Ekasjot_Singh
A Grand Celebration of Gaming, Esports, and Metaverse Excellence
Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], March 1: AnimationXpress’ much-anticipated event of the year, the GEM (Gaming, Esports, and Metaverse) Awards 2025, in association with Anime Times, concluded with a spectacular showcase of talent, innovation, and groundbreaking achievements in the Indian gaming, esports, and metaverse industries. The event saw industry leaders, developers, esports teams, content creators, and hardware innovators come together to celebrate excellence in the ever-evolving digital entertainment landscape.
The Prestigious Event
This third edition of the GEM Awards was hosted on February 28, 2025, at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru, as part of Bengaluru GAFX, India’s leading annual conference for the animation, VFX, and gaming industries. The event was supported by the Government of Karnataka and industry giants like Xbox and CyberPowerPC.
On this occasion, AnimationXpress Chief Operating Officer Neha Mehta lauded the winners, saying:
“Congratulations to the incredible game developers, game studios, esports teams, esports organizations, and metaverse companies for pushing the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and passion in gaming and esports. Your dedication has set new standards in the industry, and this recognition is a testament to your unwavering commitment to excellence. Here’s to more groundbreaking achievements ahead!”
Special Recognition Awards
AnimationXpress also presented two special awards to acknowledge outstanding contributions to the Indian gaming and esports ecosystem:
State Contribution to the Indian Esports Industry: Awarded to the Tamil Nadu government for its remarkable efforts in promoting esports through initiatives like the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Trophy 2024. The award was received by Dr. J. Meghanath Reddy IAS, from the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority.
Contribution to Gaming & Esports Industry in India: Conferred upon Rajan Navani, founder and CEO of JetSynthesys, for his visionary leadership and transformative contributions to the industry.
Full List of Winners
Gaming Category
Best Casual Game: Bloom – A Puzzle Adventure by Lucid Labs
Best Hyper Casual Game:
Military Academy 3D by Street Lamp Games
Wobble Gobble by Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology
Best Midcore Game: Artifice: War Tactics by Silvine Game Studios
Best Hardcore Game: 1971: Indian Naval Front by Neosphere Interactive Studios
Best Console Game: Darkarta: A Broken Heart’s Quest by Tuttifrutti Interactive
Best Mobile Game:
Indus Battle Royale by SuperGaming
Ludo Supreme by Zupee (RMG Game)
Best PC Game: Laser Tanks by AbhiTechGames
Best PC Game – International:
Valorant by Riot Games
The Finals by Embark Studios
Best Student Game:
Cognac Metaverse by Aditya Gaurav, Chandigarh University
Heads Off! by Rajath Biju, Hurshwardhan Nashine, Prathamesh Gandhi, Whistling Woods International
Best Gaming Promo:
Unsung Empires: The Cholas I by Ayelet Studio
Jungle Book Snake and Ladder Game by Powerkids Entertainment (Singapore)
Best Game Direction:
Chirag Chopra, Bloom – A Puzzle Adventure by Lucid Labs
Abhishek Vyas, American Dad! Apocalypse Soon by Reliance Games (Zapak Games)
Best Game Producer: Abhishek Vyas for WWE Mayhem, Reliance Games (Zapak Games)
Best Art Direction:
Unsung Empires: The Cholas I by Ayelet Studio
American Dad! Apocalypse Soon by Reliance Games (Zapak Games)
Best Game Score/Music: Andrea Belucci for Artifice: War Tactics, Silvine Game Studios
Best Audio Design: Vishwas for Artifice: War Tactics by Silvine Game Studios
Games for Impact: Little Singham Cycle Race by Reliance Games (Zapak Games)
Best Ongoing Game: Battle Legion by Godspeed Games
Most Anticipated Game:
Unsung Empires: The Cholas II by Ayelet Studio
Kapih by 88 Games
Winds of Arcana: Ruination by Brewed Games (Editor’s Choice)
Best Indie Studio of the Year:
Lucid Labs
Gamebee Studio
Game Studio of the Year: SuperGaming
Metaverse, NFTs, Technology
Metaverse Developer of the Year: Immersive Gamitronics Studios
NFT Creator of the Year: Skoda Auto Volkswagen India for Skodaverse India 1 of 128
Best Custom PC Builder: EliteHubs
Best PC Hardware Brand: Cooler Master
Esports Category
Best Streaming Platform: Rooter
Esports Coach of the Year: Rahul “Osmium” Sharma
Esports Caster of the Year: Ankit “Ankiiibot” Pandey
Best Esports Promo/Commercial: Rivalry Anthem by Ampverse DMI
Best Esports Production:
Tesseract Esports | BGIS 2024
Nodwin Gaming | BGMS Season 3
Esports Commercial Partner of the Year: Hero Xtreme x GodLike Esports
Esports Moment of the Year: Riot Games India & South Asia | Convergence
Esports Athlete of the Year: Jonathan “Jonathan Gaming” Amaral
Esports Tournament Organiser of the Year: Skyesports
Esports Tournament of the Year: BMPS 2024 by Skyesports
Esports Organisation of the Year: GodLike Esports
Best Esports Team:
Gladiators Esports | BGIS
Godlike Esports | CODM
Best Esports Player: Ganesh “SK Rossi” Gangadhar
Fan Choice Awards
Fan Favourite Esports Team of the Year: Team Soul
Fan Favourite Content Creator of the Year: GamerFleet – Anshu Bisht
Fan Favourite Lifestyle Gaming Personality – Male: Ocean Sharma
Fan Favourite Lifestyle Gaming Personality – Female: Kaashvi “Kaash Plays” Hiranandani
Fan Favourite Esports Player – Female: Swayambika “Sway” Sachar
Fan Favourite Esports Player – Male: Jonathan “Jonathan Gaming” Amaral
Most Trending Game of the Year: Battlegrounds Mobile India
Summary
The GEM Awards 2025 was a grand tribute to the relentless passion and innovation in the gaming and esports industries. As India continues to make strides in this domain, these awards serve as an inspiration for upcoming talents and industry pioneers to push boundaries and create a thriving ecosystem.
With gaming, esports, and metaverse technology rapidly evolving, the future holds endless possibilities for Indian developers, players, and innovators.
