Last week, the inaugural Gamescom Latam event took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, shining a spotlight on Latin America's burgeoning gaming scene while celebrating the global industry. The event featured game awards in collaboration with the BIG Festival, with winners unveiled during a glamorous presentation.
The awards spanned 13 categories, with finalists selected by a panel of 49 judges. All nominees were available to play at the Sao Paulo Expo in a prominent booth, seamlessly integrating mobile games with PC titles. This inclusive approach highlights the significance of mobile gaming within the broader gaming ecosystem.
Among the categories, the "Best Mobile Game" award captured our attention, and it was rightfully claimed by Triband ApS's What the Car? This accolade reaffirms the game's excellence, previously spotlighted by Jupiter Hadley in her article on ten lesser-known gems. It's thrilling to see What the Car? receive such recognition, though it may soon become a household name, possibly requiring an update to that list.
While What the Car? took home the top prize, the other nominees in the category deserve recognition for their quality and innovation. These shortlisted titles include:
- Junkworld – Ironhide Game Studio
- Bella Pelo Mundo – Plot Kids
- An Elmwood Trail – Techyonic
- Sibel's Journey – Food for Thought Media
- Residuum Tales of Coral – Iron Games
- SPHEX – VitalN
Acknowledging the diversity of talent, here are the winners across other categories:
- Game of the Year – Chants of Sennar - Rundisc
- Best Game from Latin America – Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure – Furniture & Mattress
- Best Brazilian Game – Momodora: Moonlit Farewell - Bombservice
- Best Casual Game – Station to Station – Galaxy Groove Studios
- Best Audio – Dordogne - UMANIMATION and UN JE NE SAIS QUOI
- Best Art – Harold Halibut – Slow Bros. UG.
- Best Multiplayer – Extremely Powerful Capybaras – Studio Bravarda and PM Studios
- Best Narrative – Once Upon A Jester – Bonte Avond
- Best XR/VR – Sky Climb - VRMonkey
- Best Gameplay – Pacific Drive – Ironwood Studios
- Best Pitch from Regional Game Development Associations – Dark Crown – Hyper Dive Game Studio
For those eager to experience the award-winning game, What the Car? is available on the App Store via Apple Arcade, a subscription service priced at $6.99 (or your local equivalent) per month. You can download it using the button below.
