Gamescom 2025 is wrapping up this weekend, but the winners of the annual Gamescom Awards have already been named. This year's biggest winner was Resident Evil Requiem, which took home four awards, including Best Sony PlayStation Game.There were some surprises along the way--including the winner of the inaugural Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game--and there were surprise winners among the indie titles like Windup's Hela, which won two awards against stiff competition from more established games like Donkey Kong Bananza.To be considered for Gamescom Awards, publishers pay to nominate their games in one or more categories. However, the actual awards are chosen by a jury that evaluates each title across multiple criteria, including graphics, gameplay, and innovation.This year's Gamescom opening night had a number of new announcements and trailers, and there may be more to come in the show's remaining two days.For now, we've put together a complete list of the 2025 Gamescom Awards with all categories and nominees. The winners are listed in bold. Best VisualsBorderlands 4 - Gearbox Software / 2KBye Sweet Carole – Little SewingMachine / Maximum EntertainmentCrimson Desert – Pearl AbyssMIO: Memories In Orbit – Douze Dixièmes / Focus EntertainmentWINNER: Resident Evil Requiem – Capcom Entertainment Best AudioCairn – The Game BakersLittle Nightmares 3 – Supermassive Games / Bandai Namco EntertainmentPhantom Blade Zero – S-GameWINNER: Resident Evil Requiem – Capcom EntertainmentRockbeasts – Lichthund / Team17 Best GameplayWINNER: Donkey Kong Bananza – NintendoHela – Windup / Knights PeakMario Kart World – NintendoPVKK – Bippinbits / Kepler InteractiveResident Evil Requiem – Capcom Entertainment Most EntertainingDispatch – AdHoc StudioDonkey Kong Bananza – NintendoGrounded 2 – Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game StudiosWINNER: Hela – Windup / Knights PeakMario Kart World – Nintendo Most EpicCrimson Desert – Pearl AbyssDune: Awakening – FuncomWINNER: Resident Evil Requiem – Capcom EntertainmentSuper Meat Boy 3D – Sluggerfly, Team Meat / HeadupWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Saber Interactive / Focus Entertainment Most WholesomeWINNER: Hela – Windup / Knights PeakIs This Seat Taken? – Poti Poti Studio / Wholesome Games PresentsStar Birds – Toukana InteractiveTiny Bookshop – neoludic games / Skystone Games, 2P GamesWinter Burrow – Pine Creek Games / Noodlecake Games for ImpactCairn – The Game BakersForever Skies – Far From HomeHollow Home – Twigames / GalaktusMonowave – Studio BBBWINNER: Tiny Bookshop – neoludic games / Skystone Games, 2P Games Best Microsoft Xbox GameBorderlands 4 – Gearbox Software / 2KCrimson Desert – Pearl AbyssWINNER: Grounded 2 – Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game StudiosLittle Nightmares 3 – Supermassive Games / Bandai Namco EntertainmentNinja Gaiden 4 – PlatinumGames, Team Ninja / Xbox Game Studios Best PC GameWINNER: Anno 117: Pax Romana – Ubisoft Mainz / UbisoftBorderlands 4 – Gearbox Software / 2KPVKK – Bippinbits / Kepler InteractiveTowa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree – Brownies inc. / Bandai Namco EntertainmentWorld of Warcraft – Blizzard Entertainment / Activision Blizzard Best Sony PlayStation GameBorderlands 4 – Gearbox Software / 2KCrimson Desert – Pearl AbyssCronos: The New Dawn – Bloober TeamPragmata – Capcom EntertainmentWINNER: Resident Evil Requiem – Capcom Entertainment Best Nintendo Switch 2 GameDonkey Kong Bananza – NintendoWINNER: Mario Kart World – NintendoMetroid Prime 4: Beyond – NintendoTowa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree – Brownies Inc. / Bandai Namco EntertainmentWinter Burrow – Pine Creek Games / Noodlecake Best Mobile GameArknights: Endfield – Hypergryph / GryphlineDungeon Clawler – Stray Fawn / Stray Fawn Publishing, PlayworksGenshin Impact – HoYoverseWINNER: Love and Deepspace – Papergames / Infold GamesServant of the Lake – Rusty Lake

IntroductionHello, I am Joseph Jegede, born in Nigeria, lived and studied in London, which is also where I started my career as a games developer. Before my game dev career, I was making websites and graphic designs as a hobby but felt an urge to make static images animated and respond to user input. I studied Computer Science at London Metropolitan University for my bachelor’s degree.I worked at Tivola Publishing GmbH, where we developed:Wildshade: Unicorn Champions (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)Console Trailer: YouTubeWildshade Fantasy Horse Races (iOS, Android)iOS: App StoreAndroid: Google PlayThis project was initially developed for mobile platforms and was later ported to consoles, which recently launched.I also worked on a personal mobile game project:Shooty GunRelease Date: May 17, 2024PlayBecoming an Environment ArtistWith the release of Unreal Engine 5, the ease of creating and sculpting terrain, then using blueprints to quickly add responsive grass, dirt, and rock materials to my levels, made environment art very enticing and accessible for me. Being a programmer, I often felt the urge to explore more aspects of game development, since the barrier of entry has been completely shattered.I wouldn’t consider myself a full-blown artist just yet. I first learned Blender to build some basic 3D models. We can call it “programmer art” – just enough to get a prototype playable.The main challenges were that most 3D software required subscriptions, which wasn't ideal for someone just learning without commercial intent. Free trials helped at first, but I eventually ran out of emails to renew them. Blender was difficult to grasp initially, but I got through it with the help of countless YouTube tutorials.Whenever I wanted to build a model for a prototype, I would find a tutorial making something similar and follow along.On YouTube, I watched and subscribed to Stylized Station. I also browsed ArtStation regularly for references and inspiration for the types of levels I wanted to build.Environment art was a natural next step in my game dev journey. While I could program gameplay and other systems, I lacked the ability to build engaging levels to make my games feel polished. In the kinds of games I want to create, players will spend most of their time exploring environments. They need to look good and contain landmarks that resonate with the player.My main sources of inspiration are games I’ve played. Sometimes I want to recreate the worlds I've explored. I often return to ArtStation for inspiration and references.Deep Dive Into Art-To-Experience Contest's SubmissionThe project I submitted was originally made for the 80 Level x Emperia contest. Most of the assets were provided as part of the contest.The main character was created in Blender, and the enemy model was a variant of the main character with some minor changes and costume modifications. Animations were sourced from Mixamo and imported into Unreal Engine 5. Texturing and painting were done in Adobe Substance 3D Painter, and materials were created in UE5 from exported textures.Before creating the scene in UE5, I gathered references from ArtStation and Google Images. These were used to sculpt a terrain heightmap. Once the level’s starting point and boss area were defined, I added bamboo trees and planned walkable paths around the map.I created models in Blender and exported them to Substance 3D Painter. Using the Auto UV Unwrap tool, I prepared the models for texturing. Once painted, I exported the textures and applied them to the models in UE5. This workflow was smooth and efficient.In UE5, I converted any assets for level placement into foliage types. This allowed for both random distribution and precise placement using the foliage painter tool, which sped up design significantly.UE5 lighting looked great out-of-the-box. I adjusted the directional light, fog, and shadows to craft a forest atmosphere using the built-in day/night system.I was able to use Emperia's Creator Tools plug-in to set up my scene. The great thing about the tutorial is that it's interactive - as I complete the steps in the UE5 editor, the tutorial window updates and reassures me that I’ve completed the task correctly. This made the setup process easier and faster. Setting up panoramas was also simple - pretty much drag and drop.Advice For BeginnersOne major issue is the rise of AI tools that generate environment art. These tools may discourage beginners who fear they can’t compete. If people stop learning because they think AI will always outperform them, the industry may suffer a creativity drought.My advice to beginners:Choose a game engine you’re comfortable with – Unreal Engine, Unity, etc.Make your idea exist first, polish later. Use free assets from online stores to prototype.Focus on creating game levels with available resources. The important part is getting your world out of your head and into a playable form.Share your work with a community when you're happy with it.Have fun creating your environment – if you enjoy it, others likely will too.Joseph Jegede, Game DeveloperInterview conducted by Theodore McKenzie

Howl's Moving Castle Deluxe Limited Edition (Hardcover) $23.24 (was $25) | Releases September 9 Preorder at Amazon World of Howl Trilogy Box Set (Paperback) $32 | Releases October 7 Preorder at Amazon If you're a big fan of Studio Ghibli's animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, you may be interested in adding a gorgeous new edition of the novel it's based on to your bookshelf. Diana Wynne Jones' beloved 1986 fantasy novel will be reissued in hardcover on September 9. Howl's Moving Castle Deluxe Limited Edition is available to preorder at Amazon for $23.24 (was $25). Fans can also preorder a new paperback box set containing the entire World of Howl Trilogy for only $32.The Deluxe Limited Edition and World of Howl Box Set would look great displayed next to the Steelbook Edition of Howl's Moving Castle. The 2004 adaptation written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki strays considerably from the source material, but both the film and novel are magical in their own ways. Howl's Moving Castle Deluxe Limited Edition (Hardcover) $23.24 (was $25) | Releases September 9 The Deluxe Limited Edition of Howl's Moving Castle features beautiful new jacket art, full-color endpapers by artist Devin Elle Kurtz, black-and-white illustrations throughout the novel, and more premium flourishes. The publisher recreated a starry night sky by digitally printing the blue page edges. Bright white streaks resemble shooting stars.If you remove the dust jacket, you'll find gold foil-stamped text and shooting star graphics on the front/back covers and spine. The front cover features a well-known line from the novel: "Howl's quite heartless, you know."As this is a limited-edition release, Howl's Moving Castle fans may want to preorder their copy of the new 352-page hardcover soon. The $25 list price is lower than many standard hardcover fiction releases.If you've never read the novel, Howl's Moving Castle follows Sophie Hatter after she accidentally attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste. Transformed into an old woman, Sophie's only chance at breaking her curse lies within the Wizard Howl's castle, a mobile base ruled by an infamous heartbreaker who is tormented by dark secrets from his past. Preorder at Amazon World of Howl Trilogy Box Set (Paperback) $32 | Releases October 7 Just a few weeks after the Deluxe Limited Edition's release, Greenwillow Books is publishing Diana Wynne Jones' complete trilogy as a paperback box set.Howl's Moving Castle is the first book in the World of Howl Trilogy. It was followed up by Castle in the Air in 1990 and House of Many Ways in 2008. All three books are standalone stories with different protagonists, but Howl appears in both of the follow-ups, so you should definitely read Howl's Moving Castle first.Castle in the Air follows unsuccessful carpet salesman Abdullah as he daydreams about a more adventurous life. House of Many Ways focuses on Charmain Baker as she explores a family home that can bend time and space.All three novels are also available individually in paperback, and standard edition hardcovers with durable library bindings of the first two books are in print, too.World of Howl Series:Howl's Moving CastlePaperback -- $8.83 ($12)Hardcover -- $13.32 ($20)Castle in the AirPaperback -- $7.62 ($10)Hardcover -- $19.80House of Many WaysPaperback -- $8 ($10)Hardcover -- Sold out Preorder at Amazon Howl's Moving Castle Deluxe Limited EditionStudio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle on Blu-rayAs mentioned, the 2004 Studio Ghibli film deviated quite a bit from the book, as it featured a different aesthetic, certain characters stuck around for much longer, and even the dynamic between Sophie and Howl plays out in an unconventional way.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Fateless, developer of the upcoming RPG game Godforge, has completed a second funding round of $8 million.Announced earlier today, the second round brings the total amount raised to $14 million. According to Fateless, the investments have been driven largely by HH Gaming and HellHades community members. For reference, Fateless was founded by former content creator and co-founder of HH Gaming, Simon "HellHades" Lockerby and fellow co-founder Dan "Phixion" Francis, alongside Skeleton Hand CEO Hisham "Sham" Saleh.Lockerby mentioned that the team's YouTube channels, website, Discord, and social medial channels make up for "over 2 million players," a number that's giving the team confidence around Godforge. The game recently entered its alpha period and is scheduled to launch during Q1 2026.Angel investors from within the content creator community helped to establish Fateless in around 10 weeks"More importantly, the community has already expressed great belief in the game by helping us raise funds of $6M (USD) during our initial startup phase and was a major contributor to our latest round," Lockerby said during the announcement.In an interview with Secret Stash, a podcast hosted by Archie Stonehill and Justin Kan, Lockerby specifically mentioned that the $6 million figure was raised "in like a 10-week period from angel investors within the community," rather than through a crowdfunding campaign or similar, which helped the content creators to build out the studio.Related:According to statistics shared by Fateless via LinkedIn about the first wave of the Godforge alpha period, 4,421 players logged in over a period of 3 days, logging a total of 45,776 play hours.This hasn't been the first time content creators have decided to jump into game development. A notable example includes YouTuber Jason Gastrow, known as Dunkey, who established a new game publishing label called Bigmode in September 2022. Since then, the label has worked with Team D-13 and Billy Basso for the releases of Star of Providence and Animal Well, respectively.

The company said its publishing division has the 'most potential for long-term growth.'