Yesterday, the award ceremony for the winners of the WN Dev Contest took place — a large-scale competition for European developers, which was organized by the WN Conference with the active support of Unreal Engine and the Reboot Develop conference. We tell you about all the winners. Drake’s Survival Odds: Survive and the adventure game Tchia received the most awards.
In total, over 500 projects under development took part in the WN Dev Contest, which has been held since December last year. Among the winners are games of various genres, from RPG and adventure to first—person shooters and simulators.
The jury of the competition included representatives of gaming companies, including Xsolla, 1C Publishing, G-Core Labs, The Games Fund, Vostok Games and others. Each of them chose one or more winners.
The best games according to Xsolla
A sum of money in the amount of $300 thousand will be distributed among the winners.
1st place — Drake’s Odds: Survive
A multiplayer survival series about an alien who is forced to survive on an alien Land. Players will have to build bases, explore the world and fight enemies with various weapons. Drake’s Odds: Survive, developed by KaleJump Games studio, will be released on PC.
2nd place — Eville
An online social game in which the user has to investigate murders in a certain village. Players kill civilians, uncover conspiracies, or find the villains behind the crimes. Eville, developed by VestGames studio, is at the alpha stage and will be released on PC, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
3rd place — A Juggler’s Tale
An adventure game with puzzle elements in which the player controls a puppet named Abby. On the way to freedom, she avoids traps and explores a beautiful but dangerous world. A Juggler’s Tale is developed by kaleidoscube and will be released on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
4th place — Project Haven
An RPG with elements of turn—based tactics in which the player explores and tries to survive in Haven City – the last city on Earth. Project Haven supports a cooperative of up to four people, and the game itself from the studio Code Three Fifty One will be released on PC.
5th place — Everspace 2
A space shooter with an open world in which there are elements of RPG, crafting and resource collection. On January 18, Everspace 2 was released in early access, receiving very positive reviews on Steam. The game is being developed by ROCKFISH Games studio.
The best game according to PLAYER ONE (MY.GAMES) — The Epic
An unusual action-RPG story inspired by Russian fairy tales. Developers from Far-Far Games promise a dynamic world that changes, including from the actions of the player, and an unusual combat system. Now The Epic is at the stage of the early “alpha”. As a prize from PLAYER ONE, the studio will receive a review of the beta version and coverage of the project on release.
The best games according to Babil Games
1st place — Drake’s Odds: Survive
Babil Games will create two promo videos and three advertising banners for developers.
2nd place — KingsHunt
A multiplayer action game combining elements of Hack-and-Slash and Tower Defense. Players compete with each other in teams of five — some take on the role of defenders, while others act on behalf of the army of the dead. KingsHunt is being developed by Vaki Game s, and its release will take place this year on PC and Xbox.
As a prize, the studio will receive one promo video and two advertising banners.
The best games according to G-Core Labs
The winners will receive $1,000 each, various bonuses and three packages of QA services.
1st place — Warcry: Challenges
A first-person shooter, the concept of which the studio Dream Powered Games describes as follows: “What if Dumgai slept drunk with Super Meat Boy?” Hardcore action will be released on PC on November 24.
2nd place — Ascended Realms
A mix of action-RPG and real-time strategy. The gameplay consists of hiring heroes, collecting cards, exploring the world and fighting monsters. The release of the project from CloverCreek will take place this year.
The best games according to Remote Control — Project Haven and A Juggler’s Tale
The developers of Project Haven will receive advice and advice from the company on the development and financing of the game, and the authors of A Juggler’s Tale will receive a guaranteed budget for outsourcing or work on supporting one of the Remote Control projects.
The best game according to All In Games — Caravel: Set Forth
Ship control simulator, which takes place during the Great Geographical Discoveries. The player controls the crew and is engaged in resource management during a sea voyage. Caravel: Set Forth, developed by Tricephalus, will be released on PC. As a prize from All In Games, the studio will receive feedback on the development and work with publishers, as well as a review of its pitch.
The best game according to Modus — PERISH
A first-person shooter in which the number of enemies depends on the number of players (a cooperative of up to four people is supported). The gameplay is based on battles with hordes of enemies and bosses. As a prize, developers from ITEM42 will be able to count on a potential publishing deal.
The best game according to Movie Games — Extreme Driver
Car simulator from the Czech studio Zidorg. Despite the fact that the authors of the game did not pass the finals, Movie Games still gave them their prize in the form of a package of services.
Best DDM Game — BattleJuice Alchemist
A single-player RPG with a procedurally generated world that combines a classic action game for the genre with the mechanics of bullet time. The project is being developed by the indie developer Alchemical Works and will be released in March 2022. As a prize — a set of services from DDM.
The best game according to Plug In Digital — Tchia
An open-world adventure in which the player explores the archipelago, plays the ukulele and can take control of any object or animal. The game from Awaceb will receive consultations on business development and publishing projects.
The best game according to Skystone Games — PERISH
The authors of the shooter will receive a package of publishing services and advice from one of the creators of Diablo.
The best game according to Testronic — Everspace 2
The developers of the space shooter will receive a set of QA services worth €5000.
The best game according to Untold tales — A Game about a Flame
An adventure game with puzzles in which the player controls a little girl. The mechanics are based on fire, which is the only savior from the darkness surrounding the heroine. A Game about a Flame from VISIONKEEPER will be released on PC, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, and as a prize, developers will receive $ 5,000 and access to advertising services.
The best game according to Amber — Empires of the Undergrowth
Ant colony simulator with real-time strategy elements. Players will have to build tunnels and food storage chambers to increase the population of the colony. The project from Slug Disco Studios will be released on PC and is now in early access. As a prize, developers receive $2,500 and various QA services worth over $6,500.
The best game according to 11 bit studios — Tchia
The authors of the project will receive mentoring, feedback on their game and a potential publishing deal.
The best game according to META Publishing — A Game about a Flame
The authors of the game receive a cash bonus of $5555.
The best game according to Sensorium — Hubris
Fantastic action-adventure for VR. You will have to explore the world of an unknown planet and survive in a changing environment. Cyborn Studio will receive a cash prize of $ 10 thousand.
The best game according to 1C Entertainment — Underdesert
Cooperative shooter for PC and Xbox with elements of roguelite. Players explore procedurally generated levels, pumping characters and fighting bosses. The project from the Lumino Games studio will receive €15 thousand and a guaranteed publishing deal.
The best game according to Grand Beats — Drake’s Odds: Survive
The authors of the game receive a voucher for $ 6000 to work on the game sound and advice on this issue.
The best game according to Hypetrain Digital — Tchia
The project developers will receive a publishing grant for $ 20 thousand.
The best game according to Sheridans — KingsHunt
The authors of the project will receive full legal support. Sheridans will also provide two hours of free consultations to all finalists.
The best game according to 1518 Studios — Tower Princess
The game combines elements of action, platformer and roguelike and parodies the classic story about the rescue of a princess from a dragon dungeon. The project is being developed by AweKteaM studio, which will receive $3,000 in cash as a prize and another $4,000 to create art.
The best game according to Vostok Games — Underdesert
The authors of the project will receive $5,000 and product expertise from Vostok Games.
The best games according to The Games Fund — Underdesert and Warcry: Challenges
The authors of the projects will receive feedback on the game and pitch, as well as a potential publishing deal.
Consumer Choice Award (users’ Choice) — Drake’s Odds: Survive
The authors of the game receive a premium ticket to the WN Conference in any country of their choice, as well as access to the Reeboot Develop Blue and Reboot Develop Red conferences in Dubrovnik and Canada.
The best Unreal Engine games
Here, 10 winners were selected at once, each of whom will receive a custom license to use the Unreal Engine and two years of premium technical support:
- Batora: Lost Haven
- Marauder
- Eville
- Mortem: Fallen Kingdom
- Die by the Blade
- The Wanderer
- SCATHE
- Tale of Bygone Dreams
- Unbound: Worlds Apart
- Castle Craft