Beethoven & Dinosaur's nostalgic title praised by judges for being "a triumph in virtual storytelling"

The winners of this year's Australian Game Developer Awards have been revealed, with Beethoven & Dinosaur's Mixtape receiving three awards, including Game of the Year alongside Excellence in Art and Sound Design.

AGDA judges praised Mixtape as "a triumph in virtual storytelling, pairing a distinct visual identity with heartfelt music to deliver one of the most memorable experiences in recent memory."

Tempo Lab Games' rhythm game Bits & Bops received two awards, including Excellence in Gameplay and Accessibility.

Canberra-based Uppercut Games won Studio of the Year "for fostering a diverse team and company culture that emphasises collaboration and respect".

Known for the Submerged series, Uppercut Games is currently working on Magicians: The Devil's Deal, which is set to launch in 2027.

Other winners included Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz) for Excellence in Narrative, Malys (Summerfall Studios with Belinda Coomes and Montaigne) for Excellence in Music, Key Fairy (Owl Machine) for Excellence in Debut.

This year's ceremony also included the inaugural Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) Legacy Award, which was won by Riot Games principal software engineer and industry veteran Tony Albrecht for his "commitment and advocacy for the ANZ video game community."

Synty Studios games marketing expert Amy Potter-Jarman and Gameloft associate lead cinematic and lighting artist Tyson Butler-Boschma were awarded the 2026 Rising Star Award.

The Adam Lancman Award was given to Secret Lab and Yarn Spinner creative director Paris Buttfield-Addison. He is also president of Tasmanian Game Makers.

"This year's selection of winners and finalists is a great showcase of Australia's games industry," said Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA).

"The breadth and diversity of submissions across all our categories from across the country represents the remarkable talent we have here and the maturity of the Australian video game industry. On behalf of IGEA, I'd like to thank and congratulate the finalists, winners, and judges for their work and commitment in making the Australian video game industry what it is today."

Curry continued: "Behind every great Australian game and individual is a robust ecosystem that allows them to flourish. Support from state, territory and federal governments not only drives growth but enables Australian studios to take creative risks, create more jobs, and compete on the global stage. Continued government funding is crucial in ensuring Australia continues to produce great games that are exported to the rest of the world."

Earlier this week, the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) doubled its Digital Games Fund (DGF) to $1 million to support local developers.

The DGF now offers funding streams across three stages of development and has introduced the Game Studio Placement Program to support paid placements for early- and mid-career creators in local studios.

Here's the full list of winners for the Australian Game Developer Awards 2026:

• Game of the Year: Mixtape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
• Excellence in Art: Mixtape
• Excellence in Gameplay: Bits & Bops (Tempo Lab Games)
• Excellence in Narrative: Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (Abandoned Sheep with SuperTonic, Actuator Digital & Translationz)
• Excellence in Sound Design: Mixtape
• Excellence in Music: Malys (Summerfall Studios with Belinda Coomes and Montaigne)
• Excellence in Accessibility: Bits & Bops
• Excellence in Extended Reality: Hyper Bullet (Protostar)
• Excellence in Impact: Bluey's Happy Snaps (Gameloft Brisbane with BBC Studios, Ludo Studio & Bandai Namco)
• Excellence in Debut: Key Fairy (Owl Machine)
• Excellence in Ongoing: Static Shift Racing (Timbo Jimbo)
• The Rising Star: Amy Potter-Jarman and Tyson Butler-Boschma
• The Adam Lancman Award: Paris Buttfield-Addison
• The GCAP Legacy Award: Tony Albrecht
• Studio of the Year: Uppercut Games

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