We’re sending out 2022 with a look back at the year’s Nordic Game highlights, and now we continue in May, as Finnish Returnal swept the annual Nordic Game Awards during NG22 Spring.
Returnal wins big with It Takes Two and Valheim among the other incredible games that took home prizes in the 2022 Nordic Game Awards, recorded live here.
Nordic Game has revealed the winners of the annual Nordic Game Awards during NG22 Spring, the May edition of its biannual games industry conference. Hosted by Marie Mejerwall and streamed live from Slagthuset in Malmö on Thursday, 19 May, the night’s big winner was Returnal from Finnish developer Housemarque, which won four of its five nominations, including Nordic Game of the Year.
Now in its twentieth year, Nordic Game is the only global event with a dedicated focus on the Nordic games industry. The Nordic Game Awards ceremony is the highlight of the Nordic Game conference each spring. As in previous years, a jury of industry peers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden selected the finalists and winners.
In the Nordic Game of the Year and Game of the Year – Small Screen categories, votes were cast live by the 2022 Nordic Game Awards jury. In the other six categories, the winners were chosen by the jury with a statement for why each winner was selected.
The 2022 Nordic Game Awards winners were as follows:
Best Art winner:
Lost in Random by Zoink Games, Thunderful Group, Sweden
Jury’s motivation:
The unique art style has a huge effect on immersion and the atmosphere of the game, because entire stories can be told with just darkness lurking in the corner or a little bit of fairy tale lightening the mood.
Best Art runners-up:
It Takes Two by Hazelight (SE)
Returnal by Housemarque (FI)
Sunlight by Krillbite (NO)
The Ascent by Neon Giant (SE)
Best Game Design winner, presented by Epic Games/Unreal Engine:
Returnal by Housemarque, Finland
Jury’s motivation:
At first it sounds like an impossible mission. But the combination of different genres such as horror, roguelikes and bullet hell shooters work beautifully even when it shouldn´t.
Best Game Design runners-up:
Hitman 3 by IO Interactive (DK)
It Takes Two by Hazelight (SE)
Klang 2 by Tinimations (NO)
Valheim by Iron Gate Studio (SE)
Best Technology winner, presented by Epic Games/Unreal Engine:
Returnal by Housemarque, Finland
Jury’s motivation:
It’s always impressive when a studio uses technological advancements to create a truly immersive experience. With the impressive use of in-house custom tech; the global illumination and a particle system take this sci-fi world to a whole new eerie level.
Best Technology runners-up:
Biomutant by Experiment 101 (SE)
Hitman 3 by IO Interactive (DK)
It Takes Two by Hazelight (SE)
SpotRacers by Level Up Garage (DK)
Best Audio winner:
Returnal by Housemarque, Finland
Jury’s motivation:
In space no one can hear you scream. But what you can hear in this game is an eerie, atmospheric soundscape that underlines the feeling of being isolated on a planet that wants to kill you over and over again.
Best Audio runners-up:
Hitman 3 by IO Interactive (DK)
Klang 2 by Tinimations (NO)
Lost in Random by Zoink Games, Thunderful Group (SE)
Valheim by Iron Gate Studio (SE)
Best Fun for Everyone winner, presented by Uberstrategist:
It Takes Two by Hazelight, Sweden
Jury’s motivation:
The winner of the Best Fun for Everyone category dares you to rely on somebody. Challenges you to help one another, when the platforming challenges are as difficult as the subject matter. And shows us that together we are stronger.
Best Fun for Everyone runners-up:
Bonkies by Studio Gauntlet (NO)
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl by Ludosity, Fair Play Labs (SE)
NUTS by Joon, Pol, Muuutsch, Char & Torfi (IS)
Rob Riches by Megapop (NO)
Best Debut winner:
Valheim by Iron Gate Studio, Sweden
Jury’s motivation:
It’s hard to imagine a debut game making a bigger splash than this game did. In a time where friends seemed further away than usual and things were looking dark all around, this game brought joy, adventure and collaboration into the lives of millions of people.
Best Debut runners-up:
Biomutant by Experiment 101 (SE)
NUTS by Joon, Pol, Muuutsch, Char & Torfi (IS)
The Ascent by Neon Giant (SE)
TOEM by Something We Made (SE)
Nordic Game of the Year: Small Screen winner, presented by AppGallery:
NUTS by Joon, Pol, Muuutsch, Char & Torfi, Iceland
Jury’s vote:
Votes were casted live by the jury, and there was a tie between TOEM and NUTS. After an exciting second round vote between these two games, NUTS was declared the winner.
Nordic Game of the Year – Small Screen runners-up:
Clash Mini by Supercell (FI)
Crash Bandicoot: On The Run by King (SE)
Rivengard by Snowprint Studios (SE)
TOEM by Something We Made, (SE)
Nordic Game of the Year winner, presented by Edgegap:
Returnal by Housemarque, Finland
Jury’s vote:
Votes were casted live by the jury, and Returnal by Finnish Housemarque was declared the winner.
Nordic Game of the Year runners-up:
Hitman 3 by IO Interactive (DK)
It Takes Two by Hazelight (SE)
Sunlight by Krillbite (NO)
Valheim by Iron Gate Studio (SE)
About the 2022 Nordic Game Awards jury
The following industry profiles from the Nordic region served as nominee jurors for the 2022 Nordic Game Awards:
Carl Juul Nielsen, Denmark
Carl is responsible for the game coverage at Version2.
Tuukka Grönholm, Finland
Tuukka is editor-in-chief at Pelit Magazine.
Linzi Campbell, Iceland
Producer at Myrkur Games.
Lars Richard Olsen, Norway
Games journalist at Spillrevyen/Pressfire.no.
Anna Jenelius, Sweden
Founder, independent game developer at Valiant Game Studio.
Become a Nordic Game partner
Nordic Game would not be celebrating its twenty-first edition this spring without the tremendous support of our sponsors and partners. Many of them have already signed-up for our May event, both online and at Slagthuset in Malmö, Sweden, but we’re always ready to welcome new partners.
Contact us here for more info about the wealth of opportunities available to put your brand in front of the entire Nordic developer community and their global peers at Nordic Game.
About the Nordic Game conference
Nordic Game is the leading games conference in Europe, and 2022 marks its twenty-first and twenty-second editions, as well as our return to historic Slagthuset. Gathering thousands of industry professionals in the spring and autumn each year, 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 2022, online and in the venue, this May and November.
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