THE FINALISTS 2009 YOUR TEAM • YOUR GAMES • YOUR AWARDS
HER GAMES PUBLIS RS NE IN W US IO PREV 2006: EA 2007: Nintendo 2008: Nintendo
UK DEVELOPM ENT TEAM PREVIOUS WIN NERS
2003: Rocksta r North 2004: Sony Lo ndon Studios 2005: Rocksta r North 2006: Bizarre Creations 2007: Travelle r’s Tales 2008: Codema sters
PEOPLE & INDUSTRY SALES TEAM • SALES TRIUMPH GAMES PUBLISHER • DEVELOPMENT TEAM • DISTRIBUTION TEAM
UK DEVELOPMENT TEAM The UK continues to be a hotbed of creative talent and this accolade rewards the top UK-based studio, regardless of international ownership... LIONHEAD STUDIOS Lionhead was acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in 2006, having established itself as a highly respected developer under the leadership of industry veteran Peter Molyneux. 2008 saw the release of the studio’s most recent work, Fable II, which was immediately met with glowing critical reception and high sales thanks to the quality and depth of the game world it offered.
BLACK ROCK STUDIOS Formally Climax Racing, Brighton’s Black Rock Studio made its mark on the automotive genre in 2008 with Pure, an adrenaline-charged and genuinely impressive offroad racing game. Part of Disney Interactive Studios, Black Rock has a long history of developing award-winning driving titles, and boasts an impressive in-house toolset.
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CODEMASTERS With nearly a quarter of a century of experience behind it, Codemasters is still creating stand-out content across numerous genres. Last year saw the release of the developer’s incredibly well polished Race Driver: Grid, which succeeded in impressing the critics in an infamously competitive genre. Codemasters is currently at work on Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.
MEDIA MOLECULE As the team behind LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule is the creator of one of 2008’s most charming, irresistible games. Founded by former members of Lionhead Studios, Media Molecule’s beautiful and innovative release captured the hearts of a huge variety of gamers and journalists, and offered the PS3 an incomparable, high quality exclusive.
ROCKSTAR NORTH True to its name, Rockstar North has a reputation that precedes it, thanks to controversial and accomplished series like Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt. GTA IV courted the attention of the national press throughout 2008, but it is the game’s status as one of the most skillfully crafted, ambitious developments of the year that truly deserves the attention.
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