[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
Shenzhen, China – 13 January 2017 – In
the Kylin Villa, a presidential resort place near Shenzhen, the
Chinese arm of the IMGA announced the 14 best mobile games made in
China and the winner of the category Best Foreign Game.
A total of 1300 games were submitted to the 1st IMGA China and
an on line panel of 200 game reviewers selected the 100 best games.
On 9 and 10 January 20 Chinese jury members - representatives of
Chinese publishers, developers and the 3 mobile operators. One
Korean and 4 western jury members completed the jury and together
they played the 100 selected games in the Marco Polo Hotel in
Shenzhen and selected the winners.
“The judging of these 100 excellent games was a unique and
very enriching experience “, says Maarten Noyons, Founder of
the IMGA and Chairman of the Jury. “we took a deep dive into
the Chinese mobile games culture and the passionate and sometimes
heated discussions with the Chinese judges were truly inspiring and
a great learning experience. There are lots of things western
developers can learn from them and there is a lot Chinese
developers can learn from the west.”
The 1st IMGA China coincided with the 1st IMGA CEO Summit, a
closed door conference about the current state of the art in the
mobile games industry in China and international collaboration. Top
management of all three operators, a senior government
representative responsible for the new games regulations, the
leading Chinese publishers were debating with the CEOs or C-level
Executives of western companies such as Zeptolab, Playrix, Creative
Mobile, Resolution Games, Imperia Online, Gamevil, BigPot Games,
DoDreams, Halbrick and others. Charles Chiang, Founder and COO of
MyGamez who organized the event said: “This was the first
time that the main Chinese players discussed openly and frankly
their concerns with new regulations, channel fragmentation, mobile
advertising and cross border publishing. It was refreshing,
energizing and its success showed that there is a real need to meet
up and exchange information and ideas. We will continue to organize
this type of events. And the IMGA is the perfect independent and
unbiased platform for this.”
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator was the lead
sponsor of IMGA China. The IMGA, MyGamez and China Mobile announced
that they have already plans for the 2nd IMGA China which is likely
to take place in Shanghai, in November of this year
And the winners are…
-
Excellence in Innovation, Lost Maze, developed by Lemon Jam
Studio.
"A girl named Misty lived in the maze, but the darkness from
deep inside the maze has swallowed all the happiness of memory. The
girl is forced to take on an adventure that nothing is sure, only
you can lead her the way home!
It's easy to get lost in the maze. Navigate the little girl
through a series of challenging puzzles and bring back her
home."
-
Best Quickplay Game, Roll Turtle, developed by Fu
Junwei.
“Roll Turtle is an easy to play but challenging, action
driven puzzle platformer That embarks you on an exciting rolling
journey. Help Daddy Turtle to save his baby in 5 fantastic worlds!
That's Rolling!”
-
Excellence in Storytelling, The Legend of Sword and Fairy,
developed by
SoftStar
“The Legend of Sword and Fairy> is a turn-based 3D
MMORPG with its classic original story. The game plot is specially
customized by Yao Zhuangxian with celebrity sponsorship, gorgeous
BGM, retro 3D graphics, opening battle sceneries, etc. The game is
the emersion of classic and innovation based on the
story.”
-
Technical Achievement, Battle Copters, developed by
Happyfish Games and published by Chillingo.
"Compete in the most ACTION PACKED multiplayer airborne
battles, with easy controls and AWESOME DOGFIGHTING action! Take
control of a mighty Battle Copter and immediately plunge into 8
player ONLINE BATTLES to the death over 5 dangerous locations. Lock
on your missiles and UNLEASH HELL on your opponents as you swoop
through the arenas in aerial combat."
-
Best Upcoming Game, Lethe, developed by Lethe Studio and
published by Sohu Changyou.
“Lethe is a well-designed music game, combining the
traditional rhythm element with the high quality music and the
aesthetic success. Follow the beats to converge the power, then
discover the missing memories. Identifying the solution of those
smart-planned puzzles, you can enter the new world. The most
impressive point is that the game integrates the music with a
certain scene. Feeling the story when you play the music will be a
special gaming experience.”
-
Excellence in Gameplay, Gumballs & Dungeons, developed
by LeitingGame.
“This is a mysterious adventure. How long can you survive
during the unknown journey? Enter the Gumballs & Dungeons!
Start off a great adventure with worldwide players, lead your
Swordsman, Demon Hunter, Mage and Death Knight to beat the Evil
Dominator of the Erathia continent."
-
Excellence in Art and Design, Onmyoji, developed by
NetEase.
“Onmyoji is an innovative RPG based on a mythological
story. This is the age with the coexistence of the human and the
ghost, so our hero named Master Yin Yang tries his best to balance
their power. The ghosts provoke the incidents to make the
turbulence in the human world. In this case, the Master Yin Yang
will be the critical factor to rebuild the order. Relying on the
knowledge of the astrology, the divination and the fortune telling,
the world gains a new peaceful time.”
-
Excellence in Audio, Lethe, developed by Lethe Studio and
published by Sohu Changyou.
-
Best Indie Game, SUMERU, developed by
Xiangwan Zhang
“This is a 2D physical game. A traveller called
“Yun” picked up a gem on his way home. But just when he
appreciating the fascinating gem, he was inhaled in to inner side
of the gem, which is called “Sumerian World”.
“Yun” has to overcome all the difficulties and ordeals,
then he can go back to his world. A journey, which is full of
adventures and surprises begins…"
-
Best Online Game, Onmyoji, developed by NetEase.
-
Best Foreign Game, Rodeo Stampede, developed by
Featherweight Games Pty Limited and published by YoudoOne.
"Most of us could ride a real-life bull for a few seconds tops.
So bounding from animal to animal across a raging stampede is
impossible fun, bolstered by easy one-touch controls and tricky
challenges. The tycoon side of the game—where you build a zoo
for the cuddly creatures you’ve befriended—brings the
experience full circle with some light, diverting
strategy.”
-
People's Choice Award, Magic Painting, developed and
published by LEADJOY.
" Magic painting is an App combing cartoon and painting to
educate and cultivate Children at their early stage. It is designed
to prevent children from painting on the wall, desk, etc. Save the
paper painting to be environmental friendly.”
-
Jury's Honorable Mention, Space Cycler, developed by
Manacell.
“Space Cycler is a 2D tunnel shooter with 1-2 player
local co-op. It combines retro arcade style gameplay, colourful
2D/3D mixing cartoon style artwork and the mixture of competitive
and cooperative multiplayer fun. You will control your spaceships
to move smoothly along a circular rail and fight enemies in
tunnels.”
-
Grand Prix, Onmyoji, developed by NetEase.
About IMGA
Created in 2004, the IMGA is the longest standing mobile games
award program. With its long history and unique judging process, it
has recognized some of the world’s most popular titles in
their early days, such as Angry Birds, Badland and Monument Valley.
It is the only competition that unites the industry by celebrating
excellence and innovation in games.
In 2016 the IMGA launched local competitions in Southeast Asia,
China and Middle East North Africa, while keeping an international
competition, rebranded IMGA Global. The winners of IMGA Global will
be announced on March 1st 2017 in San Francisco.
About MyGamez
Incorporated in 2013, MyGamez is the Finnish-Chinese mobile game
publisher who brings top quality international mobile titles into
the China market. Having already published Hill Climb Racing, Cut
the Rope: Magic, Nonstop Knight and more, MyGamez has over 185
million accumulated downloads to date in 2.5 years. The company has
the offices in Helsinki, Pori, Shanghai, Tianjin, Taipei and
Vancouver.
For full details visit:
www.imgawards.com. You can also follow us on
Twitter or
Facebook.
PRESS/CONTACT
Fanny Gillet
fanny@imgaawards.com
www.imgawards.com
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