The Develop:Star Awards 2026 were held last night, where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continued its success by winning three awards.
Sandfall Interactive’s title was recognised for Best Game, Best Narrative, and Best Audio.
Frontier Developments was named Best Studio after launching Jurassic World Evolution 3, while Landfall and Aggro Crab’s Peak received Best Original IP.
Both developers also jointly received the Best Small Studio award.
Sony Interactive Entertainment received the Publishing Star award, and Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei won Best Visual Art.
No Man’s Sky took home the inaugural Best Ongoing Game award, and FuturLab’s PowerWash Simulator was recognised for Best Mobile Game.
This year’s Develop:Star Award recipient was Monument Valley 3 developer Ustwo Games.
“Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Develop:Star Awards last night and congratulations to all the winners and those shortlisted,” said Tandem Events managing director Andy Lane.
“It was a wonderful evening spent celebrating the very best of the amazing work released over the past year, and the amazing people behind that work. Thank you to our sponsors, everyone who voted, and all those who made the night possible, it was an evening to remember.”
Here’s the full list of winners:
- The Develop Star Award: Ustwo Games
- Best Studio: Frontier Developments
- Best Small Studio: Landfall Games and Aggro Crab
- Best Game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, Kepler Interactive)
- Best Mobile Game: PowerWash Simulator (FuturLab)
- Publishing Star (Sponsored by IO Interactive): Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Best Game Design: Blue Prince (Dogubomb, Raw Fury)
- Best Narrative: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Original IP: Peak (Landfall Games & Aggro Crab)
- Best Visual Art: Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Best Audio: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Best Technical Innovation: Crimson Desert (Pearl Abyss)
- Best Ongoing Game: No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
- Tomorrow’s Star (Sponsored by Amiqus): Nicole Gregory (Jagex)
- Best EDI Initiative: Limit Break Mentorship
- Best Marketing Campaign: Dispatch (AdHoc Studio, Guillotine)
- Supporting Star: Dead Nice Studio
- Best In-Game Accessibility: Doom: The Dark Ages (Id Software, Bethesda Softworks)
- Talent & Recruitment Star: IO Interactive Talent & Acquisition Team
The Develop:Star Awards will return next year on Wednesday, July 14, during Develop:Brighton 2027, which will be held from July 13 to July 15.
