Final yr’s indies are making for some powerful competitors

The nominees for the 2023 Unbiased Video games Competition Awards are locked in. And after a stellar yr for impartial video games, the classes look fairly filled with viable candidates.

Each action-adventure sport Tunic and dreamlike RPG Betrayal at Membership Low leads the nominations at three apiece. Another acquainted faces from awards season additionally seem, together with Immortality, Neon White, and NORCO.

After all, the IGFs are additionally nice for locating hidden gems you missed within the yr prior, and the 2023 nominees are not any totally different. When you may pay attention to some notable breakouts, there could also be some lesser-known video games hanging round within the nominees or honorable mentions value trying out.

The IGF Awards are a part of GDC 2023, which is being held in San Francisco this coming March 20 via 24.

Right here’s the total lineup for this yr’s 2023 IGF nominees and honorable mentions.

2023 Unbiased Video games Competition Awards nominees

Greatest Scholar Sport

• Gevaudan (Nicolas Bernard)
• Thoughts Diver (Indoor Sun shades)
• Presenter Slides (Mathias Schifter & Brin Žvan)
• Shutter (ARTFX 2022)
• Skala (Gustav Almström)
• Slider (randomerz)

Honorable Mentions: A Mallard’s Tune (Ducky Elford), Error143 (Jenny Vi Pham), Paper Planet (Doodlegames), The Longest Stroll (Alexander Tarvet), zenosyne (Ezra Szanton)

Excellence in Audio

• Dome Keeper (Bippinbits)
• Paradise Marsh (LazyEti)
• South of the Circle (State of Play)
• The Forest Quartet (Mads & Mates)
• TUNIC (TUNIC Staff)
• We’re OFK (Staff OFK)

Honorable Mentions: Betrayal at Membership Low (Cosmo D Studios), Cult of the Lamb (Large Monster), IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid), Melatonin (Half Asleep), Neon White (Angel Matrix), Tinykin (Splashteam)

Excellence in Design

• Towards the Storm (Eremite Video games)
• Betrayal at Membership Low (Cosmo D Studios)
• Mr. Solar’s Hatbox (Kenny Solar)
• Neon White (Angel Matrix)
• Stacklands (Sokpop Collective)
• The Case of the Golden Idol (Shade Grey Video games)

Honorable Mentions: Citizen Sleeper (Soar Over the Age), Cursed to Golf (Chuhai Labs), Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator (niceplay video games), Swordship (Digital Kingdom), Terra Nil (Free Lives), Tinykin (Splashteam)

Excellence in Narrative

• Butterfly Soup 2 (Brianna Lei)
• Citizen Sleeper (Soar Over the Age)
• I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Video games)
• IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
• NORCO (Geography of Robots)
• South of the Circle (State of Play)

Honorable Mentions: Everlasting Threads (Cosmonaut Studios), Queer Man Peering Right into a Rock Pool.jpg (Fuzzy Ghost), Roadwarden (Ethical Nervousness Studio), The Case of the Golden Idol (Shade Grey Video games), The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow (Cloak and Dagger Video games), The Wreck (The Pixel Hunt)

Excellence in Visible Arts

• Afterglitch (Vladimir Kudelka)
• How Deep Is the Darkish Water? (Rhett Tsai)
• Potionomics (Voracious Video games)
• RPG Time: The Legend of Wright (DeskWorks Inc.)
• To Hell With the Ugly (La Poule Noire, ARTE France)
• TUNIC (TUNIC Staff)

Honorable Mentions: I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway Video games), Melatonin (Half Asleep), NAIAD (HiWarp), Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator (niceplay video games), Return to Monkey Island (Horrible Toybox), Swordship (Digital Kingdom), Terra Nil (Free Lives), Voodoo Detective (Quick Sleeve Studio LLC)

Nuovo Award

• Afterglitch (Vladimir Kudelka)
• An Outcry (Quinn Ok.)
• Betrayal at Membership Low (Cosmo D Studios)
• He Fucked The Lady Out Of Me (Taylor McCue)
• Queer Man Peering Right into a Rock Pool.jpg (Fuzzy Ghost)
• Sylvie Lime (Love♥️Sport)
• Time Bandit (Joel Jordon)
• Titanic II: Orchestra for Dying At Sea (Flan Falacci)

Honorable Mentions: Atuel (Matajuegos), Ib (kouri), Not For Broadcast (NotGames), Of Moons and Mania (Absurd Partitions), RPG Time: The Legend of Wright (DeskWorks Inc.)

Seumas McNally Grand Prize

• Betrayal at Membership Low (Cosmo D Studios)
• TUNIC (TUNIC Staff)
• The Case of the Golden Idol (Shade Grey Video games)
• IMMORTALITY (Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid)
• Neon White (Angel Matrix)
• Not For Broadcast (NotGames)

Honorable Mentions: Tinykin (Splashteam), Terra Nil (Free Lives), RPG Time: The Legend of Wright (DeskWorks Inc.), Roadwarden (Ethical Nervousness Studio), Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive), Citizen Sleeper (Soar Over the Age)