Deathloop, Returnal score big at the 2022 IGDA Game Awards

It Takes Two and Ratchet & Clank also at the winners’ table

This weekend saw the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) host its annual awards ceremony, The IGDA Global Industry Game Awards. The event recognizes some of the best titles in recent memory, with a keen focus on the mechanics, technical prowess, and use of new and upcoming technology to create titles that are as respected by developers as they are by button-mashing players.

While many titles were featured in the 2022 edition of the IGDA Game Awards, several titles, in particular, walked away with armfuls of gongs. The biggest winner was Arkane’s time-warping shooter Deathloop, which bagged itself a very impressive 13 awards across numerous categories. This was closely followed by Electronic Arts’ co-op adventure and frequent GOTY winner It Takes Two, which would go home carrying 10 trophies.

Among the other big winners were Housemarque’s excellent PS5 blaster Returnal, and Insomniac Games’ cartoonish adventure Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, both of which masterfully used the fledgling PS5 infrastructure to create ambitious titles with dazzling visuals, epic locations, and exciting, cinematic gameplay. On the indie front, newcomer Double Loop Games won the awards for Upcoming Indie Studio and Workplace Diversity and Inclusivity.

You can check out the full list of winners from the 2022 IGDA Global Industry Game Awards below.

Art

• 2D Animation – Unpacking by Witch Beam
• 2D Character Design – Boyfriend Dungeon by Kitfox
• 2D Environment Art – Unpacking by Witch Beam
• 3D Animation – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• 3D Character Design – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• 3D Environment Art – Deathloop by Arkane
• Cinematography – Life is Strange: True Colors by Deck Nine
• UI Art – Deathloop by Arkane
• VFX – Returnal by Housemarque

Audio

• Music Composition – Deathloop by Arkane
• Sound Design – Returnal by Housemarque
• Voice Acting – Deathloop by Arkane

Design

• Accessibility Innovation – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart by Insomniac Games
• Gameplay Design – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Level Design – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Systems Design – Deathloop by Arkane
• UI/UX – Deathloop by Arkane

Engineering/Technology

• Achievements in New Technology – Returnal by Housemarque
• AI – Returnal by Housemarque
• Audio Technology – Deathloop by Arkane
• Engine Technology – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart by Insomniac Games
• Gameplay Technology – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart by Insomniac Games
• Graphics Technology – Forza Horizon 5 by Playground Games
• Networking Technology – Valheim by Iron Gate AB & It Takes Two by Hazelight
• Systems Technology – Deathloop by Arkane

Support

• Community Management – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Customer Support – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Marketing – Deathloop by Arkane
• Production/Management – Deathloop by Arkane
• Quality Assurance – Deathloop by Arkane
• Research & Analytics – Deathloop by Arkane

Writing/Narrative

• Dialogue – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Narrative Design – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• Story – It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
• World Building – Returnal by Housemarque

Miscellaneous

• Representation – Deathloop by Arkane
• Upcoming Indie – Double Loop Games
• Workplace Diversity and Inclusivity – Double Loop Games
• Trust/Safety – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker by Square Enix