Every year, Develop:Brighton hosts the Develop:Star Awards, celebrating the best games of the last year, and in 2025, the competition is tough, with Astro Bot, 2025's TGA Game of the Year winner, picking up numerous nominations, alongside Indian Jones and the Great Circle.
While neither of these are Switch games (eternal sadness), we can't deny that they'd both be deserving winners of the Best Audio, Best Game, Best Game Design, and Best Technical Innovation awards, with the pair going against each other in all of those categories. However, they have to compete with other big contenders, such as Split Fiction, Atomfall, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.
The Best Mobile Game nominees, meanwhile, include A Little to the Left, Maid of Sker, Monument Valley 3, Paper Trail, Sniper Elite 4, and PBJ - The Musical. Considering horror games don't often win at award ceremonies like this, particularly a mobile entry, we can't help but root a little for Wales Interactive's ambient indie horror gem, and our Maid of Sker review can tell you exactly how good it is.
Maid of Sker certainly faces some tough competition, though, with the popular FPS game Sniper Elite 4 and the wonderful puzzle game Monument Valley 3. Other categories at this year's Develop:Star Awards include Best Studio, Best Original IP, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art, and Best In-Game Accessibility, the latter of which is new.
If you're a previous Develop:Brighton attendee, you can even have some sway in who wins, as you get to take part in an industry vote to determine the winners. Choose wisely. Then, if you're yet to get your ticket for this year's event, you can book it here, and while you're there, make sure you use our discount code, YEBYRU, to save an extra 10% on your booking.
Develop:Brighton takes place between July 8 and 10 at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, so it's just under two months away at this point. With so many key talks and announcements, you might even learn more about some new Switch games if you attend.