit, Nordic Game Bits, Nordic Game Jam, Nordic Game Ventures, Nordisk Film Games, Perforce, Play Finland, Playa, PG Connect, Polska, Pro Helvetia, Québec, Quo Vadis, Reboot, Respawn, RGDA, Southern Sweden Creatives, Sweden Game Arena, #SwissGames, Tarsier Studios, Tekwill, TELUS International, Tilting Point, Unity, The Game Assembly, VentureBeat, Vungle, Wacom, White Nights, Yousician, Xtralife and many more.
