Mobile GameDev Awards 2021
GameRefinery’s Mobile GameDev Awards recognize and celebrate innovation in mobile game design. The winners of the 2021 Mobile GameDev Awards have now been announced.
Get your copy of the report covering the winners!
About the Awards
This year GameRefinery is organizing for the first time Mobile GameDev Awards to celebrate innovation and excellence in mobile game design from developers in the US, China, and Japan. Awarded studios have not just succeeded in topping the charts but also in creating excellent mobile games and mobile gaming experiences during 2020.
The six award categories are:
- Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay
- Most Promising Soft Launch Game
- Biggest Evolver (US, JP, CN)
- Best Newcomer (US, JP, CN)
- Best Feature Innovation
- Best Event (US, JP, CN)
The finalists and winners of the Mobile GameDev Awards were selected by an international jury of industry peers including GameRefinery analysts, gaming advisors, and podcast creators Deconstructor of Fun and creative platform Luna Labs.
Awards Ceremony
Mobile GameDev Awards 2021 Winners
The most innovative and well-executed core gameplay seen in 2020:
- WINNER Genshin Impact
FINALISTS
- Harry Potter Puzzles & Spells
- Arknights
- Lovelink
- State of Survival
- EVE Echoes
- Prison Empire Tycoon
- The Marvelous Snail (最强蜗牛) (CN)
- Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (オクトパストラベラー大陸の覇者) (JP)
The 2020 soft launch game most likely to be a breakout launch success based on gameplay:
- WINNER Farlight84
FINALISTS
The game that developed the most overall during 2020:
US
- WINNER Marvel Strike Force
FINALISTS
JP
- WINNER Pokémon GO
FINALISTS
- Pokémon Masters EX
- Hokuto no Ken LEGENDS ReVIVE (北斗の拳 LEGENDS ReVIVE)
- The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage (アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ スターライトステージ)
- Promise of a Lawyer (魔法使いの約束)
CN
- WINNER CrossFire Mobile (穿越火线:枪战王者)
FINALISTS
- QQ Dancer (QQ炫舞)
- Identity V
- JX 3 (剑网3)
- Homecapes
The best new entry into the market during 2020:
US
- WINNER Genshin Impact
FINALISTS
JP
- WINNER Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (オクトパストラベラー大陸の覇者)
FINALISTS
- Genshin Impact
- Magic Sword Legend (魔剣伝説)
- Mini 4WD Super Speed Grand Prix (ミニ四駆 超速グランプリ)
- Disney Twisted Wonderland (ディズニー ツイステッドワンダーランド)
CN
- WINNER The Marvelous Snail (最强蜗牛)
FINALISTS
- Brawl Stars
- Genshin Impact
- Moonlight Blade
- Canal Towns (江南百景图)
The most innovative new feature introduced in a game during 2020:
- WINNER Seven Deadly Sins – World exploration in turn-based RPG
FINALISTS
- PUBG Mobile – Metro Royale
- Hearthstone – Duels, Battlegrounds
- Project Makeover – Meta layer (home design + character appearance makeover)
- Ulala: Idle Adventure – Event framework (Stories), innovative implementation of how non-recurring events are tied together
- Project Sekai Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku (プロジェクトセカイカラフルステージ feat. 初音ミク) – Virtual live concerts
The best in-game event held during 2020:
US
- WINNER Genshin Impact – Unreconciled Stars event
FINALISTS
- Garena Free Fire – Cristiano Ronaldo collaboration
- Roblox – Wonder Woman collaboration
- Call of Duty®: Mobile – Anniversary event
- Marvel Contest of Champions – Hades event
JP
- WINNER War of the Visions FFBE (FFBE幻影戦争 WAR OF THE VISIONS) – Final Fantasy Tactics Collaboration #2
FINALISTS
- Last Cloudia (ラストクラウディア) – Dr. Stone Collaboration
- #Compass (#コンパス) – Final Fantasy XV Collaboration
- Project Sekai Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku (プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat. 初音ミク) – Concert event
- BladeX Lord (ブレイドエクスロード) – Re:Zero Collaboration
CN
- WINNER LifeAfter – v1.0.74 player votes change the event story and world landscape (e.g., with volcanoes and hurricanes)
FINALISTS
- Identity V – Donganronpa collaboration
- The Marvelous Snail (最强蜗牛) – museum collaboration charity event
- Battle of Balls – co-op Battle Pass event
- Sky – Kizuna Ai collaboration
Award Partners
Luna Labs
Luna Labs is a technology company for playable and video ads.
Since 2018, the company’s product suite has been empowering studio partners of all sizes to build, manage, and optimise their creatives – enhancing end-to-end workflows whilst bringing teams together from production to delivery.
To date, Luna has received seed investment from a collective of investors and industry heavyweights, such as Ben Holmes and Chris Lee. Their existing partners include Voodoo, Zynga, Activision, Lion Studios, Rovio and Supersonic, among others.
It is currently headquartered in London, with offices in Belarus, Croatia, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Deconstruction of Fun
Deconstructor of Fun is the primary destination for anyone looking to learn about the business side of free-to-play games.
In addition to a blog that is regularly read by tens of thousands of industry professionals every month, Deconstructor of Fun hosts also one of the most popular video game podcasts in the industry.
Deconstructor of Fun also provides advisory services to developers, publishers, and platforms whether they are looking to grow an individual game, enter a new genre or acquire a games company.