2021 Mobile GameDev Awards Winners

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
Genshin Impact (miHoYo) was the standout title of 2020, winning awards for Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay, Best Newcomer in the US and Japan, and Best Event in the US for its 'Unreconciled Stars' campaign.
02
The 2021 Mobile GameDev Awards recognized excellence across six categories: Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay, Most Promising Soft Launch Game, Biggest Evolver, Best Newcomer, Best Feature Innovation, and Best Event.
03
Farlight 84 (Lilith Games) was identified as the 2020 soft launch game with the highest potential for breakout success based on its gameplay design.
04
The 'Biggest Evolver' award, recognizing significant development throughout 2020, was granted to Marvel Strike Force (Scopely) in the US, CrossFire Mobile (Tencent) in China, and Pokémon GO (Niantic) in Japan.
05
Netmarble’s The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross was recognized for Best Feature Innovation for its implementation of world exploration within a turn-based RPG.
06
Regional winners for Best Event included LifeAfter (NetEase) in China, where player votes influenced the game's story and landscape, and WAR OF THE VISIONS (Square Enix) in Japan for its Final Fantasy Tactics collaboration.
07
The awards were determined by an international jury of industry experts, including analysts from GameRefinery, gaming advisors, and representatives from Deconstructor of Fun and Luna Labs.

Summary

The 2021 Mobile GameDev Awards recognize excellence in mobile game design, innovation, and user experience. Rather than focusing solely on financial performance, the awards highlight titles that demonstrate superior gameplay mechanics, creative feature implementation, and engaging live events. The selection process involved an international jury of industry experts, including analysts from GameRefinery, gaming advisors, and representatives from Deconstructor of Fun and Luna Labs.

The awards cover six distinct categories: Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay, Most Promising Soft Launch Game, Biggest Evolver, Best Newcomer, Best Feature Innovation, and Best Event. Regional winners were identified for the United States, Japan, and China in specific categories to account for market nuances. Notable winners include Genshin Impact, which received recognition for both its core gameplay and as a top newcomer, and titles such as Marvel Strike Force, Pokémon GO, and CrossFire Mobile, which were honored for their evolution and sustained engagement throughout 2020.

The findings provide a qualitative snapshot of the mobile gaming landscape during 2020, emphasizing how specific design choices and event strategies contribute to player retention and market success. By analyzing these winning titles, the industry gains insight into the features and development trends that defined high-quality mobile experiences during the period. The resulting report serves as a benchmark for developers and publishers looking to understand the intersection of creative design and effective live-service execution in the global mobile market.