Aussie game wins coveted Golden Joystick award

An Australian indie game has taken home one of the games industry’s most-coveted awards after duking it out with tough competition

The 40th Golden Joystick Awards took place on Tuesday night, and the Australian-developed Cult of the Lamb managed to score a win against some tough competition.

Cult of the Lamb, by Melbourne-based developer Massive Monster, took home the Best Indie Game award in what’s generally considered the most prestigious awards ceremony in the games industry. It was up against games like Tunic, Neon White, and Teardown, all of which have been massively well-received since their respective releases (thanks GamesRadar!).

In an acceptance speech following the announcement of the award, Creative Director of Massive Monster Julian Wilton thanked publisher Devolver Digital for helping them get the game out in the world, as well as fans of the game.

“Thank you to Devolver as well for kind of being weirdos and giving us a chance on this game,” Wilton said, “As well as to all the members of our community for perverting this award for us, for all your support, for the incredible fine art and cosplay and everything. You really are the greatest cult in the world.”

Cult of the Lamb was released in August, and was met with near-universal acclaim from critics and players alike. It was praised for its unique and interesting art style, fun mechanics, fluid combat, and morbid theming, which sees the player take on the role of a cult leader and progressively grow its membership.

As many expected, quite a few of the Golden Joystick awards ended up going to Elden Ring, the latest “Soulslike” game from legendary developer FromSoftware. Elden Ring took home two awards for its visual design and its multiplayer gameplay, as well as the Critic’s Choice award and the Ultimate Game of the Year. Developer FromSoftware also picked up the Studio of the Year award, just to top it all off.

Elden Ring won a total of five awards across separate categories, and is likely to pick up more in next month’s Game Awards. Picture: Bandai Namco

Cult of the Lamb may yet bring home another prestigious award this year, after nominations were revealed for the 2022 Game Awards. Like the Golden Joysticks, Cult of the Lamb is nominated for the Best Indie award, where it stands a pretty good chance of taking home the trophy once again.

Australia has a strong recent history with its indie games, with titles like Adelaide-developed Hollow Knight and Brisbane-developed Golf Story punching well above their weight on the global market. The latter Aussie indie game, Golf Story, is getting a sequel soon, titled Sports Story and due for a December release.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.