With mobile studios dominating the list of nominees for UK trade association TIGA's first ever awards, we decided to put the spotlight on some of the developers in the running.
Fireproof Games is up for a whopping seven awards altogether, with The Room in the running for best debut game, best visual design, best game design, best audio design and originality.
The developer is also up for best service provider and best start-up.
We caught up with commercial director Barry Meade to find out how the developer is taking the nominations.
How do you feel about being named as a finalist at the first TIGA Awards?
Barry Meade: Honestly, we're really quite surprised and very happy - we've been nominated under all seven categories that we're eligible for so that was a bit of a pleasant shock!
However, it now gives us a compelling excuse - I mean reason - to attend the TIGA piss up - sorry awards ceremony - in Bath on 1 November.
I know we'll be super excited to be there, cheering ourselves on very loudly, in fact cheering others along too, even the losers and random staff - almost as if our entire table were drunk.
What would receiving a TIGA Award mean for your studio?
Whilst we started up Fireproof Games only this year, Fireproof has certainly not been an overnight success. All of us were working hard on contract work for previous years in order to save up the money to allow us to make the The Room.
So for us, I think these small victories are less about stardom and more a silent acknowledgement of the plans we had years ago that, as we dithered and stumbled along, we somehow managed to bring about.
I think it will mean more to us internally even than it will externally - we're not a very back-slapping group, so I think it's bloody nice that others might see fit to slap our backs for us.
Are you a TIGA member?
Yes. We are members of TIGA, though only very recently, mostly due to our modest means.
For the past few years we had to forgo a lot of things to keep our small studio going and paying for anything that wasn't directly to do with running it was not an option.
For instance, we had no lawyers on tap, no PR people to keep in cocaine, and no staff that didn't directly help us create games.
Now, whilst we wont be hiring lawyers or PR people any time soon, the modest success of The Room has changed that limitation and given us the finance to finally take part in groups like TIGA and play a small part in the industry we love so much.
So we have some learning to do about the group yet, but it's going to be fun seeing what happens in the future.
What do you think are your chances of winning?
We're certainly confident The Room is up there with others in being good enough to win something, but not to sound too much like a football manager, it's what happens on the day that decides it and we all know that.
The other nominees are all diamonds and, as it's a competition to find the best of the best, just to be nominated means you've already proven your worth somewhat.
So we're happy and proud that we created something considered world class and nothing at all will change that, win or lose.
Having said all that, if there's a drinking competition all reasonableness and modesty will fall away - we'll straight up murder the bastards.
Thanks to Barry for his time.
You can find more details on the TIGA Awards 2012 nominees here.
Interview
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
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