The Indie Awards, a new ceremony created to recognize independent games, has announced its first slate of nominees. Balatro, Animal Well, 1000xResist and more will compete for Game of the Year, while several smaller games are represented in categories such as Solo Development and Bite-Sized Game.
The new show is being run by Six One Indie, a collective built to spotlight intendent games through showcases. This is the group’s first stab at an awards show, which will air on YouTube and IGN. The show debuts at 4 p.m. ET on December 19 (one week after The Game Awards). Its nominees were determined by a jury made up of publications and creators focused on indie game coverage.
The inaugural nominee list has a bit of crossover with Game Awards nominations. Balatro will compete for Game of the Year at both shows, and mainstream critical darlings like Neva and Animal Well are represented by both. The list includes much deeper cuts, though, with Arco, Nine Sols, Mouthwashing, and more padding out an impressive Game of the Year list that also features all five of the Game Awards Best Independent Game nominees.
Other categories honor much smaller projects that didn’t land nominations at The Game Awards. The nominees for Bite-Sized Game includes Buckshot Roulette and Clickolding, while Cryptmaster and Oddada are up for the show’s Innovation award. Here’s the full list of nominees.
Game of the Year
- 1000xResist
- Animal Well
- Arco
- Balatro
- Crypt Custodian
- Lorlei and the Laser Eyes
- Mouthwashing
- Neva
- Nine Sols
- UFO 50
Solo Development
- Aerial_Knight’s We Never Yield
- Animal Well
- Children of the Sun
- Crypt Custodian
- Knuckle Sandwich
- Magical Delicacy
Women-led Game
- Gourdlets
- Keylocker
- Love, Ghostie
- Mexico, 1921. A Deep Slumber
- Nightmare Kart
- The Crimson Diamond
Narrative
- 1000xResist
- Arco
- Caravan SandWitch
- Fear The Spotlight
- Last Time I Saw You
- Mouthwashing
Gameplay Design
- Balatro
- Grunn
- Minishoot’ Adventures
- Nine Sols
- Tiny Glade
- Victory Heat Rally
Emotional Impact
- In Stars and Time
- Kind Words 2 (Lofi City Pop)
- Neva
- Selfloss
- Thirsty Suitors
- Until Then
Innovation
- Cryptmaster
- KarmaZoo
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
- Oddada
- Rusty’s Retirement
- UFO 50
Bite-Sized Game
- Buckshot Roulette
- Clickolding
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
- Minami Lane
- Please Touch the Artwork 2
- Thank Goodness You’re Here
Visual Design
- Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
- Crow Country
- Harold Halibut
- Hauntii
- The Plucky Squire
- Ultros
Music
- Core Keeper
- Flock
- Pacific Drive
- The Cub
- Thrasher
- Wild Bastards
Notable Achievement in Accessibility
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Elsie
- Periphery Synthetic
- Pine Hearts
- Steamworld Heist II
- Surmount: A Mountain Climbing Adventure
Debut Game
- Arranger: A Role Puzzling Adventure
- Lil’ Guardsman
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Loddlenaut
- Mullet Madjack
- Worldless
Community Management
- Aggro Crab
- Black Tabby Games
- LocalThunk
- Massive Monster
- NPC Studio
- Pounce Light
