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Meet the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2022 finalists

The finalists are now unveiled! Take a look at all the finalists for this year’s Mobile Games Awards ahead of our Central London ceremony on April 5

Meet the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2022 finalists

It’s time! The finalists for this year’s Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards are finally ready to be revealed, and we could not be happier to present you with all of these fantastic teams, companies, individuals and titles that have made massive contributions to the industry over the past year. The ceremony will be taking place on April 5, 2022 at BAFTA. We’re coming together yet again to celebrate the greatest and latest of innovative projects and fantastic talent in the games industry, and there is no better place to recognise the immense work of the global games industry than this year’s Mobile Games Awards.

As you can see when you click through the list below, you will see 23 award categories that represent the entire games industry ecosystem. The award categories span from best game developers and publishers to the top tool companies, service providers, support agencies, investors and recruiters that make the games industry the booming success that it is today.

The lobbying and shortlisting phases are now complete, and we are very happy to announce the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2022 finalists today. We are very thankful to everyone that took the time to make submissions and recognise the efforts and contributions of their colleagues, company or contemporaries. Our most sincere congratulations to all of the incredible finalists, and the very best of luck.

What’s next?
Most of the awards will be voted for by a panel of 100 plus industry judges, recognising the hard work of the teams and individuals who have stood out over the last year. Those who receive the most votes will be named winner of that category, and will be announced during the Pocket Gamer Mobile Game Awards live event on April 5, 2022. It will be held at BAFTA in Central London and tickets are available now.

You can participate!
Make your voice heard and vote on The Pocket Gamer People’s Choice Award. This is the only award nominated by and voted for by consumers, and recognises the best new game to have received a full release during the previous year. Get your votes in for your favourite, voting is currently live and closes March 24. For the game makers, let your players know to vote for your game! This award is truly all about being a fan favourite.

Secure your spot at the MGAs
Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to rub elbows with top companies and key decision-makers in the industry before tickets run out. Secure your spot at the ceremony today and purchase your ticket to this incredible night.

A thanks to category sponsors AudioMob, Kwalee, Enthusiast Gaming, and Tilting Point.

 


Click here to view the list »
  • 1 BEST ADVERTISING & UA

    BEST ADVERTISING & UA logo

    This accolade is for companies that support the ecosystem through enabling user acquisition or monetisation through advertising and are helping to drive this fast-growing business in games and developers to acquire more users.

    • AdInMo
    • AudioMob
    • Adverty
    • AppLovin
    • Fyber
    • HyprMX
    • ironSource
    • Meta Audience Network
    • Mintegral
    • Pangle
    • Unity Ads
    • Zynga

  • 2 BEST ANALYTICS/DATA TOOL

    BEST ANALYTICS/DATA TOOL logo

    Any company that supports developers and publishers develop their games and run marketing campaigns through analytics tools and/or providing data on market performance.

    • Adjust
    • AppsFlyer
    • DeltaDNA by Unity
    • Elixir by NumberEight
    • Game IQ by data.ai
    • GameAnalytics
    • GameRefinery by Vungle
    • Sensor Tower
    • SeeIt by Simpool
    • Tilting Point Analytics Platform

  • 3 BEST DEVELOPER

    BEST DEVELOPER logo

    Any mobile games company with 11 or more staff that has released a game, or successfully grown an existing game, during 2020, as well as successfully expanded their business and made an impact on the industry through innovation, creativity and other initiatives.

    • DevSisters
    • East Side Games
    • Gameloft Brisbane
    • Garena
    • miHoYo/HoYoverse
    • Niantic
    • Outplay Entertainment Ltd
    • Pearl Abyss
    • Rovio Entertainment
    • Snowprint Studios
    • Space Ape Games
    • Trailmix Limited
    • Tripledot Studios
    • ustwo games

  • 4 BEST GAAS TOOLS & TECH

    BEST GAAS TOOLS & TECH logo

    This award recognises the companies that are supporting live games on the market through back-end services to ensure game servers run smoothly and help developers implement special online features.

    • Azure PlayFab
    • ChilliConnect
    • GameSparks / AWS GameTech
    • Gridly
    • now.gg
    • OpenBack
    • Photon
    • Tenjin

  • 5 BEST AUDIO/VISUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

    BEST AUDIO/VISUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT logo

    This accolade is for any game pushing the boundaries of the medium through audio and/or visual accomplishments. To be eligible for this award, games must have been given a full release (or received a significant and noteworthy expansion) during 2020.

    • Blind Drive
    • Inked
    • Beatstar – Touch Your Music
    • Bloodshore
    • Genshin Impact
    • Hitman Sniper: The Shadows
    • LEGO Star Wars: Castaways
    • Revived Witch
    • The Oregon Trail
    • Unmaze

  • 6 BEST GAME ENGINE

    BEST GAME ENGINE logo

    This award is open to third-party tech companies that provide game engines that help power mobile games development.

    • Blackspace (Pearl Abyss)
    • Cocos Creator / Cocos2d-x
    • Godot
    • IdleKit (East Side Games)
    • Lua (Roblox)
    • Raylib
    • Unity
    • Unreal Engine

  • 7 BEST STORYTELLING

    BEST STORYTELLING logo

    This award recognises games that show stellar writing and narrative design. To be eligible for this award, games must have been given a full release during 2020, or for titles released before this date have received significant new content in the last year.

    • Alien: Isolation
    • Argo’s Choice
    • Bloodshore
    • Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins
    • Five Dates
    • I Saw Black Clouds
    • Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut
    • Marvel Hero Tales
    • NUTS
    • Overboard!
    • Recontact:London Cyber Puzzle
    • The Oregon Trail

  • 8 BEST TOOLS PROVIDER

    BEST TOOLS PROVIDER logo

    This award is open to any company providing tools for developers to help make games for mobile platforms. This does not include game engines.

    • AWS Game Tech
    • Anzu.io
    • Beacon by Rovio
    • Game UI Database
    • Geeklab
    • Ludo.ai
    • PlaytestCloud
    • RichCast
    • Simpool
    • Tournament SDK by Gimmebreak (with Exit Games)
    • Reality Gaming Group
    • wappier

  • 9 BEST SERVICE PROVIDER

    BEST SERVICE PROVIDER logo

    This award is for any third-party service provider or outsourcer that supports developers in making games, whether through art, audio, trailers, UX, payment provision or other services.

    • Agora
    • Amber Studio
    • Anzu.io
    • GameBake
    • Pollen VC
    • PTW
    • Xsolla
    • ZEBEDEE

  • 10 BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY

    BEST RECRUITMENT AGENCY logo

    Any recruitment agency that over the last year has supported mobile game companies in finding and employing the best staff to develop new games, create new tools or offer key services.

    • Aardvark Swift
    • Amiqus
    • Datascope
    • Expand
    • Games Factory Talents
    • Lovegrove Consulting
    • OPMjobs
    • Power Up Talent

  • 11 BEST LIVE OPS

    BEST LIVE OPS logo

    This award recognises the impact of significant updates, in-game events or excellent community management in the last year for games released previously, that have helped take a game to the next level and sustain a title’s life.

    • AFK Arena
    • Angry Birds Friends
    • Black Desert Mobile
    • Clash Royale
    • Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
    • Magic: The Gathering – Arena
    • MARVEL Contest of Champions
    • PUBG MOBILE
    • Star Trek: Fleet Command
    • State of Survival
    • Subway Surfers
    • Summoners War: Sky Arena

  • 12 BEST QA & LOCALISATION SERVICE PROVIDER

    BEST QA & LOCALISATION SERVICE PROVIDER logo

    This accolade awards companies that have supported mobile games over the last year in the areas of quality assurance and localisation, ensuring that both new releases and updates go live with as few hiccups as possible, and are localised appropriately for target markets.

    • Amber Studio
    • GameScribes
    • LocalizeDirect
    • PTW
    • Testronic
    • TransPerfect
    • Quantic Lab
    • MoGi Group
    • Keywords Studios
    • Universally Speaking

  • 13 BEST INDIE DEVELOPER

    BEST INDIE DEVELOPER logo

    This accolade recognises the achievements of a small team of developers that have released a game, or successfully grown an existing game, during the last year.

    • Bart Bonte
    • Dumpling
    • GameTomo
    • Humita
    • inkle
    • Joon, Pol, Muutsch, Char & Torfi
    • Kuyi Mobile
    • Megapop Games
    • Perchang
    • Playbae
    • Rikzu Games
    • Silver Lining Studio
    • Team Hook Up
    • Trefle & Co Game

  • 14 BEST PR/MARKETING TEAM

    BEST PR/MARKETING TEAM logo

    This award recognises the best third-party PR agency or internal marketing team that has created campaigns fuelling the growth of games over the last year. This can be through any medium, including online, TV or other.

    • Big Games Machine
    • Decibel-PR
    • Dimoso
    • Raptor PR
    • Scopely
    • Square Enix Montreal (Hitman Sniper: The Shadows)
    • Swipe Right PR
    • Tilting Point
    • ustwo games
    • Wizards of the Coast

  • 15 BEST INFLUENCER MARKETING AGENCY

    BEST INFLUENCER MARKETING AGENCY logo

    Successfully connecting brands with their target audience in an age of increased digital noise is no mean feat. This new award recognises and celebrates the team that has managed its influencer outreach better than its competitors.

    • AFK Creators
    • GameInfluencer
    • Kairos
    • Knowscope
    • Matchmade
    • Nativex
    • Opera Event
    • WeQ

  • 16 BEST CHALLENGER APP STORE

    BEST CHALLENGER APP STORE logo

    As mobile continues its expansion into new markets and Google Play and Apple App Store open up a little, third-party app stores become ever more important part of the industry. This award celebrates the other portals that have done the most to grow and innovate during last year.

    • Amazon Appstore
    • Aptoide
    • Geeklab
    • Huawei AppGallery
    • Mobango
    • Opera Mobile Store
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • TapTap

  • 17 INVESTOR OF THE YEAR

    INVESTOR OF THE YEAR logo

    Another category introduced last year, this award showcases either an investor or investment within the mobile games industry that has played a vital role in the success and growth of a company.

    • 1Up Ventures
    • Agnitio Capital
    • Bill Shihara
    • Bitkraft
    • Hiro Capital
    • LVP
    • Makers Fund
    • MY.GAMES Venture Capital
    • Play Ventures
    • Wales Interactive

  • 18 BEST PUBLISHER

    BEST PUBLISHER logo

    Celebrating a company that has supported another developer in releasing a game on mobile devices during the last year, whether through publishing support, marketing, co-development or investment.

    • Annapurna Interactive
    • Gameloft
    • HandyGames
    • Jam City
    • Kwalee
    • Miniclip
    • MyGamez
    • NetEase
    • Netmarble
    • Tamatem Games
    • Tencent
    • Tilting Point
    • Voodoo
    • Zynga

  • 19 BEST INNOVATION

    BEST INNOVATION logo

    Any developer, or technology company that is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on mobile devices through a new technology, be it hardware or software. This can be an innovative tool or unique use of technology that benefits the industry as a whole.

    • askblu.ai SaaS Platform
    • Creative Mobile Games Machine Learning
    • Digital Asset Trading Platform by Reality Gaming Group
    • GamesForest.Club
    • LEGO Digital Designer by Gameloft Phantom
    • MobileVoice by Tapjoy
    • Mochi by Loveshark
    • Online WorkSpace (OWS) by tiplay
    • Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam
    • SimIt by Simpool
    • Upland
    • WAM.app

  • 20 GAME OF THE YEAR

    GAME OF THE YEAR logo

    This award recognises the finest mobile gaming experience released last year based on creativity, play mechanics, technological, artistic and aural achievement, innovation, audience engagement, and both critical and commercial success.
    To be eligible for this award, games must have been given a full release during 2021.

    • Another Eden
    • Beatstar – Touch Your Music
    • Cookie Run Kingdom
    • FarmVille 3
    • Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
    • Garena Free Fire MAX
    • Hitman Sniper: The Shadows
    • Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator
    • Indies’ Lies
    • Love & Pies – Merge
    • Magic: The Gathering – Arena
    • Moncage
    • Old Friends Dog Game
    • One Hand Clapping
    • Overboard
    • PUBG New State
    • Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales
    • The Oregon Trail
    • The Witcher: Monster Slayer
    • Townscaper

  • 21 POCKET GAMER PEOPLE’S CHOICE

    POCKET GAMER PEOPLE’S CHOICE logo

    This is the only award nominated by and voted for by consumers, and recognises the best new game to have received a full release during the previous year. The People’s Choice Award runs both its submission and voting phases through PocketGamer.com, with the winner revealed on the night of the ceremony.

    The People’s Choice Award is shortlisted by the expert journalists at Pocket Gamer following readers’ submissions, and voted for directly by the games playing public directly on www.pocketgamer.com – this year’s finalists can be found below and the voting is live here.

    • Alien: Isolation
    • Battlecruisers
    • Cookie Run: Kingdom
    • Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins
    • Fantasian
    • Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
    • Garena Free Fire MAX
    • Huntdown
    • League of Legends: Wild Rift
    • MasterChef: Let’s Cook!
    • My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge
    • Northgard
    • Pokémon Unite
    • Retro Goal
    • Runestrike
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race Superstar
    • Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat
    • Tales of Luminaria
    • Tears of Themis
    • Tetris Beat

     


  • 22 RISING STAR

    RISING STAR logo

    This special award recognises a person from any corner of the globe who has demonstrated a considerable amount of success, influence, and impact despite their relatively recent arrival within the mobile games industry.
    A new addition since 2020, this award is selected directly by the organisation committee of the Mobile Games Awards.

    TO BE ANNOUNCED DURING THE AWARDS CEREMONY IN APRIL.


  • 23 MOBILE LEGEND

    MOBILE LEGEND logo

    This special lifetime achievement award recognises a person from anywhere in the world who has achieved a considerable amount of success in their career and has acted as a pioneer in the mobile games space.
    The Mobile Legend is a special award to recognise an outstanding contribution to the mobile games industry selected directly by the organisation committee of the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards.

    TO BE ANNOUNCED DURING THE AWARDS CEREMONY IN APRIL.


Marketing Executive