SAGA 2015: and the winner is Hellion Studios

Hellion Studios. The new start-up in Gothia Science Park is this year’s winner of Skövde Academic Game Award. Play My Game at Sweden Game Conference gave them no less than 58 % of the votes for best game to be awarded.

- The game industry is very important for Skövde in many ways, and that´s why the municipality yearly honor one team of students in game development. We hope the award and 20 000 SEK will encourage and motivate students to continue their work in game development and be a part of our game community, maybe one day even start their own business here in Skövde said Lisa Lindgren, brand strategist at the Municipality of Skövde.

This year’s winner was decided during the open house, Play My Game at Sweden Game Conference yesterday. There were lots of people playing the nine nominated games and voting for the best game. When all votes were counted there was no discussion: Hellion Studios Thunder League got 58% of the votes. The runner up, Mostly Harmless Games and their Funklift got 38%. The award ceremony was held during the conference dinner and BBQ-party.

Jury motivation for the winner, Thunder League:
"This game is a well-made re-imagination of classics such as “Achtung die Kurve”. The game is fast, intense and yet simple. The design is wonderfully elegant. An addictive game for sure!"

Jury motivation for the honorable mention and runner up Funklift:
“This is a great and easy co-op game that makes the players laugh. Laugh together for all fails made as a team. Funklift is a crazy, fun and funky friendly game. We can´t wait to see it hit the market.”

Previous winners
Previous winners of SAGA are: Tarhead Studio with Grief (2013) and PocApp Studios with Carpet Kitty (2014). You can find both them studios in Gothia Science Park and The Game Incubator.

About Sweden Game Arena
Sweden Game Arena is a platform and ecosystem for the acceleration of the game industry in Game City Skövde and the West Sweden Region. Sweden Game Arena is in the unique position to encompass the entire value chain, from education and business to research and development. In the Arena, there are more than 500 talents at the Game Development Degree Programs at the University of Skövde, more than 40 researchers and lecturers, about 300 employees in more than 50 game companies in Skövde and Gothenburg as well as a number of business developers. For more information, visit the website at www.swedengamearena.com