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Best Game Development & Publishing Company 2017 - UK – The Game Wall Studios
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Best Mobile Game Developer 2017 – Fabraz
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INTL 2017 Awards
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Best Independent Producer - Canada Byron A. Martin is an award-winning producer that develops independent film, television and documentary projects. We spoke to him to find out more about the incredible work he creates.
Best Game Development Studio 2017 - New York
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Softech
Welcome to the Gaming & Entertainment Awards 2017 From character production to animation technology, environment simulation to theme parks, even radio production to stage lighting and everything in between, the gaming and entertainment industry covers a diverse range of sectors. Working behind the scenes, are the firms and individuals who are ensuring that these dynamic industries continue to grow on the daily,
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Which is why, the 2017 Gaming & Entertainment Awards cast a light on the inimitable ways and game changing ideas displayed by the dedicated individuals and firms of this industry. Over the past 12-months, the accomplishments made by these innovative thinkers has been phenomenal and truly deserving of recognition.
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Contents
, K 4. KamaGames Best Game Development Studio 2017 - New York 6. Fabraz Best Mobile Game Developer 2017 8. The Game Wall Studios Best Game Development & Publishing Company 2017 - UK 10. Byron A. Martin Productions, Inc. Best Independent Producer - Canada
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Best Mobile Game Developer 2017
Company: KamaGames Contact: Sam Forrest, Director of Global Communications & Content Contact Email: s.forrest@kamagames.com Address: Mappin House, 4 Winsley Street, London, W1W 8HF, UK Phone: 07960 706171 Website: www.kamagames.com
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Best Mobile Game Developer 2017 KamaGames are global developers and publishers of social casino games for mobile, social and smart TVs. We invited Sam Forrest, Director of Global Communications and Content, to tell us more about the firm and the innovative games it creates. The KamaGames Group are global developers and publishers of social casino games. Established in 2010 and employing over 220 staff, the KamaGames Group has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland as well as offices in London and Dubai. The group is also present either directly or through its network of partners in all global markets including USA, Europe, ASIAPAC, Middle East and CIS countries. The firm operates both its own branded portfolio of social casino games,
as well as partnering with brands and publishers to develop white label social casino games. Bringing together creativity, proprietary technology and a passion for games, KamaGames has built a portfolio of premium social casino games designed to deliver real-life entertainment to the masses. KamaGames’ Random Number Generator (RNG) is certified by iTech Labs and meets the highest standards to guarantee fair play. KamaGames’ portfolio is localised into 29 languages and reaches over 81 million gamers worldwide with over one million daily active users. Its flagship game, Pokerist(R) Texas Poker, was named one of the Best Apps of 2012 by Apple, was the #1 Top Grossing App on the Apple App Store in 89 countries as well as being in the Top 5 Google Play Grossing Apps in 24 countries. Sam outlines the firm’s mission and how it aims to achieve this. “Here at KamaGames, we believe that card and table games, and POKERIST particularly, can be enjoyed by the masses. We believe that by putting players’ interaction at the heart of the game, we deliver a superior ‘real-life’ moment. This mission is what guides us when building experiences for first time poker players as well as for the advanced poker players. POKERIST is about playing with real people, experiencing real excitement and providing a fair stage for competitive interaction with others.
“At its core, POKERIST aims to give people the ‘sense of winning’, which goes above and beyond any monetary value. It is about your earned bragging rights, status, fun, enjoyment, escapism, and competitiveness. You get all of these with our games, without putting your money on the line. Fundamentally, we are committed to bringing social casino table and card games to the masses whilst providing our players with the most realistic and safest gaming experience possible.” Ultimately the future looks bright for KamaGames as it seeks to grow even further and launch new games to meet the ever evolving needs of its players, as Sam concludes. “The future is looking great for us as we start to focus on Asia and other emerging markets, as well as experimenting and developing for new and emerging technology platforms. We have a number of high profile partnerships that we will be announcing over the summer as well a number of new product releases too. Recently we successfully launched our first expansion to our flagship title Pokerist Texas Poker by adding an entirely new playing mode and style with the launch of Omaha by Pokerist. All indications and player feedback we have seen, has shown the expansion has been incredibly well received which is a testament to our talented development team and dedicated base of players.”
Best Game Development Studio 2017 - New York
Company: Fabraz Contact: Fabian Rastorfer Contact E-mail: contact@fabraz.com Company Address: 25 Broadway, 9th Floor - New York, NY 10004 - USA - 917 832 4901 Website: www.fabraz.com
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Best Game Development Studio 2017 - New York Fabraz is an independent game developer based in New York. We invited Founder Fabian Rastorfer to talk us through the firm and share the secrets behind its success. Established in 2012, Fabraz is an independent game development studio that prides its diversity both in design, and its developers. Drawing from minds and talent found in New York, Boston, Berlin, Zurich and Bangkok, this innovative firm is a breeding ground of creativity. Operating in such an independent industry where obtaining funding can be a tough challenge, Fabraz takes great pride in the fact that it has been successfully self-funded for two years, with each game funding the next project. Fabian is eager to discuss the firm’s three games and how each has gained international acclaim. “Here at Fabraz, we currently offer three core games, each of which is equally creative and exciting. Our first game, the critically acclaimed Cannon Crasha, was an action-strategy title released for iOS and Android, and was featured as “...a sure-fire winner!” by Apple. Our second game, Planet Diver, was published on Steam and has been nominated for the Indie Prize, Momocon Indie Awards and was bundled in with the IndieBox. “Finally, we have just launched our newest game, Slime-san, which is already a great success. It has been part of the official Indie Arena selection, has been nominated for numerous awards and has been played by one
hundred thousand players. It was also picked up by Headup Games to publish the game to all three major consoles. It launched as part of the Humble Monthly bundle as well, handpicked as a Debut Title. This has been our biggest, most successful launch yet and we’re filled with glee by the impact it had on the industry thus far.” Over the years Fabraz has managed to build up a solid fan base online despite various challenges facing the gaming market, but despite this incredible success Fabian is keen to emphasise that his firm will not be resting on its laurels; instead, he is keen to build on the success of Slime-san and grow even further over the coming months and years. “With the success of our recent game, Slime-san, at Fabraz we are now looking forward to releasing the game to the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch this Summer. Overall these are exciting times for our firm and we are all looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities our success will afford us.”
Best Game Development & Publishing Company 2017 - UK
Company: The Game Wall Studios Contact: Eduardo Monteiro Contact Email: contact@thegamewallstudios.com Address: 50 Magdalene Close, Longstanton, Cambridge, CB24 3EQ, UK Phone: 07446 245834
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Best Game Development & Publishing Company 2017 - UK The Game Wall Studios is an innovative development and publishing company based in Cambridge that create truly unique games. We profile the firm to find out more about the fantastic products they develop. The Game Wall Studios are a group of game professionals that have years of experience in developing and publishing great games. Being closer to the game audience, the firm’s aim is to help amazing game developers to create engaging and exciting content. To achieve this, the firm incorporate a real and unique approach to marketing techniques, creating brands with unique marketing campaigns. Working with the Game Wall can ensure that people will remember any game brand. Working across a range of platforms including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Steam, the studio is able to provide clients with a diverse range of services which suit their individual needs and exceed their expectations. Overall, the final decision on any game is down to the client, ensuring a true partnership where the customer always comes first. It is this client focused approach that has led the Game Wall to the success it enjoys today.
Best Independent Producer - Canada
Producer Byron A. Martin on set with Laura Nordin, Producer of POND LIFE. Photo by Miz Monday (2017) Company: Byron A. Martin Productions, Inc. Contact: Byron A. Martin Contact Email: byron@byronmartin.com Website: www.byronmartin.com Address: 276 Chaplin Crescent, Toronto, Ontario, M5P 1B8 Canada Phone: +1 (416) 487-7808 / +1 (416) 565-6992
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Best Independent Producer - Canada Byron A. Martin is an award-winning producer that develops independent film, television and documentary projects. We spoke to him to find out more about the incredible work he creates. Drawing on his extensive experience in production, to date Byron has produced almost 100 hours of television, filming projects in fifteen countries. He has produced projects for Disney, Sony, Universal, Turner and Bell Media and managed productions for some of Hollywood’s leading producers, including Jerry Bruckheimer, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Mark Canton, and Dick Wolf. He discusses his background and how he draws on this when he works on a project. “Personally, my background is firmly rooted in the film industry, and this has helped me throughout my career. I graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the Radio and Television Arts program with Honours and won a number of television and radio awards. After that I attended Ryerson University, graduating from Film Studies with a B.A.A. I was twice awarded Norman Jewison Filmmaker/Scholarship Awards and my graduate film EVIL UNDERGROUND won the CBC Telefest Award, was sent to the Academy Awards, won the Great Canadian Short Contest and was screened at Festivals around the world. “In my current role as producer, I am involved in all aspects of film and television production, including pre-production, production and post-production. If my company produces the project, then I am also directly
involved in marketing and distribution.” Operating in such a dynamic and ever evolving industry, Byron has to work hard to remain at the forefront of the latest industry developments, as he explains. “To stay on top of this dynamic industry you have to be really committed and constantly engaged. I attend Markets and Festivals around the world as well as attend tech shows to gather information about new equipment used in both production and post. I also see hundreds of movies every year! It is an ever-changing landscape and technology has become an essential tool in film production. A few years ago I produced a television series using 46 cameras filming in 8 different codecs. Every project has its challenges and only by knowing the significant differences between 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2K, 4K, 6K and now 8K, can you appreciate the tremendous options available to filmmakers today and what can really present cost savings across the spectrum.” Looking to the future, Byron is energised by his latest projects which he has already begun work on, as he concludes. “I have some very exciting documentaries and feature films I am developing right now. Financing is always the key, it takes time, energy and a real commitment to see it through.”
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