TIGA AWARDS 2026: A Look back at our 2025 winners – Rocket Science - TIGA
In the lead-up to the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2026, we’re revisiting last year’s winners. Here we chat with Ana Paula Villarreal, Marketing Coordinator, Rocket Science, which won the Best In-House. . .
In the lead-up to the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2026, we’re revisiting last year’s winners. Here we chat with Ana Paula Villarreal, Marketing Coordinator, Rocket Science, which won the Best In-House Recruitment & Talent Development. We’ll hear what winning meant to them and get advice for this year’s entrants…What has winning a TIGA Award meant for your studio, and what value do industry awards bring to the wider games sector?Winning meant a great deal, partly because recruitment and talent development is the kind of work that happens quietly in the background. You spend your days helping people find their footing in the industry and building relationships with studios and with people just starting out, and you rarely get a chance to step back and see it all added up in one place. The award gave us that moment, and for the team it was real recognition that the care we put into matching people with the right roles, and into bringing new talent through, is seen and valued. Awards like these matter to the wider sector because they put the quieter parts of the industry in front of people. Plenty of us can name the studios behind the big titles, but far fewer think about who helped staff them, who supported someone through their first role, or who built the links with universities and colleges that bring the next generation in. Recognising talent development tells people coming into games that there is a real and supported way in, and it reminds the rest of the industry that looking after people is worth celebrating as much as shipping a great game. What advice would you give to someone considering entering the awards?Just enter. The hardest part is talking yourself into it, because it is easy to assume the award is meant for someone bigger or louder than you, when the work you do every day is almost certainly stronger than you give it credit for. And whatever the outcome, the process of writing it all down is worth it on its own, because you come away with a clear account of the difference your team has made, which is a useful thing to have whether or not you win. About The TIGA AwardsThe TIGA Games Industry Awards 2026 will take place on Wednesday November 18that Plaisterer’s Hall, London. Nominations are open now, until 1pm on July 29th, and there are categories suitable for all to enter. The Awards are divided into two main groups: the ‘Games Awards’, open to the entire industry, and the‘Business of Games Awards’, which are reserved for TIGA members. In addition, two special accolades will be presented: Outstanding Individual of the Year, selected by TIGA; and Game of the Year 2026, which will once again be decided by attendees at the awards ceremony. TheGames Awardscategories include:Social GameCasual GameEducational, Serious or Simulation GameStrategy GamePuzzle GameArcade GameCreativity in Games AwardHeritage in Games AwardVR/AR/XR/MR GameAction and Adventure GameDiversity AwardAudio DesignVisual DesignNarrative/StorytellingBest Use of a LicenceTheBusiness of Games Awardscategories include:Best Small StudioBest Large StudioPublisherCo-Development PartnerEducational InstitutionTechnical InnovationLegal Services SupplierQA and/or Localisation ProviderRecruitment AgencyTax and Accountancy FirmServices ProviderCommitment to ESG AwardCommitment to Workplace WellbeingEducation InitiativeIn-House Recruitment & Talent DevelopmentAudio Services ProviderArt/Animation/Trailer SupplierOutstanding Leadership AwardThe special awards categories include:Outstanding Individual AwardGame of the Year 2026Shortlists and winners will be determined by a panel of industry experts, except for the Game of the Year Award, which will be voted for by ceremony attendees, and the Outstanding Individual award, which will be selected by TIGA. Click here to enter. The TIGA Games Industry Awards are made possible, thanks to the support of our sponsors. They include Abertay University, Eaton Smith, Lee & Thompson, Supermassive Games and University of Staffordshire (Silver Sponsors); Bournemouth University, Code Wizards, Flix Interactive, Lockwood Publishing, Playground Games, Plus Accounting, Price Bailey, Quantic Lab, Stevens & Bolton and Testronic (Bronze Sponsors). SpecialEffect has once again been chosen as the Charity Partner for the TIGA Awards. This inspirational organisation transforms the lives of physically disabled people right across the world through the innovative use of technology. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are available. To find out more email Suzi Stephenson viasuzi@tiga. org. Tickets are now on salehere.