Celebrating the Best in Gaming: Jenny Jiao Hsia’s “Devour Me” Tops 2025 IGF Awards Finalists
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Nominees for the 2025 IGF Awards highlight Balatro, Indika, and UFO 50 across categories that celebrate Excellence in Design and Storytelling.
Image courtesy of Jenny Jiao Hsia.
Overview
- The GDC’s Fair Game Competition will celebrate a remarkable selection of independent games from 2024.
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has announced the contenders for the 2025 Fair Games Competition (IGF) Awards.
Devour Me, created by developer Jenny Jiao Hsia, stands out with five nominations across the design, art, and story categories, in addition to a nod for the Seumas McNally grand prize. Similar to last year’s Grand Prize recipient, Venba, Hsia’s game is a narrative-driven experience centered around family and culinary arts.
Following Devour Me in nomination counts is the slice-of-life journey Despelote. Developed by Julián Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena, this title is also nominated for the McNally award, as well as the Nuovo Award and categories recognizing excellence in audio and storytelling.
Other McNally contenders include 2024’s indie favorites Indika, Caves of Qud, UFO 50, and Thank Goodness You Are Here! Categories with nominees (and honorable mentions) are detailed below, and the complete list can be viewed here.
The 2025 IGF Awards will take place on Wednesday, March 19, and will be part of GDC 2025, which is scheduled from March 16 to March 21.
Seumas McNally Award
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Caves of Qud (Freehold Games / Kitfox Games)
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Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
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Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena/Anxiousness)
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INDIKA (Unheard of Meter/11 bit studios)
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Thank Goodness You Are Here! (Coal Supper/Anxiousness)
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UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
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Honorable Mentions: Animal Successfully (Billy Basso/Bigmode), Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack), Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury), Mouthwashing (Rotten Organ/CRITICAL REFLEX), 9 Sols (RedCandle Games), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Inclinations)
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Excellence in Storytelling
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Caves of Qud (Freehold Games/Kitfox Games)
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Closer to the Distance (Osmotic Studios/Skybound Games)
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Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
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Despelote (Julián Cordero, Sebastian Valbuena/Anxiousness)
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INDIKA (Unheard of Meter / 11 bit studios)
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No Case Must Remain Unsolved (Somi)
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Honorable Mentions: Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury), Miniatures (Diverse Tales Interactive), Mouthwashing (Rotten Organ/CRITICAL REFLEX), Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Inclinations), Thank Goodness You Are Here! (Coal Supper/Anxiousness), The Thaumaturge (Fool’s Belief/11 bit studios)
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Outstanding Craftsmanship
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Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack)
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Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
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Caves of Qud (Freehold Games/Kitfox Games)
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Devour Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, Jie En Lee, Violet W-P, Ken “coda” Snyder)
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Pacific Force (Ironwood Studios/Kepler Interactive)
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Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Inclinations)
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Noteworthy Mentions: Animal Successfully (Billy Basso/Bigmode), No Case Must Remain Unsolved (Somi), UFO 50 (Mossmouth), LOK Digital (Letibus Make, Icedrop Games/Draknek and Company), Eigengrau (Martin Mauersics), The Upward thrust of the Golden Idol (Color Gray Games/Playstack)
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Top Student Game
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A Dual Ascent (Mountain Toad Leisure/Rubika Supinfogame)
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DisplaceMen (Eversea Membership/leafaleaves)
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Boost Spurt: A Meandering Intermission into the Afterhours of a Miscalculation (Games for my Laptop)
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Slot Rupture (Vinny Roca/pickpanpuck productions)
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The WereCleaner (Howlin’ Hugs/USC Games)
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Year Unknown (Julian Heuser)
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Noteworthy Mentions: Cards of Heart (GoodMind Games), Duck Paradox (Magic Games/Midwest Games), Misplaced Garden (Ori Shany, Yoni Pushett, Ramon Zerem), Ultimate World (Michael Overton Brown), Timeworks (Starworks Studios)
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About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
Originating from Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed articles for a variety of platforms such as IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to his work for Game Developer, his writing is also featured at io9 on Gizmodo. Avoid asking him about his gum consumption, as he may reveal more than he is prepared to admit.
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