BGA2024 Winners

Baldur’s Gate 3 by Larian Studios

It seems our Belgian Game Awards jury and the voters at home agreed on their favourite title, as Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 has won both the Game Of The Year as well as the Audience Award!! This should come as no surprise as the epic D&D-inspired RPG has won all major award shows globally, so it seems only fitting it does the same on its home turf.

GOLD: GAZZLERS | SILVER: Breachers | BRONZE: BAM

What the jury had to say: “GAZZLERS is a game with universal appeal that makes losing feel like fun. The game is very intuitive and makes good use of the VR medium. It makes you want to come back for more. The Art direction is remarkable, the game is well polished and the voice acting is sublime.”

GOLD:  Please, Touch The Artwork 2 | SILVER:  Kadet | BRONZE: The Man Came Around

What the jury had to say: “Please, Touch The Artwork 2 is easily accessible and can be used anywhere: from the kitchen to the museum or in schools. It brings the big C of Culture to anyone using the medium of a game”

GOLD:  Baldur’s Gate 3 | SILVER:  The Man Came Around | BRONZE:  Gangs of Sherwood

What the jury had to say: “Baldur’s Gate 3 is in a league of its own. The game stayed true to the studio’s DNA while thriving on a huge and impressive IP. The communities that arose around the game’s characters, such as Astarion, have never been seen before. There is an enormous amount of effort and content put in the narrative lines. The storylines and characters became real for many players; which makes this game unique.”

GOLD:  Baldur’s Gate 3 | SILVER:  Verses of Enchantment | BRONZE: Swarm Survivor

What the jury had to say: “A lot of the emotions and immersion in Baldur’s Gate 3 come to the player through the music. The music is even used in other media to set the atmosphere of a scene (e.g. De Mol). The voice acting is sublime and the game single-handedly launched the career of its voice actors. Goosebumps all over every time we start-up it up and the first score starts.”

GOLD:  The Man Came Around | SILVER:  Waking Tides | BRONZE: Please, Touch The Artwork 2

What the jury had to say: “Developed by a single person, The Man Came Around managed to set a very strong identity. If you see a screenshot of this game, you immediately recognize the art style. A simple style that works and doesn’t follow the 2D trends.”

GOLD: Baldur’s Gate 3 | SILVER:  GAZZLERS | BRONZE:  Slapshot Rebound

What the jury had to say: “Even if you hate turned-base-combat, you’ll still love Baldur’s Gate 3 as it made the Dungeons & Dragons rules less boring. Every detail is just right; the difficulty levels are well balanced and there is an undeniable Larian touch in the way the toy box elements have been perfected.”

GOLD: Breachers | SILVER:  Slapshot Rebound | BRONZE:  Kraken Island

What the jury had to say: “If Counterstrike and Rainbow 6 would have a love-child in VR, Breachers would be it! With a huge player community – and some practice to get the hang of it – once you’re in, you are hooked.”

GOLD: Nebelmer | SILVER: Don’t Forget | BRONZE:  A Postman’s Journey

What the jury had to say: “Nebelmer offers an incredible experience and is so well polished for a student game. Please finish it and put it on the market!”

GOLD: Laser Dance | SILVER: Koira | BRONZE:  Gloomy Eyes – the Game

What the jury had to say: “Laser Dance is the perfect Mixed Reality game to showcase to people who don’t grasp the concept yet. Any room in your house can be turned into a unique level and the possibilities are endless. Brilliant concept with a flawless execution, we can’t wait to play more of it!”

GOLD: BrainBugs | SILVER: Boxsun | BRONZE: Maracas Studios | RUNNER-UP: Triangle Factory

What the jury had to say: “BrainBugs has a unique focus on using games to solve social and ethical questions. For instance, they are working on a game that raises the topic of AI-use and the ethics surrounding that. They actively use the medium of videogames to contribute to change in our society.”

GOLD: Maracas Studio | SILVER: Clever Trickster | BRONZE: Tovenaar

What the jury had to say: “Maracas is a young studio with a very holistic view. They know where they come from, who they are, and where they are going. The studio works on a diverse portfolio of games and carefully adjusts which projects to invest in, while also giving back to the local community through their recurring Game Dev Afterwork meet-ups.”

GOLD: Demute | SILVER: Briganti | BRONZE: Cybernetic Walrus

What the jury had to say: “Demute has an impressive track record working on scopes ranging from big AAA titles to humble indie games. They have worked on over 20 Belgian games and remain an important element for our Belgian games ecosystem. But they have big news to share: in January 2025, they will open a new branch in Montreal to better serve their North American clients whil still offering advice, audio services, tools and shared knowledge to Belgian studios.”