The committee behind the 2009 Develop Industry Excellence Awards, the only awards specifically targeted to developers in the European Community, recently unveiled their list of nominees, with Rockstar Games and Media Molecule leading the pack with the most awards up for grabs. The Leeds and North studios of Rockstar share six nods, for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned, respectively, with Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet just behind them with five nods. The most interesting categories of this year are split between the hotly contested “Best New Studio” category, and the “Technical Innovation” category, with some of the year’s heaviest hitters, including: LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2, Football Manager Live, Fable II, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and Playstation Home are all set to square off.
“This year’s finalists showcase the wide array of talent working in and serving the UK and European games development sector, and also the broad, forward-thinking remit of the Develop team,” says Michael French, Editor-in-Chief, Develop. “The shortlist covers everything from traditional console games to iPhone, Facebook, Flash and social experiences, proving just what a rewarding and vibrant sector games development in Europe is. We wish all of the nominees the best of luck and look forward to seeing them on what’s set to be a great night.”
The awards ceremony will be held this Wednesday, July 15th at the Hilton Metropole Brighton.