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Develop:Star Awards 2025 Nominations Revealed – Indiana Jones Leads the Pack


Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The Develop:Star Awards 2025 nominees have been officially announced, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle leading the pack. The action-adventure game from Bethesda Softworks has secured six nominations, including a nod for Best Game.


Following closely are Coal Supper’s quirky comedy title Thank Goodness You’re Here with five nominations, and Newfangled Games’ puzzle adventure Paper Trail with four.


Best Game Contenders


The Best Game category includes:

  • Astro Bot

  • Atomfall

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

  • Split Fiction

  • Still Wakes the Deep

  • Thank Goodness You’re Here


Studios in the Spotlight


Hazelight Studios (Split Fiction) and Rebellion (Atomfall) are among those nominated for Best Studio, joining:

  • Facepunch Studios

  • FuturLab

  • Larian Studios

  • Team Asobi (Astro Bot)

  • The Chinese Room


For Best Small Studio, the nominees reflect the thriving indie scene:

  • Coal Supper

  • Cyberwave

  • Newfangled Games

  • Polygon Treehouse

  • Shared Memory (Animal Well)

  • Spilt Milk Studios


New Categories for 2025


This year’s awards introduce three new categories, reflecting the industry’s evolving priorities:


  • Best Marketing Campaign – Recognizing standout promotional efforts, with nominations for Animal Well, Indiana Jones, and Monument Valley 3, among others.

  • Best EDI (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Initiative – Highlighting efforts from groups like Women in Games and Out Making Games.

  • Best In-Game Accessibility – Honoring games committed to accessibility:

    • Atomfall

    • Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island

    • Paper Trail

    • Sea of Thieves

    • Silent Hill 2

    • Trash Goblin


Industry Icon Sam Lake to Receive Top Honor


Sam Lake, Creative Director at Remedy Entertainment, will receive the Develop Star Award in recognition of his decades-long impact on narrative design and game direction. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Lake called the honor “a huge honour.”


He previously won Best Creative Lead in 2024, and this latest accolade reinforces his legacy in storytelling with titles like Alan Wake and Control.


Full List of Categories & Nominees


Best Studio

Facepunch Studios, FuturLab, Hazelight Studios, Larian Studios, Rebellion, Team Asobi, The Chinese Room

Best Small Studio

Coal Supper, Cyberwave, Newfangled Games, Polygon Treehouse, Shared Memory, Spilt Milk Studios

Publishing Star

Curve Games, Fireshine Games, No More Robots, Playstack, Raw Fury, Secret Mode, Team17

Best Mobile Game

A Little to the Left, Maid of Sker, Monument Valley 3, Paper Trail, PBJ – The Musical, Sniper Elite 4

Best Game Design

Astro Bot, Expelled, Indiana Jones, Hellblade 2, Thank Goodness You’re Here, Two Point Museum

Best Audio

Astrobot, Atomfall, Indiana Jones, Monument Valley 3, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Thank Goodness You’re Here

Best Visual Art

Dungeons of Hinterberg, Harold Halibut, Neva, Paper Trail, Songs of Silence, Still Wakes the Deep

Best Narrative

Closer the Distance, Expelled, FFXIV: Dawntrail, Indiana Jones, Hellblade 2, Thank Goodness You’re Here

Best Original IP

Paper Trail, Stellar Blade, Still Wakes the Deep, Thank Goodness You’re Here, Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, Vampire Therapist

Best In-Game Accessibility

Atomfall, Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island, Paper Trail, Sea of Thieves, Silent Hill 2, Trash Goblin

Best Marketing Campaign

Animal Well, Dungeons of Hinterberg, PowerWash Simulator (FuturLab), Hitman: World of Assassination, Indiana Jones, Monument Valley 3, PlanetPlay’s Make Green Moves

Best Technical Innovation

Astro Bot, Code Wizards Group, Harold Halibut, Indiana Jones, Lego Horizon Adventures, Hellblade 2

Supporting Star

Coutts, GG Insurance Services, Green Man Gaming, PitStop Productions, Room 8 Group, Side, Tanglewood Games, Unreal Engine

Talent and Recruitment Star

Aardvark Swift, Amiqus, Datascope Recruitment, Playground Games Recruitment Team, Skillsearch Limited

Best EDI Initiative

Brainspark Games, Ensemble (London Games Festival), Limit Break Mentorship, Out Making Games, Playground Games, Women in Games

Tomorrow's Star

Emma Marshall-Newson (Sumo Digital), Francesca White (Behaviour Interactive), Gurvinder Bisran (BOM), Marco Ng (Otterweave Game Studio), Melodie Showell (Side), Summer Davies (Blast), Valeriya Lakhtikova (Dovetail Games)


Voting & Ceremony Details


Voting is open to industry professionals until Friday, May 30.


The winners will be announced during the Develop:Star Awards ceremony on Wednesday, July 9, held at the Brighton Dome as part of the Develop:Brighton conference.

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