Two Croatian games have been nominated for the Central & Eastern European Game Awards (CEEGA), which represents an important step forward for the Croatian gaming industry, which is constantly developing and becoming more recognizable on the international scene. It is especially important to point out that one of the nominated games comes from the Entrepreneurship Incubator PISMO in Novska.
The nominated games are Swing By, developed by the studio ANIQ from the PISMO Incubator, and Talos Principle 2, which is the result of the work of the studio Croteam under the umbrella of Devolver Digital.
“Being nominated as a finalist in such a prestigious competition is really a great recognition that gives an opportunity to highlight the work and effort of Croatian developers. We hope that colleagues or maybe me will take home the victory from the competition. We are indescribably happy that Swing by is in the finals of the “Best Mobile Game” category, says the president of the Croatian Association of Game Developers and executive director of the ANIQ studio, Dominik Cvetkovski.
The Talos Principle 2 game was nominated in several categories, including Visual Art, Audio, Design, Narrative, Technology, and Best Game. Additionally, Swing By is competing in the Best Mobile Game category. Unfortunately, there are no Croatian games for the Hidden Gem category.
The Chief Operating Officer of Croteam, Nikola Mosettig points out, “We are sincerely honored that our efforts have been recognized through such a large number of nominations in various categories. That number surprised us a little, but it only confirms that our effort, passion and creativity have found their way to the audience and the profession. Our goal has always been to create a game that will provide players with many hours of fun, but also make them think and leave a lasting impression on them. Judging by these nominations, it seems that we succeeded. Player satisfaction is always our greatest reward.”
The Central & Eastern European Game Awards (CEEGA) were established as a collaborative project between game industry organizations from Central and Eastern Europe. These awards aim to recognize the best games produced and published by local studios during the year. The reward system gathers 16 countries, among which are Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland as the host.
So far, Croatian games have not won an award in any of the CEEGA categories. However, with the current nominations, there is high hope that this trend will change. These nominations not only recognize the quality and creativity of domestic studios, but also emphasize the potential of the Croatian market on the international scene.
“For the second year in a row, domestic games have received several nominations for the most prestigious award in this part of Europe – the Central and Eastern European Game Awards. This shows that our industry produces world-class content of exceptional quality year after year. Sincere congratulations and I hope to win at least in a couple of categories,” said the general secretary of CGDA, Aleksandar Gavrilović.
