It’s the most wonderful time of the year. That’s right, it’s Game Awards season! A time to cozy up by the TV/PC for the “Oscars of gaming” as the year’s best AAA and indie games are recognized for their impact on the $455 billion+ video game industry. On December 12, The 2024 Game Awards celebrated their 10th anniversary at Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, while simultaneously streaming on YouTube and Twitch, as they honoured outstanding achievements and shared exciting gaming news for 2025.
Speaking of exciting news, Vancouver Film School’s alumni were part of the immeasurable impact that gaming made on the global creative industry in 2025. We’re excited to report that 206 VFS alumni were credited on projects recognized at The Game Awards – 136 on nominated games and 70 on winning games. These alumni were from Vancouver Film School’s Game Design, 3D Animation & Visual Effects, Film Production, Writing for Film, Television & Games, Animation Concept Art, Classical Animation, Acting for Film & Television, Programming for Games, Web & Mobile, and Sound Design for Visual Media programs - proof that game making spans such a wide variety of creative mediums!
In case you missed it, watch the full ceremony below:
Here’s a breakdown of these numbers across this year’s Game Awards:
- League of Legends, featuring the talents of 31 VFS alumni, won Best Esports Game.
- 29 Vancouver Film School graduates were credited on EA Sports FC 25, which picked up a win for Best Sports / Racing.
- 3 VFS audio designers were part of the team behind Best Audio Design-winner Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, which also picked up Best Performance for actor Melina Juergens.
- 5 VFS alumni from Beyond Capture Studios worked on both Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Asgard's Wrath 2.
- Other nominated/winning games where Vancouver Film School alumni were credited are Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Baldur’s Gate 3, Fallout (TV series), and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
This year’s awards were full of surprises and big announcements. Astro Bot emerged the victor of the night, taking home the coveted Game of the Year award and Best Direction, while Metaphor: ReFantazio won Best Narrative and Best Art Direction, and Neva won Games for Impact. Additionally, there were announcements aplenty for highly anticipated 2025 releases, including Split Fiction, a brand-new game from the makers of 2021’s Game of the Year-winner It Takes Two, 2K Games’ upcoming Borderlands 4, and – perhaps most exciting of all – a new standalone game in the Elden Ring universe – Nightreign.
Last year’s Game Awards was a similarly momentous event for Vancouver Film School’s alumni:
- Both Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 and Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 cleaned up, collectively taking home 9 awards with ‘Game of the Year’ going to the former and ‘Best Narrative’ to the latter.
- 10 VFS grads worked on Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Writing for Film, Television & Games alum Tyler Burton Smith was a Senior Writer on Alan Wake 2.
- A Shell in the Pitt – a sound design company started by VFS grads – was credited on two games, Goodbye Volcano High and Tchia, the latter of which won for Impact.
206 VFS alumni were credited on League of Legends, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, EA Sports FC 25, and other games at The 2024 Game Awards. Regarding the video game industry at large, there’s no better way to end the year than with The Game Awards. Beyond the recognition and the trophies, the ceremony is a great reminder that the global game industry is stronger than ever and continuing to grow (expected to reach nearly $700 billion by 2029!). This means that for aspiring game designers and game developers, there’s never been a better time to join this industry. Want to learn how to become a video game designer in 2025? If you’re interested in being fully trained for the video game industry as a Game Artist, Level Designer, or Coder, Vancouver Film School’s Game Design education gets you there FASTER – in just 1 year! Click here to learn all about the program, the advantages of training at VFS (like our 64,000 cubic foot motion capture volume!), and more.
FAQ
1. How many VFS alumni worked on Game Awards-winning games?
70 Vancouver Film School alumni worked on award-winning games at the 2024 Game Awards. An additional 136 alumni were credited on nominated games, indicating the overall impact of VFS graduates on the global gaming industry.
2. Which programs at VFS prepare students for careers in the gaming industry?
The programs available through VFS’s School of Games and Creative Design – Game Design and Programming for Games, Web & Mobile – predominantly train aspiring game designers. Graduates of VFS’s School of Animation programs, including 3D Animation & Visual Effects and Animation Concept Art, also find great success in the game industry. Learn more about VFS’s award-winning programs here.
3. What is the role of VFS alumni in AAA and indie game development?
VFS alumni contribute as game designers, level designers, animators, writers, sound designers, and more. Their expertise spans AAA titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 to indie projects like Goodbye Volcano High.
4. Are there other Vancouver Film School success stories in gaming?
Read about other VFS game design success, including alumni credits on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Big Foot Studios’ work on the Until Dawn remaster, and our recent graduates’ Unity Awards nomination for their game Project: Haste.
5. How can I start a career in the video game industry with VFS?
Ranked the #1 Game Design program in Canada (Princeton Review Journal), VFS’s accelerated Game Design program fast-tracks gaming careers by getting you fully trained for your industry career in just 1 short year. Students have access to industry-standard tools like motion capture, Unity & Unreal Engine labs, ASUS hardware, & game labs, and receive instruction & mentorship from seasoned industry professionals. Students graduate having built a game design portfolio including a retail-ready game.