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The Dutch Game Awards 2023 winners were announced during the leading awards event for the Dutch gaming industry. The award show, which was in its thirteenth year, took place in Hilversum during Dutch Media Week at Beeld & Geluid.
The Dutch Game Awards have several categories, ranging from “Best Game” to “Best Innovation”, and four special awards. The winners are selected by a professional jury. The winners will also be included in Sound & Vision’s collection, which preserves the games as cultural heritage. …! are the winners.
Age of Wonders 4 by Triumph Studios: Best game of the year
Best Art: Mail Time – appelmoes games
Isonzo, BlackMill Games: Best audio
Best Innovation: Secret Shuffle – Adriaan de Jongh & Friends
Marvel’s Spider-Man PC Remastered – Nixxes Software
Best Game Design: Secret Shuffle – Adriaan de Jongh & Friends
Best Applied Game: Klankkr8 – Game Tailors
Kayak VR Mirage: Better Than Life – Best Debut game
Best Student Game: Iron Line – Team Trainwreck (BUas)
Age of Wonders by Triumph Studios wins the Best Game award for 2023: “Age of Wonders 4 is an excellent continuation of this series.” The game is innovative in the strategy genre, combining old and new techniques to create a masterpiece. The game’s depth and complexity gives it a sense of epic proportions .”
Secret Shuffle was chosen as the winner of the categories Best Innovation and Best Game Design by the jury: “What an amazing way to bring a smile to people’s face! This game is a great way to bring people together through an innovative form of gameplay. The game’s intuitive interface and low entry barrier make it easy to use and understand. Secret Shuffle !” is the best way to make yourself uncomfortable.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered PC, by Nixxes Software, wins Best Technology. “Where most PC Ports don’t match the original game’s quality, the PC Port of Marvel’s Spider-Man exceeds it.” The PC version includes subtle details, such as enhanced reflections on the windows of buildings. This is done without sacrificing performance. Nixxes’ custom solutions for the technical challenges have raised the bar in porting technology .”
Iron Line won the award for Best Student Game. “The judges were disappointed that it isn’t a complete game yet.” Iron Line is a unique take on the Tower Defense genre. It cleverly integrates cargo management and the placement of turrets. “Add well-designed components like the game economy and it makes the entire game fit together like an glove.”
Kayak VR Mirage won the Best Debut game award. “The judges felt as if they were outdoors while playing this videogame. The kayak is very realistic and the details in the environment make it feel more real. The game also features a fun multiplayer race and an intuitive user interface .”
Klankkr8 is the winner of Best Applied Games: “It’s noteworthy that Game Tailors used scientific theories and evidence to create Klankkr8 as well as conducting scientific research into the effectiveness the game!” These theories were translated into a consistent, fun and realistic game design for young children that introduces them to sounds, letters and the beginning steps of reading. Klankkr8 serves multiple audiences with its interactive, full-featured game .”
Isonzo won the award for Best Audio: “Isonzo excels in the integration of realistic sound from the World War I setting, and balances out the chaos of sounds during the frantic multi-player battles.” The soundtrack is a masterpiece, adding to the depth and immersion of the game.
Mail Time won Best Art. “The studio describes themselves as “a small studio”, so it’s impressive that Mail Time’s art feels ‘wholesome’, ‘cosy’ and ‘warm’ despite being created by just one person. This depth is a result of the unique combination of 2D and 3-D art, which was described by the jury as being very difficult to achieve !”
Special Awards
Special Awards are given to studios, individuals, or initiatives who sometimes work in the background but still have a significant impact on the Dutch gaming industry. The Special Awards winners are:
Best Studio: Triumph Studios
Inclusion Award: Esmee van’t Hoff
Career Achievement: Angie Smets
Deloryan Games: Awesome Achievement
Triumph Studios is the winner of Best Studio Award: “Triumph Studios, which has been in existence since 1997, has been quiet and strong for more than 25 years. The studio’s culture was not affected negatively by joining the Paradox family. The studio’s employees stay for a long period of time and are very complimentary about its leadership. Triumph Studios’ rock-solid leadership is also evident in its games. They don’t follow erratic trends but instead take their own path .”
This year’s Award for Inclusion is given to Esmee Van’t Hoff.
Angie Smets won the Career Achievement Award: “Over the last 20 years, Angie has proved to be a cornerstone of Guerrilla Games’ successful AAA game studio. Perhaps even more significant is her role in normalizing diversity in Guerrilla Games’ games as well as the studio’s work environment! We wish Angie !” all the very best in her new position at PlayStation Studios, and we look forward to her groundbreaking work!
Deloryan Games wins the Awesome Achievement. “Deloryan Hommers began as a solo studio, but has grown to a team consisting of eleven people. Deloryan Games’ unique game is aimed at a niche of horse enthusiasts, and we’re talking about more than just little girls with glittering unicorns. Horse Reality adds a new dimension to horse management games, focusing on the genetics of horses, breeding programs, training, and health statistics, all based on actual data. The studio is competing with studios 10 times larger than it. They have grown despite the tough market because they take their audience seriously .”
