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Hall of Fame: Maarten Noyons

The IMGA founder has long been a trailblazer in the mobile games industry, supporting and shining a light on developers around the world

By PocketGamer.biz Staff

October 2, 2025

In an era when mobile phones were mostly for voice calls and text messages, when games on phones were simple SMS or WAP experiences or rudimentary Java applets, and the wider industry looked down its collective nose at ‘pocket gaming’, Maarten Noyons saw possibility.

He believed that mobile games would become not just niche distractions but a thriving global medium for creativity, innovation, connectivity, culture, and art. That belief, forged when the Apple phone was a mere glint in Steve Jobs’ ‘i’ and decades before mobile became the dominant $100 billion dollar force in gaming (not to mention wider entertainment), has led to a legacy few in the field can match.

Suffice to say, Maarten's pioneering work, and his generosity, were huge influences on the founders of this business. His IMGA awards predated PocketGamer.com by a year or two and helped to guide Steel Media’s first toe in the market.

Those who started the site were privileged to be among the judges in early editions as Maarten applied stringent professional standards to the consideration of a new medium.

Steel Media CEO Chris James was a multi-time jury member, and occasional awards host too (so THAT’s where it started), and has the very fondest memories of times spent with then industry elite in Marseille, Barcelona, Jordan and Shanghai.

“Without Maarten and the IMGAs, I genuinely don’t believe Steel Media would be what it is today. His professionalism, courage and generosity of spirit directly fed into the founding genus of this company, and, along with inspirations from the Finnish IGDA and elsewhere, allowed me to believe that this medium deserved professional, respectful media and high quality events and that we could follow in his footsteps in creating them."

Early vision and risk

Maarten did not start in the games business. He cut his teeth in the music and video world, including directing music videos in the 1980s for a variety of bands and singers including Patrick D Martin (remember I Like 'Lectric Motors?). Even then, he was interested in new forms of media, in pushing what video, sound, and technology could do.

He was among the rare people who saw that, as computing power, networked devices, and handheld electronics improved, there would be a huge opportunity for interactive entertainment in people’s hands.

In the early 2000s, mobile gaming was often dismissed. Devices were limited, stores were non-existent, networks slow, expectations low. But Maarten had already been advising media houses, operators, device manufacturers, and governments on content, distribution, and platforms through NCC, his consultancy.

He was not deterred by the technical hurdles. Instead he viewed them as momentary. He believed the technology would follow, and that people’s hunger for entertainment would adapt and expand.

IMGA: A platform for innovation

In 2004 Maarten founded the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA). What started as a modest competition grew into a genuinely global institution.

Some key achievements of IMGA under Maarten’s leadership:

It was among the first to give mobile games developers recognition, awards, and exposure when many in the industry saw the format as marginal or trivial.
It built and sustained a truly international jury of industry experts, journalists, creators, and innovators from Asia, Europe, and the United States. The judging criteria of gameplay, art, sound, innovation, and storytelling pushed entrants to go beyond what was “doable” on limited mobile platforms.

It encouraged genres, styles, and creators that might otherwise be overlooked: students, independent developers, small studios, and experimental games. IMGA has been run in partnership with many mobile operators, hardware makers, and media institutions.
It showed foresight: mobile games, once thought to be simple time-wasters, could be narrative, artistic, and eventually commercially powerful. The awards and the visibility they bring helped many creators, including global success stories such as Candy Crush Saga and Monument Valley.

Beyond IMGA: NCC, Playground and wider influence

Having been inspired by the creative opportunities of mobile games, and especially the magic of portable, location-based experiences that were unique to the platform, Maarten also dabbled in publishing, establishing and running Playground Publishing in 2013 that specialised in casual mobile and location-based titles.

Shortly after this he even ‘squared the circle’ by being a speaker in this new role at the very first Pocket Gamer Connects in London 2014! Despite publishing titles such as Kodo (co-created for PC previously by another Hall of Famer and regular IMGA judge Tommy Palm). That company ultimately proved somewhat ahead of its time (as to be fair did everyone in the location-based game… until Niantic popped up with Pokémon Go!).

Through NCC (Noyons Content Consultancy), Maarten has continued to advise media companies, content houses, operators, handset manufacturers, and governments. His work has spanned strategy for multi-store distribution, how to publish mobile games in fragmented environments, and how to think globally when most early mobile games were local or platform-tied.

He has repeatedly emphasised belief in mobile not just as a market but as a medium for innovation in storytelling, interaction, and design. Even when skepticism was high, he stuck with the conviction that mobile platforms would evolve with better devices, faster networks, and more consumer acceptance, and with that, games would too.

Outside of being a champion for mobile games, Maarten manages to find time for an equally packed family life in Marseille, with his amazing wife Agnes and three equally creative, forceful and fearless children.

A legacy of belief and innovation

Maarten helped open doors for mobile developers when the path was uncertain. He offered legitimacy, awards, feedback, and mentorship via the IMGA and his consultancy work.
He has been a trend tracker and sometimes a trend-setter, seeing the importance of augmented reality, cross-platform stores, quality of craft in design and sound, and diverse storytelling.
He has encouraged internationalisation, recognising talent everywhere and not only in established game hubs. Regions such as Southeast Asia and Latin America have often been part of IMGA’s reach.
Though challenges of fragmentation, device limitations, and monetisation persisted for years, Maarten’s persistence helped ensure that mobile gaming did more than simply survive. It became one of the most creative, fastest growing, and most influential sectors in entertainment.

Why he deserves Hall of Fame status

Because Maarten did more than just ride the wave. He helped build parts of the wave. He saw potential when many saw risk. He created structures such as competitions, awards, juries, and networks that enabled others to grow.

He expected excellence and pushed for it. He understood that technological advances alone were not enough: quality of design, narrative, art, and player experience mattered.

To name just a few of his contributions:

Founding IMGA and running it continuously since 2004.
Advising some of the biggest foundational companies across the mobile and content sectors globally.
Championing innovations, regions and developers otherwise overlooked.