Even more guest presenters have been announced for this year’s Golden Joystick Awards. Handing out the award for Best Indie Game will be Sea of Stars developers Thierry Boulanger and Philip Barclay. The two are a part of Sabotage Studio, a Canadian indie studio dedicated to crafting quality retro-inspired games. Since Sea of Stars won Best Indie Game at last year’s ceremony, that makes the duo the perfect choice to hand it out this year.
An Impactful Experience
Sea of Stars was released on August 28, 2023. The turn-based RPG gave players a beautiful and stylized experience that they fell in love with. While the story is simple, it’s a classic one that guides players on a journey full of unique mechanics and combat seemingly inspired by Final Fantasy and other JRPGs. The game ended up being a huge success for Sabotage Studio. Not only did the game win Best Indie Game during the Golden Joystick Awards last year, but it also won in that same category at The Game Awards.
Now, Boulanger and Barclay get to present an award to the next indie game to be fully recognized for making a big splash in the gaming world. It’s a long and troublesome path to success for most indie developers, but the crew at Sabotage Studio found that success. Every single indie studio that may take home an award later this month has seen similar success. No matter who officially wins, they each deserve a pat on the back just like the talented people who made Sea of Stars.
Titles On The Ticket
The list of 10 games up for Best Indie Game this year is a prime example of how diverse the world of indie gaming is. From platformers and puzzles to RPGs and card games, the lineup for the category this year is full of entertaining art. Some of them, Balatro being a prime example, can be downright addicting to the people who enjoy playing them on a daily basis. It’s for this reason that there are multiple awards up for indie games to grab this year. For this year’s Golden Joystick Awards, there’s also an award specifically for self-published indie games. For the Best Indie Game award though, here are the 10 nominees.
The Nominees
- Animal Well | Developed by Billy Basso | Published by BIGMODE Games
- Arco | Developed by Franek Nowotniak, José Ramón “Bibiki” García, Antonio “Fayer” Uribe, and Max Cahill | Published by Panic
- Balatro | Developed by LocalThunk | Published by Playstack
- Beyond Galaxyland | Developed by Sam Enright | Published by United Label
- CONSCRIPT | Developed by Jordan Mochi and Catchweight Studio | Published by Team17
- INDIKA | Developed by Odd Meter | Published by 11 Bit Studios
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes | Developed by Simogo | Published by Annapurna Interactive
- Thank Goodness You’re Here! | Developed by Coal Supper | Published by Panic
- The Plucky Squire | Developed by All Possible Futures | Published by Devolver Digital
- Ultros | Developed by Hadoque | Published by Kepler Interactive
How To Watch The Event
The 42nd Golden Joystick Awards will be livestreaming on all the major platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Steam. Viewers can also watch the livestream directly on the official GamesRadar+ website. The option for people wanting to cross-stream the event is also available. The ceremony takes place on November 21 in London, England. The ceremony, including the live broadcast, will start at 8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST. For gamers, the longest-running video game awards ceremony is only the start of an eventful season of awards and new trailers. No matter who takes home big prizes and bragging rights, the excitement is in the air.
