"Keep Driving" secures the Grand Prize at the DevGAMM Awards

Keep Driving wins DevGAMM Awards 2025 — Image credit: DevGAMM

The pixelated RPG, "Keep Driving," by Swedish developers YCJY Games, clinched the Grand Prize at the DevGAMM Awards, a competition catering to indie and small studio developers. They received a $20,000 check, part of a $135,000 prize pool. Among the 15 awarded games, "Despelote" by Julian Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena received honors for Excellence in Narrative, while "Promise Mascot Agency" by Kaizen Game Works was spotlighted for the Epic Games Store Indie award, and Lichthund's "Rockbeasts" excelled in audio.

Kaizen Game Works win at the DevGAMM Awards — Kaizen Game Works won the Epic Games Store Indie Spotlight award | Image credit: DevGAMM

"Glasshouse" by FLAT28 Collective earned Developers Choice, and the community voted for "Misery" from Platypus Entertainment x Ytopia. This year's edition had 63 nominees selected from 610 submissions.

The awards capped off the biennial DevGAMM Lisbon conference, which drew 1,122 participants. Keynote speaker Chris Charla, Xbox's general manager of portfolio and programs, addressed common pitfalls in game launches. The event featured presentations and workshops from over 60 industry experts, including Raphaël Joffres from Sandfall Interactive, with 80 games showcased.

Participants at DevGAMM Lisbon hailed from various countries, with 44% from Portugal, and smaller delegations from the UK (7%), Poland (5%), and Spain (5%). Women made up approximately 33% of attendees.

Myriad Cristal Center DevGAMM Lisbon — DevGAMM Lisbon was held in the Myriad Cristal Center | Image credit: Lewis Packwood

The event followed the inaugural Madeira Games Summit on November 3 and 4, focusing on leaders in the gaming sector. Highlights included discussions hosted by GamesIndustry.biz's features editor Lewis Packwood with notable industry figures such as Ustwo Games CEO Maria Sayans and Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen. Other speakers included Henrique Olifiers, CEO of Bossa Studios, among others.

The following list details the DevGAMM Awards winners in alphabetical order:

Battle Cars: Nitro PvP Shooter (TinyBytes) – Game Changer Award by Aptoide
Breathedge 2 (RedRuins Softworks) – Most Anticipated Game
Crowded – A Crow Citybuilder (Nestwork Games) – Best System & Strategy Indie Game by Astra Logical
DDoD (The Future Entertainment Company) – Best Indie Game by TinyBuild
Despelote (Julian Cordero and Sebastian Valbuena) – Excellence in Narrative
Drop Duchy (Sleepy Mill Studio) – Excellence in Game Design
Glasshouse (FLAT28 Collective) – Developers Choice
Hell Maiden (AstralShift) – Best Game from Portugal
Keep Driving (YCJY games) – Grand Prize
Misery (Platypus Entertainment x Ytopia) – Community Vote
Promise Mascot Agency (Kaizen Game Works) – Epic Games Store Indie Spotlight
Rockbeasts (Lichthund) – Excellence in Audio
Stretchmancer (Triangle Wave) – Best Innovation
Tukoni: Forest Keepers (Dream Operator) – Excellence in Visual Art
What the Clash? (Triband) – Best Mobile Game

Disclosure: GamesIndustry.biz's travel and accommodation for the event was supported by DevGAMM.