On June 30th,
BIG (Best International Games) Festival 2023, the largest independent games festival in Latin America, recognized and awarded the best independent games of the year in various categories.
SEASON: A letter to the future, a Canadian game developed by Scavengers Studio, is was the winner of the BIG Awards Best Game category. Among the main winners of the night were
Bloodless, by Point N' Sheep, in the Best Game: Brazil category, and
What Lies in the Multiverse, by Chilean developers IguanaBee & Studio Voyager, in the Best Game: Latin America category.
"This is very exciting, our team is thrilled by this achievement. I would like to congratulate everyone who won tonight, it was wonderful to watch the awards ceremony and cheer for the winners. Thank you for believing in the project, our team is truly honored to have competed in so many categories and, even more so, to have won Best Game!" commented Katie Postma, community Outreach Specialist at Scavengers Studio, during the award ceremony.
In addition to the BIG Awards trophy, the three titles chosen as Best Game, Best Game: Brazil, and Best Game: Latin America by the jury of BIG Festival 2023 received a prize of R$5,000 each. The winners of the other categories of the ceremony were awarded an exclusive trophy that recognizes them as the big winners of the night.
"Our team has witnessed many ways of making games throughout our career, and it's definitely better to be together for a common goal. I would like to thank the event organizers and curators for the opportunity and attention given to our project. It's our second year at the festival, and finally, we come out victorious among so many great finalist games! Long live the Brazilian indie scene!" celebrated Danilo Freire from Point N' Sheep.
Other notable victories at the BIG Awards include Universe for Sale, by Italian studio Tmesis Studio, in the Best Art category; and
RAILGRADE, by Japanese studio Minkata Dynamics, in the Best Gameplay category.
In the Innovation category, the winning game was Touch Type Tale, by German studio Pumpernickel Studio. In this edition of the BIG Awards, the BIG Festival also awarded three games in the categories of BIG Impact: Educational, Social Issues, and Diversity. The winners in these categories were
Turma das Patinhas, by Brazilian studio Crenix Games;
Atuel, by Argentine studio Matajuegos; and
A Year of Springs, by Japanese developer npckc, respectively.
In total, 626 games from 52 countries were submitted for the awards. The submitted games were evaluated by the festival's Selection Committee, and 110 of them were selected to compete in the 18 categories of the awards, including Best Narrative, Sound, Multiplayer, and more.
Here are all of the winners of the BIG Awards, along with statements from some representatives of the award-winning studios:
Winners of the BIG Awards 2023
Best Game
SEASON: A letter to the future
Developer: Scavengers Studios (Canada)
Best Game: Brazil
Bloodless
Developer: Point N’ Sheep
Best Game: Latin America
What Lies in the Multiverse
Developer: IguanaBee & Studio Voyage (Chile)
Best Original Game
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Developer: Summerfall Studios (Australia)
BIG Impact: Educational
Turma das Patinhas
Developer: Crenix Games (Brazil)
BIG Impact: Social Issues
Atuel
Developer: Matajuegos (Argentina)
BIG Impact: Diversity
A Year of Springs
Developer: npckc (Japan)
Best XR / VR
YUKI MRrcade Mode
Developer: ARVORE Immersive Experiences (Brazil)
Best Sound
Sunday Gold
Developer: BKOM Studios (Canada)
Best Art
Universe for Sale
Developer: Tmesis Studio (Italy)
Best Narrative
SEASON: A letter to the future
Developer: Scavengers Studio (Canada)
Best Gameplay
RAILGRADE
Developer: Minkata Dynamics (Japan)
Innovation
Touch Type Tale
Developer: Pumpernickel Studio (Germany)
Best Multiplayer
Dorfs: Hammers for Hire
Developer: Ravegan (Argentina)
Best Children's Game
Turma das Patinhas
Developer: Crenix Games (Brazil)
Best Mobile Game
Sequenza
Developer: An Otter Game Studio (Argentina)
Best Student Game
Animal Planner
Developer: MittagPause Studio (Aalto University) (China)
WINGS Spotlight
A pet shop after dark
Developer: npckc (Japan)
Even after the BIG Awards, all 110 games nominated for the awards remain available to test at the physical space of the BIG Festival 2023. Additionally, visitors can experience the titles selected for the Panorama Brasil.
Panorama Brasil 2023 by Banco do Brasil
In addition to the BIG Awards, the BIG Festival 2023 features the Panorama Brasil by Banco do Brasil—a non-competitive showcase of 40 Brazilian games. In this edition, nine games from the Panorama Brasil 2023 were developed by students. Compared to last year, this list received three more titles.
At the BIG Festival 2023, two games that were featured in the Panorama Brasil last year returned to the event, but this time with nominations for the BIG Awards: Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles, developed by Little Leo Games, competed in the categories of Best Sound, Best Game: Brazil, and Best Game: International, while the game Bloodless, by Point N' Sheep, is among the contenders for Best Game: Brazil.
About the BIG Festival
The BIG Festival (Best International Games Festival) has been taking place since 2012 and is the most important game festival in Latin America. Its mission is to strengthen the game ecosystem in the region by showcasing the best games in the world at the festival, featuring releases from renowned publishers, business meetings, awards, extensive press coverage, lectures, and the presence of key players from the region as well as publishers and investors from around the world.