Empyreal named Best Indie Game Made in The North

Empyreal by Silent Games was crowned Best Indie Game Made in The North at the Game Republic Awards last night.

The ceremony, which took place at WX Wakefield in Yorkshire, was attended by more than 500 games industry representatives, and was hosted by Game Republic MD Jamie Sefton. The Best Indie Game Made in The North category was judged by a public vote and featured 15 nominees, including The Siege and the Sandfox by Cardboard Sword and Starship Troopers Continuum by XR Games.

The remaining categories were judged by Guardian games journalist Keith Stuart, who was unable to attend the show in person, but provided a recorded introduction that kicked off the proceedings.

Ian Stewart, founder of the Sheffield-based developer Gremlin Graphics, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Gremlin was formed in 1984 and became famous for titles like Zool and Premier Manager, but was bought by Infogrames in 1999 and closed in 2003.

In addition to the awards ceremony, more than 60 games were showcased from northern games companies, including ten from Scotland through a partnership between Game Republic and the Scottish Game Developers Association.

The full list of winners of the Game Republic Awards is below:

Best Small Studio sponsored by Yogscast Games – Dink

Best Mid-Sized Studio sponsored by Other Things – Tanglewood Games

Best Large Studio sponsored by Eaton Smith Solicitors – D3T

Studio Hero Award sponsored by Plus Accounting – Natasha Vincent (EA Playdemic)

Inclusivity Award – Safe In Our World

Inspiring Course Leader sponsored by Double Eleven – Rob Charlish (Wakefield College)

Innovative Use of Technology Award sponsored by HP, AMD with Escape Technology – Reflex Arc

Community Manager Award – Pedro Silva (Double Eleven)

Martyn Brown Rising Star Award – Sarah York (Panda Cat Games)

Best Game-Related Research – Francesca Foffano (IGGI)

Games Legend Award sponsored by Red Kite Games – Darren Falcus

Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Red Kite Games – Ian Stewart

Best Indie Game Made in The North sponsored by Xsolla – Empyreal (Silent Games)