Game Republic announces nominees for 2025 Industry Awards

Game Republic has revealed the nominees for its 2025 Industry Awards, with over 100 nominations across 12 categories celebrating development, studios, and individuals in games.

A new accolade has been introduced this year – the Martyn Brown Rising Star Award – honouring the memory of the Team17 and Game Republic co-founder who passed away last December.

The awards will be judged by Game Republic, its sponsors, and its lead judge. This year, that title goes to The Guardian’s Keith Stuart.

The Best Indie Game in The North is judged by a public vote.

Winners will be revealed on November 13 at Tileyard North, Wakefield as part of GaMaYo. Over 400 developers are set to attend the overall event.

“Every year we see more nominations coming through for studios, individuals and games which is testimony to the great work going on across The North,” Game Republic managing director Jamie Sefton.

“This is a great opportunity to shine a light on that work and celebrate success and inspiring individuals as well as the games being produced here.”

Here are the full list of nominees for the Game Republic Awards 2025:

Best Indie Game Made in the North (Sponsored by Xsolla)

• Rules and Rodents (Gravy Crew)
• Empyreal (Silent Games)
• Retro Slam Tennis (New Star Games)
• Rugby League 24 (Distinctive Games)
• Dunk Dunk (Badgerhammer/Playtonic Games)
• Dicealot (Goodview Games/Yogscast Games)
• Ascend (Miami Avalon)
• Platypus Reclayed (Claymatic Games)
• Wyrd Waters (Maximalist)
• Vextorial (Vext Games/Dink)
• Starship Troopers Continuum (XR Games)
• Train Sim World VR: New York (Just Add Water)
• Siege and The Sandfox (Cardboard Sword)
• Racoon Saloon (Theo Clarke)
• Positron (Retroburn)

Best Small Studio Award (Sponsored by Yogscast Games)

• Dink
• Observer Interactive
• Panda Cat Games
• 10:10 Games
• ShotDash
• BetaJester Ltd
• Cooperative Innovations
• Maximalist Ltd
• Dreaming Methods
• North Breeze Entertainment
• Claymatic Games
• Badgerhammer
• Five Aces/New Star Games
• Distinctive Games

Best Mid-Sized Studio Award (Sponsored by Other Things)

• Radical Forge
• Red Kite Games
• Atomhawk
• Nosebleed Interactive
• Skyhook Games
• Behaviour Interactive
• Tanglewood Games
• Steel City Interactive

Best Large Studio Award (Sponsored by Eaton Smith Solicitors)

• Team17
• Sumo Digital
• Wushu Studios
• Double11
• D3t
• Cloud Imperium
• Firesprite
• Lucid Games

Inclusivity Award

• BetaJester Ltd
• Radical Forge
• Safe in our world
• One to One Development Trust

Most Innovative Use of Technology Sponsored by HP and AMD with Escape Technology)

• Cooperative Innovations
• Northwave
• Reflex Arc
• One to One Development Trust
• Tanglewood Games
• Huey Games

Studio Hero Award (Sponsored by Plus Accounting)

• Niall Curran (Dink)
• Adam Roley (Team17)
• Harry Knott (Observer Interactive)
• Adam Grimley (Huey Games)
• Natasha Vincent (EA Playdemic)
• Derek Cowap (Radical Forge)
• Tara Naz Cloth (Cat Games)
• Adam Clewes-Boyne (BetaJester Ltd)
• Grant Clark (Double Eleven)
• Johnny Hughes (Double Eleven)
• Lewis Bibby (Cooperative Innovations)
• Jamie Smith (Behaviour Interactive)
• Ryan Smith (Radical Forge)
• Jake Richards (Dink)
• Ash Habib (Steel City Interactive)

Community Manager Award

• Molly Holmes (Panda Cat Games)
• Pedro Silva (Double Eleven)
• Harry Flanagan (The Save Room Club)
• Em Aspinall (Safe In Our World)
• Tom Birdsey (Team17)
• Luke Stead (Curve Games)
• Kevin Johnson (Electronic Arts)

Martyn Brown Rising Star Award

• Harry Flanagan (Revolution)
• Jess Whall (Chokepoint Creative)
• Marco (Otterweave Games Studio)
• Yasmina Fadel (Maximalist)
• Jordan Thorpe (Snappy Gurus)
• Sarah York (Panda Cat Games)
• Natasha Handley
• Rich Thompson (Black Rose Studio)
• Ryan Smith (Radical Forge)
• Francesca White (Behaviour Interactive)
• Northwave
• Maximalist
• Paige Grant (Pitstop Productions)

Inspiring Course Leader Award sponsored by Double Eleven

• James Cotterill (University Campus Doncaster)
• Dr. Duke Gledhill (University of Huddersfield)
• Michael Smith (Heart of Yorkshire)
• Kieran Hicks (University of Staffordshire)
• Rob Charlish (Wakefield College/Heart of Yorkshire)
• Marco A. Valerio (Leeds Beckett University)
• Stuart Lilford (University of Hull)
• Mike Acosta (University of Staffordshire)
• Emma Nuttall (University of Salford)
• Matthew Crossley (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Best Game-Related Research

• Dr Martin Turner, Dr John Henry, Dr Ashley Williams (Manchester Metropolitan University)
• TriageStory Team (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Stuart Lilford, Adrian Mills & David Grant
• Francesca Foffano (IGGI)
• Tania Dales (University of York)
• Tom Garner (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Tom Battey (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Kieran Hicks and Chris Headleand (University of Staffordshire)

Games Legend (Sponsored by Red Kite Games)

• Matt Shepcar (Red Kite Games)
• Shaun Southern (Playdemic)
• Sally Blake (Silent Games)
• Matty McGrory (Observer Interactive)
• Simon Barratt (Cooperative Innovations)
• Matt Phillips (Double Eleven)
• Darren Falcus
• Ian Stewart (Gremlin Graphics)
• Nina Cliff (Auroch Digital)