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IGF 2017 finalists include Inside and Hyper Light Drifter but no Firewatch

by: Randy - posted: 1/9/2017 5:03:00 PM
More On: Firewatch Inside EVENT[0]

The Independent Games Festival revealed its main category finalists for IGF 2017. Three hundred forty evaluators combed through 650 entries. The best of the best will walk away with awards during the March 1, 2017, ceremony, which takes places during the Game Developers Conference.

A few games received nominations in multiple categories. Among them are Virginia by developer Variable State, Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine, Inside [Gaming Nexus score: 9.8 out of 10] by Playdead, and Event[0] by Ocelot Society.

One conspicuously absent game is Campo Santo's Firewatch [GN score: 9.5 out of 10]. Why aren't they present? Did somebody at Campo Santo fail to send in their entry? Because, hey, if you don't enter, you can't win. 

No, Campo Santo didn't forget. Co-founder Sean Vanaman stated on Twitter that they made a deliberate decision:

There are over $50,000 in prizes up for grabs, including the $30,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize, however. Inside and Hyper Light Drifter deserve all the recognition they get.

Hit the jump for a full list of finalists in all categories, plus honorable mentions.

BEST STUDENT GAME
Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month)

Lily, Colors of Santa Luz (Lily, Colors of Santa Luz Team)

Un Pas Fragile (PAF team)

FAR: Lone Sails (Mr. Whale's Game Service / Mixtvision)

Frog Climbers (TeamCrew)

Bamboo Heart (Sokpop Collective)

Honorable Mentions: Awkward Dimensions Redux (StevenHarmonGames); DYO (Team DYO); Code 7 - Episode 0: Allocation (Goodwolf Studio); You Must be 18 or Older to Enter (Seemingly Pointless)

BEST AUDIO
The Flame in the Flood (The Molasses Flood)

GoNNER (Art in Heart)

Virginia (Variable State)

Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)

Everything (David OReilly)

Inside (Playdead)

Honorable Mentions: 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (iNK Stories); Kingdom: New Lands (Noio); Dropsy (Tendershoot, A Jolly Corpse); Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month); Sentris (Timbre Interactive); TumbleSeed (TumbleSeed Team)

EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
Imbroglio (Michael Brough)

Ultimate Chicken Horse (Clever Endeavour Games)

Duskers (Misfits Attic)

Overcooked (Ghost Town Games)

Event[0] (Ocelot Society)

Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)

Honorable Mentions: She Remembered Caterpillars (jumpsuit entertainment);Elsinore (Golden Glitch Studios); Inside (Playdead); Antihero (Tim Conkling); Replica (Somi); Space Pirate Trainer (I-Illusions)

EXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE
Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games)

1979 Revolution: Black Friday (iNK Stories)

Virginia (Variable State)

Orwell (Osmotic Studios )

Event[0] (Ocelot Society)

One Night Stand (Kinmoku)

Honorable Mentions: A Normal Lost Phone (Accidental Queens); The Lion's Song (Mi'pu'mi Games); Far from Noise (George Batchelor); Inside (Playdead); Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe); Burly Men at Sea (Brain&Brain); Sorcery! 4 (inkle / Steve Jackson)

EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ART
The Flame in the Flood (The Molasses Flood)

Inside (Playdead)

Virginia (Variable State)

Old Man's Journey (Broken Rules)

Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)

She Remembered Caterpillars (jumpsuit entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Inks (State of Play); Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall); Mu Cartographer (Titouan Millet); Future Unfolding (Spaces of Play ); Sundered (Thunder Lotus Games); Un Pas Fragile (PAF team)

NUOVO AWARD
Islands: Non-Places (Carlburton LLC)

Close (Tobias Zarges and Moritz Eberl)

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor (Sundae Month)

Oiκοςpiel, Book I (David Kanaga)

Everything (David OReilly)

Virginia (Variable State)

Mu Cartographer (Titouan Millet)

Lieve Oma (Florian Veltman)

Honorable Mentions: Memoir En Code: Reissue (Alex Camilleri); Far from Noise (George Batchelor); Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games); Witchball (S.L.Clark); Project Perfect Citizen (Bad Cop Studios); Wheels of Aurelia (Santa Ragione); Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)

SEUMAS MCNALLY GRAND PRIZE
Inside (Playdead)

Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe)

Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)

Event[0] (Ocelot Society)

Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)

Overcooked (Ghost Town Games)

Honorable Mentions: 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (iNK Stories); Orwell (Osmotic Studios); Imbroglio (Michael Brough); Virginia (Variable State); Duskers (Misfits Attic); Oiκοςpiel, Book I (David Kanaga)