14 DAY TRIAL // The IMGA announced on Monday that an international panel of 20 specialists selected a number of 25 nominees for the 6th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards. The games were selected from a total number of 150 entries from 36 countries, including the USA, Japan, China, the Netherlands, and France.
According to IMGA, more than half of the entries were games developed for the Apple iPhone, a whooping 60 percent when compared to only 16 percent last year. However, games for other popular platforms were also submitted, including titles developed for Java, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Android, Maemo, and Linux. IMGA says that the number of titles that came from North America has increased significantly this year, yet it seems that the most innovative games came from Europe.
At the same time, IMGA also noted that the games included in the competition this year covered a wide range of genres, including well-known titles like Glu's Glyder 2 and Nokia's Ovi Maps Racing or innovative location-based game Ulrike and Eamon by Blast Theory or the casual puzzle game Ancient Frog Junior. “The Awards are sponsored by Euroméditerranée, ARM, NAVTEQ, Texas Instruments, and GetJar,” IMGA notes.
The winners of the 6th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards will be announced on February 15 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. According to IMGA, there will be eight prizes expected to be handed out, including the IMGA Grand Prix. However, we should also note that the awards will be given in the following categories: Excellence in Design, Excellence in Connectivity, Excellence in Game Play, Best Real World Game, and Best Casual Game Award.
“The overall quality of entries has improved. There was a large pool of 'really good' games to choose from. Graphics design, storyline and quality of marketing assets have improved tremendously,” one member of the jury commented. Those of you who would like to learn additional details on the games should know that stills and videos of the nominated titles are available in IMGA's website here.