Secret Mode celebrates 13 nominations at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2024
Secret Mode celebrates 13 nominations at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2024
It’s lucky for some as Secret Mode is nominated for Best Publisher and commitment to ESG, while Still Wakes the Deep, Oil Strike ’75, Loddlenaut, Make Way, and A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars are all recognised
Leamington Spa, UK – 23 September 2024: Secret Mode has run out of fingers when totting this one up: a full baker’s dozen is the final tally of nominations the publisher’s celebrating for this year’s prestigious TIGA Games Industry Awards.
Sumo Group’s internal publisher is nominated in the ‘Best Publisher’ category for the third year running (having celebrated winning the Ukie Best UK Publisher 2024 award earlier this year), as well as the ‘Commitment to ESG Award’ due to multiple charity and player initiatives across its portfolio, and for ocean clean-up adventure Loddlenaut.
In the past 12 months, Secret Mode has enjoyed one of the most diverse and celebrated release schedules for any UK publisher, spanning The Chinese Room’s powerful narrative-horror Still Wakes the Deep, Sumo Digital Academy’s retro-styled companion title Oil Strike ’75, underwater indie clean-up adventure Loddlenaut from Moon Lagoon, chaotic party-racer Make Way from Ice BEAM, and A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars, the second premium expansion for Max Inferno’s multi-million selling puzzle sensation, A Little to the Left. All titles are nominated in this year’s awards.
Still Wakes the Deep, a narrative horror set in 1975 on an oil rig in the North Sea, is nominated in four categories in total: ‘Action and Adventure Game’, ‘Heritage in Games Award’, ‘Creativity in Games Award’, and ‘Audio Design’.
Oil Strike ’75, the mysterious companion title from the Sumo Digital Academy’s 2024 student cohort, has two nominations to celebrate, in both the ‘Best Arcade Game’ and the ‘Heritage in Games’ award. This represents the second year running for which Sumo Digital Academy has featured in both categories, having been nominated for its work on Zool Redimensioned in 2023.
A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars, the multiple-solution themed expansion to the cosy puzzle game about sorting household objects into pleasing arrangements, is also nominated for two awards: ‘Best Puzzle Game’ and ‘Casual Game’.
Make Way, the incredible party DIY-racer from Scottish studio Ice Beam, drifts onto the scene with award nominations in the ‘Social Game’ and ‘Arcade Game’ categories.
Finally, indie wholesome highlight Loddlenaut, in which players help to depollute an oceanic planet and befriend cute axolotl-like aliens, is nominated for the ‘Casual Game’ award. The game’s thoughtful approach to climate messaging and Secret Mode’s charity-filled marketing campaign for Loddlenaut plays a significant part in the publisher’s ‘Commitment to ESG Award’ nomination.
“This has been Secret Mode’s biggest year ever, and it’s all down to the incredible talent of all the development partners who are nominated in this year’s TIGA Games Industry Awards,” says James Schall (He/Him/His), Vice President of Publishing Strategy at Secret Mode. “The world has fallen in love with their games, and we’re so proud to help these amazing creators bring their projects to life.”
In addition to Secret Mode’s 13 nominations, parent company Sumo Group is celebrating many more nominations throughout Sumo Digital.
The TIGA Games Industry Awards take place on 28 November, 2024. For the full list of nominees and event details, please visit the official website: https://tiga.org/awards/2024-shortlist
