Last night, the Develop:Star Awards 2026 celebrated the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which took home three prestigious awards.
Sandfall Interactive’s creation was honored with the titles of Best Game, Best Narrative, and Best Audio.
Frontier Developments claimed the title of Best Studio following the launch of Jurassic World Evolution 3, while Landfall and Aggro Crab’s Peak received recognition for Best Original IP.
Both developers also shared the honor of receiving the Best Small Studio award.
Sony Interactive Entertainment was awarded the Publishing Star title, and Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei was acknowledged for its outstanding Best Visual Art.
No Man’s Sky was the proud recipient of the inaugural Best Ongoing Game award, while FuturLab’s PowerWash Simulator was distinguished as the Best Mobile Game.
The esteemed Develop:Star Award was presented to Ustwo Games, the developers behind Monument Valley 3.
“We extend our gratitude to everyone who attended The Develop:Star Awards ceremony last night and offer our congratulations to all the winners and nominees,” expressed Andy Lane, the managing director of Tandem Events.
“It was a remarkable evening dedicated to honoring the incredible work released over the past year and the talented individuals behind it. Our sincere thanks to our sponsors, all who voted, and those who contributed to making the event a memorable success,” Lane continued.
Below is the complete list of award recipients:
- 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 are set to make a return next year on Wednesday, July 14, as part of Develop:Brighton 2027, scheduled from July 13 to July 15.