Last week, the inaugural Gamescom Latam event took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the aim of showcasing Latin America's burgeoning gaming industry while celebrating global gaming excellence. A highlight of the event was the game awards, organized in collaboration with the BIG Festival, where winners were unveiled during a glamorous ceremony.
The awards spanned 13 categories, with finalists selected by a panel of 49 judges. A notable feature at the Sao Paulo Expo was the large, eye-catching booth where all the nominees were available for attendees to play. It was refreshing to see mobile games seamlessly integrated alongside PC titles, highlighting the significance of mobile gaming in today's market.
Among the categories, the "Best Mobile Game" award drew particular attention, and it was clinched by Triband ApS' "What the Car?" This accolade is well-deserved, especially considering Jupiter Hadley's prior feature of the game in her article on ten lesser-known but exceptional games. With this win, "What the Car?" is poised to gain even greater recognition, possibly warranting a revision of Hadley's list.
While "What the Car?" took home the coveted award, it's important to acknowledge the other nominees, each of which demonstrated high-quality gameplay:
- 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
In addition to the Best Mobile Game, other categories saw impressive winners:
- 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
If you're eager to experience the award-winning "What the Car?", it's readily available on the App Store through Apple Arcade, a subscription service priced at $6.99 (or the equivalent in your region) per month. You can start playing by clicking the download button below.
