In addition to the three categories, the Italian Video Game Awards will also honor the worthy winners of Outstanding Italian Company and Outstanding Individual Contribution.

"There is so much talent in the Italian game industry that it is a privilege to play a role in promoting and celebrating it," said Thalita Malagò, executive director of IIDEA."The Italian Video Game Awards shine a spotlight on the growth and excellence of our industry. Seeing the work being produced by both larger studios and indie developers, it's clear that the future of the Italian game industry is bright."

The jury for this year's awards was drawn from a variety of perspectives, including both game industry leaders and leading members of the trade press. Renowned game developer, studio founder and consultant Rami Ismail, former PlayStation Access presenter and current Head of Influencers and Engagement at Frontier Developments Hollie Bennett, and Jon Goddard of Metaverse developer Lockwood Publishing and formerly Jagex brought their vast industry experience and expertise to the judging panel.

Video game trade media leaders brought their broad, industry-wide knowledge to the judging panel to evaluate submissions at the highest level. MCV/DEVELOP's editor Richie Shoemaker, GamesRadar's global editor-in-chief Sam Loveridge, and Vikki Blake, whose work has been featured in some of the world's biggest games B2B and B2C media including BBC, Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.biz, MTV and PC Gamer, made up the second half of the judging panel.

For all nominations for this year's awards and information about the jury, visit firstplayable.it/italian-video-game-awards/. The Italian Video Game Awards ceremony will take place on July 5 at 18:00 CEST, hosted by internationally recognized game industry presenters, and can be streamed in English via FirstPlayable on Twitch.