TIGA Announces 2014 Games Industry Awards to Recognise Creativity, Innovation and Professionalism in Games Businesses of All Sizes

LONDON, August 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

- Deadline for Entries is Friday 19^th September 2014

TIGA, the network for developers and digital publishers, has today announced its third annual industry awards are open for entry.

The TIGA Games Industry Awards are designed to celebrate the best in creativity, technological innovation and professionalism in business at all levels and in all sectors of the UK games industry. The TIGA Awards recognise and reward the hard work and achievements of everyone that contributes to the UK videogame industry. This is why six categories feature separate awards for small and larger businesses, and entry is free for TIGA members and non-members alike.

The 2013 awards were a roaring success, with the ceremony itself winning the 2013 Global Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Event. This is in addition to more than 10,500 votes being cast by the developer community and the public for the hotly contested 'Game of The Year' category.

The 2014 TIGA Awards will be held at the stunning OXO 2 on the Southbank in London, on the evening of November 6^th, with panoramic views of London along the Thames.

For the 2014 Awards TIGA is delighted to have a range of key partners made up of the leading lights of the UK videogame industry. These include Gold sponsors King, Jagex and Ubisoft Reflections, Silver sponsors Epic Games, Microsoft, Playground Games, and Sumo Digital. This is in addition to individual award sponsors Amiqus, Centroid 3D, Creative England, Kingston Smith, Lockwood Publishing, Pollen, Stevens & Bolton, Silicon Valley Technology Bank and Universally Speaking.

TIGA's charity partner for the 2014 awards is once again SpecialEffect, a wonderful organisation dedicated to using technology to enhance the quality of life of people with physical disabilities through videogames.

There are 31 categories in total; with the games categories open to the entire industry. The special awards categories will once again include 'Game of the Year', chosen by the UK's development community through a public vote, and a Special Recognition Award.

TIGA's 'Business of Games' categories are for members only, and are specifically designed to recognise the great work done by organisations from the wider ecosystem, from educators and tech developers to publishers, and accountants.

New categories for 2014 include the TIGA Accessibility Award, and Best Game Engine, Middleware, Tools and Technology - which has separate awards for small and larger businesses. Other new awards include Best In-House Studio and Best Independent Studio.

Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:

"TIGA is the trade body for developers and digital publishers and we want to give the whole industry the chance to showcase its achievements and to applaud and encourage the next generation, from exciting start-ups to debut games and students.

"For the first time, micro studios now make up the majority of our industry. So it is essential that we not only ensure the achievements of these and other smaller games businesses receive the recognition they deserve, but that we encourage and reward best practice in business.

"Our industry needs great businesses just as much as it needs great games. This is why we believe our 'Business of Games' categories are so important, and encourage all our members to strive for recognition and reward in these areas.

"The TIGA Awards are a wonderful, and highly accessible opportunity for our industry to recognise and celebrate success, in all sectors and at all levels. I hope all games developers, digital publishers, service and education providers will consider entering."

Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA Chairman, Rebellion CEO and Creative Director, added:

"Since TIGA was founded, more than a decade ago now, it has consistently represented and championed independent developers, UK businesses, and UK business owners.

"Whilst we have evolved to represent and support the broader videogame industry, we are still 90% funded by UK businesses, 80% of our board members are developers and 50% of our board are UK business owners themselves.

"The TIGA Awards are very much an extension of that ethos, and a highly effective way for UK businesses to celebrate and encourage excellence at all levels of our rapidly evolving business, and inspire the talent of the future."

Notes to editors:

Although our awards are focused on the UK games industry, TIGA has some non-UK members and some components from entries may be from overseas; as such ownership is not important, as the entry may be the studio of a US or European based company.

Full 2014 TIGA Awards category list: 

Games Categories (Free to enter and open to all) 

• Best Action/Adventure Game (Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
• Best Arcade Game (Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
• Best Casual Game (Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
• Best Social Game (Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
• Best Game With A Purpose (Features separate awards for small and larger studios)
• Best Student Game
• Best Debut Game
• Most Original Game
• Best Marketing Campaign
• Accessibility Award (For the best effort towards inclusive game design in the last 12 months, allowing more people with disabilities to take part in mainstream gaming. This can be for anything from colour blindness to cerebral palsy, deafness to dyslexia. For more information see: http://www.gameaccessibilityguidelines.com.)

Business of Games Categories: (Free to enter and open to TIGA members only)

• Outstanding Leadership Award
• Best Publisher
• Best Independent Studio
• Best In-House Studio
• Best Art Supplier
• Best Audio Supplier
• Best Animation Supplier
• Best Recruitment Agency
• Best Accountancy Firm
• Best Legal Services Firm
• Best QA Provider
• Best Educational Institution
• Best Education Initiative
• Best Start-up
• Best Game Engines, Middleware, Tools and Technology (features separate awards for small and larger businesses)
• Best New IP
• Best Visual Design
• Best Game Design
• Best Audio Design

Special Awards: (Cannot be entered into) 

• Special Recognition Award
• TIGA & Edge Game of the Year Award (chosen by the UK development community in a public vote)

To enter or find more information, go to: http://awards14.tiga.org/ and stay up to date by following TIGA on twitter at @TIGAMovement, whilst keeping an eye out for the #TIGAAwards hashtag.

If you have any further questions at all please email the TIGA awards team at: awards@tiga.org or contact Drew Field, +44-(0)7720643344