The best of Australian video game development has been celebrated at the Australian Game Developer Awards ( ) 2024, with a starry list of game developers and industry heroes given their flowers in yet another dazzling annual show. It was a chance to celebrate and elevate the most creative, innovative ideas brewing in Australia’s game development scene, while also showcasing just how hard-working and perseverant local developers are. It’s tough to make games in this economy, but through it all, Australian devs are striving to create memorable, fantastic new gaming experiences.
For the individual awards, it was great to see multiple Rising Star Awards delivered. Chloe Appleby, Program Curator and Strategic Projects Manager at the Powerhouse Museum took out one of these awards, for her contributions to elevating the local video games industry through exhibitions and events. Ben Armstrong of Awesome Black took out the other Rising Star Award, for his support and advocacy for First Nations representation in video games, and his wider industry contributions.
The Adam Lancman Award was delivered to Ross Symons, founder of Big Ant Studios. Symons was noted for helping to lay the foundations of Australia’s video game industry early on, and for being a consistent advocate for its growth, as well as providing pathways for junior developers. The all-encompassing Studio of the Year Award went to Chaos Theory Games this year.
The studio also received the Excellence in Impact Award fo.