The winners of this 12 months’s Australian Recreation Developer Awards have been revealed, with Beethoven & Dinosaur’s Mixtape receiving three awards, together with Recreation of the 12 months alongside Excellence in Artwork and Sound Design.
AGDA judges praised Mixtape as “a triumph in digital storytelling, pairing a definite visible id with heartfelt music to ship one of the crucial memorable experiences in current reminiscence.”
Tempo Lab Video games’ rhythm recreation Bits & Bops obtained two awards, together with Excellence in Gameplay and Accessibility.
Canberra-based Uppercut Video games gained Studio of the 12 months “for fostering a various staff and firm tradition that emphasises collaboration and respect”.
Identified for the Submerged collection, Uppercut Video games is at the moment engaged on Magicians: The Satan’s Deal, which is ready to launch in 2027.
Different winners included Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar (Deserted Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz) for Excellence in Narrative, Malys (Summerfall Studios with Belinda Coomes and Montaigne) for Excellence in Music, Key Fairy (Owl Machine) for Excellence in Debut.
This 12 months’s ceremony additionally included the inaugural Video games Join Asia Pacific (GCAP) Legacy Award, which was gained by Riot Video games principal software program engineer and trade veteran Tony Albrecht for his “dedication and advocacy for the ANZ online game group.”
Synty Studios video games advertising professional Amy Potter-Jarman and Gameloft affiliate lead cinematic and lighting artist Tyson Butler-Boschma had been awarded the 2026 Rising Star Award.
The Adam Lancman Award was given to Secret Lab and Yarn Spinner inventive director Paris Buttfield-Addison. He’s additionally president of Tasmanian Recreation Makers.
“This 12 months’s choice of winners and finalists is a good showcase of Australia’s video games trade,” stated Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Video games and Leisure Affiliation (IGEA).
“The breadth and variety of submissions throughout all our classes from throughout the nation represents the exceptional expertise we have now right here and the maturity of the Australian online game trade. On behalf of IGEA, I might wish to thank and congratulate the finalists, winners, and judges for his or her work and dedication in making the Australian online game trade what it’s at the moment.”
Curry continued: “Behind each nice Australian recreation and particular person is a sturdy ecosystem that permits them to flourish. Help from state, territory and federal governments not solely drives progress however allows Australian studios to take inventive dangers, create extra jobs, and compete on the worldwide stage. Continued authorities funding is essential in making certain Australia continues to supply nice video games which can be exported to the remainder of the world.”
Earlier this week, the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) doubled its Digital Games Fund (DGF) to $1 million to help native builders.
The DGF now provides funding streams throughout three levels of improvement and has launched the Recreation Studio Placement Program to help paid placements for early- and mid-career creators in native studios.
Here is the complete checklist of winners for the Australian Recreation Developer Awards 2026:
- Recreation of the 12 months: Mixtape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
- Excellence in Artwork: Mixtape
- Excellence in Gameplay: Bits & Bops (Tempo Lab Video games)
- Excellence in Narrative: Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar (Deserted Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz)
- Excellence in Sound Design: Mixtape
- Excellence in Music: Malys (Summerfall Studios with Belinda Coomes and Montaigne)
- Excellence in Accessibility: Bits & Bops
- Excellence in Prolonged Actuality: Hyper Bullet (Protostar)
- Excellence in Affect: Bluey’s Glad Snaps (Gameloft Brisbane with BBC Studios, Ludo Studio & Bandai Namco)
- Excellence in Debut: Key Fairy (Owl Machine)
- Excellence in Ongoing: Static Shift Racing (Timbo Jimbo)
- The Rising Star: Amy Potter-Jarman and Tyson Butler-Boschma
- The Adam Lancman Award: Paris Buttfield-Addison
- The GCAP Legacy Award: Tony Albrecht
- Studio of the 12 months: Uppercut Video games