Bestest Bests all round
This year’s Game Developers Choice andIGF Award ceremonieswere really heartening stuff.
Well, I say ‘see’.
Are you singing for joy right now?
Mads Vadsholt (director):Yeah!
I’m quite humbled actually.
I really didn’t expect it.
I didn’t prepare a speech, I was just kind of like, kindly someone else win!
Vadsholt:Let me think.
I would give it toDome Keeper.
I really like [sound designer] Martin [Mathiesen Kvale]’s work.
Greg Heffernan (aka: Cosmo D):Yes!
RPS:Do you have any other lucky foodstuffs in your life?
Heffernan:Lucky foodstuffs… Yeah, I get onigiri on the weekend.
And that’s always great.
you’re able to never fail on the onigiri roll.
RPS:I see what you did there.
But if you had to give away your award, who would it go to?
Heffernan:Flan [Falacci, creator ofTitantic II: Orchestra For Dying At Sea].
So I think we’re all rooting for each other.
Potionomics- Audience Award
RPS:Congratulations on your award!
Aryo Jati Darmawan (co-founder):I mean, to everyone, all these games are fantastic.
How can you pick just one?
I think everyone deserves it.
To pick one, I thinkRPG Time: The Legend Of Wrightis really, really cool.
Gregory Nicolett (composer):They got it from us in the visual category.
Darmawan:[laughs] Well, we’ll give them this one as well.
Greg Heffernan (aka: Cosmo D):Yeah, I guess so!
RPS:I guess the pizza dice have to stay now, to be this lucky.
Heffernan:They’re staying, yeah.
They’ll be sticking around.
RPS:I’m going to ask you the same question I did a minute ago.
If you could give you award away to another game, who would it be this time?
I’m blanking right now.
Who would it be?The Case Of The Golden Idol.
More because of the…
I mean, I think all the games are phenomenal, right?
But Golden Idol was one person.
They were like the spirit of the award.
It’s not like they have a track record yet.
It’s not like they know what they’re going to do is going to result in anything.
It’s beautiful, and I think that’s something I really admire about it.
Jodie Kupsco (dialogue supervisor):Oh, “BOY!”
Kent:Just, “epic”.
RPS:But it would be Stray?
Kent:It does a lot.
But again, I would want to cut this [award] and give it to everyone.
Kupsco:Played a lot ofElden Ring, too…
Kent:Yeah,Elden Ring’s the bomb.
It was like a full time second job!
[laughs]
Kupsco:It really was.
You’ve found some 20-year old footage of you winning this award.
What object would you press and what would it jump cut to?
Natalie Watson (producer)That’s a good one.
Connor Carson (lead programmer):You stole mine!
Watson:Oh no!
Watson:I mean, every single one.
I would probably give it toPentimentfor Innovation.
Barlow:Yeah, I love Pentiment.
I just had a chat with Josh [Sawyer] the other day.
I mean, I think this is the weirdest category because what is ‘innovation’?
Apart from like, Elden Ring… RPS:What about your IGF Award for narrative?
Barlow:I’d give it to everybody because I genuinely couldn’t choose.
Watson:I’d doTunic.
I just think the environmental story-telling of that game is a story within itself.
Carson:The Case Of The Golden Idol was a really big one for me in terms of narrative.
I think that would be up there for me.
Stray - Blue Twelve Studio (Best Debut)
RPS:Congratulations!
Do you thinkMurtaughand your other office cats would approve of this award?
Swann Martin-Raget (producer):Ah, we’ll see.
RPS:I hope you put lots of cushions on the floor underneath it.
You wouldn’t want to break that.
Martin-Raget:It should be pretty safe, there aren’t any pointy bits.
Martin-Raget:Was Tunic in there?
It really left us… Josh Sawyer (director and narrative director):[laughs] Around the outside?
Probably things that are very silly.
I mean, Hannah should really answer this.
Sawyer:I’d give it to Sam [Barlow] and Immortality [laughs].
But no, I just played it and it was fantastic.
Kennedy:I don’t know…
I hadn’t really considered this in advance.
Sawyer:I’m still so shocked that we got this!
Because I thinkCitizen Sleepershould earn it.
Sawyer:Citizen Sleeper is an incredible game, yeah.
Kennedy:Yeah, absolutely.
John Romero - (Lifetime Achievement Award)
RPS:Congratulations!
Out of all the games you’ve made, which one is your favourite?
John Romero:Doom.
Romero:Yeah, I’d have to say, yeah.
It’s still going, you know?
I’m still making stuff for Doom.
And I basically make it, then I just put it out on the internet for free.
And yeah, it’s just fun.
The Doom community is huge.
Even the old games are still coming out with tons of levels every year.
It’s just really fun and cool.
Romero:To any person?
Jeez, umm… Maybe Ron Gilbert.
I know Tim Schafer got it already.
Ron’s really great.
Romero:I’m definitely going to keep it.
I worked a long time to get this award!
[laughs]
So there we are.
