– The entire experience at NGA was incredibly moving and a real boost for the company, says Jannice Coskun Simensen, a student at the Game School in Hamar and co-founder of Infinity Branch Studios.
Norwegian Game Awards (NGA) is Norway’s largest student competition for game development and is undoubtedly the most prestigious event of the year. The awards ceremony took place in Trondheim from 27th to 28th March, and the students from Hamar secured two important prizes.
Most votes from the audience
– The first 250 audience members received golden tickets they could give to their favourite game. We were met with so much support from the audience, so the whole experience was very moving, says Jannice.
At the end of 2023, fellow students Per Kristian Simensen Coskun, Jannice Coskun Simensen, Sarah Røe Skaar, and Julie Ragnhild Kjelsrud established Infinity Branch Studios. Together, they are developing the video game Evolized.
– Evolized is story-driven through a sort of evolution. You start as a single-celled organism, and the goal is to become the top creature in the food chain. It’s kind of like the style of League of Legends, combat from Diablo, and adventure from Zelda, explains Per Kristian.
This game won the audience favourite award, Gamers Choice. It is clear that many are excited about the launch of Evolized, which the students hope will be ready for early access in about two years.
Professional development
The KickAss award was given by judges from Spawn Point, with Evolized being recognised as 'the game with the biggest potential to achieve commercial success'.
– Winning this was incredibly fun because it means we’ll receive further guidance from Spawn Point, which has great experience in helping new game companies. It’s absolutely fantastic to get support from professionals, because we need all the help we can get! says Jannice.
– Now, we’re more fired up than ever and excited to keep working, concludes the team at Infinity Branch Studios.