Video game developers from across Ireland gathered in Galway city for the 6th annual FÍS Games Summit last week, while local gamers scooped major prizes at the Imirt Awards.
Imirt is the Irish Game Makers Association, and the FÍS summit is recognised as a red letter event for the Irish games industry. It was held at the Radisson Red Hotel last Friday April, 24.
Hosted by Galway-based Ardán, the summit hosted international speakers addressing issues of creativity, design, equality, representation, and the challenges posed by AI.
Galway game developers, Spooky Doorway, scooped the coveted Game Of The Year Award for The Séance of Blake Manner. This gothic mystery game, set in 19th-century Ireland, has enjoyed enormous critical acclaim and an enthusiastic reception by players.
As Spooky Doorway CEO, Paul Conway, said, “it has raised the profile of our studio”.
In his keynote speech to the summit, Conway said Irish game studios and developers have something unique to offer through Irish culture.
“We wanted to make Irish video games. We didn't just want to make video games made in Ireland. We wanted video games about Irish stories,” he said. “Our culture is unique. It's special. We know we have stories to tell there. There’s hidden gems that the rest of the world hasn't seen; unmined depths. Our history has everything we wanted to put into a game - Irish mythology or folklore, themes of generational guilt, loss and regret, the effects of colonialism.”
Echoing the Summit’s theme of the importance of representation and diversity, Spooky Doorway also broke new ground in The Séance of Blake Manor through the character of Domhnall Ó Finn.
Cultural research
“He is an Irish Traveller character, and as far as we know, he's the first Irish Traveller in a video game that is voiced by an Irish Traveller, " said Conway. “For the international characters in the game, we spoke with cultural consultants relative to each background to help us portray their cultures and religions more accurately and respectfully, and that really deepened their stories.”
Such detail and dedication were rewarded during the Imirt Awards. Held each year at the FÍS Games Summit, they celebrate the best of Irish game development and creativity on both sides of the border.
As well as Game of the Year, Spooky Doorway also took home Best Game Design and was Runner-up in the Best Narrative and the Best Game Audio categories.
There was further recognition for Galway’s pivotal role in gaming when Galway-based Alanna Kelly, founder of the Galway Game Jam, won the Community Hero award, an all-Ireland recognition of an individual's contribution to the gaming community.
“Galway Game Jam has really helped build up the game development community, and it's grown from strength to strength every year,” said Kelly. “The most important thing about what we can do is that it's the community that makes it: people turning up, coming to game jams and building it up from there.”
Galway game developers dominated the IMIRT Awards with Kirsty Halloran and Sam Redfern of Galway-based Psychic Software winning Best Storytelling and Best Technical achievement for The Necromancer’s Tale; Enigma Studios’ Jamie Gavin took Most Anticipated Game for TÖLT; and comedian Steve Bennet earned a Runner-Up in the Analogue Game category for Spansion Packet - Dungeons and Naggins.
Guests at FÍS 2026 included game developer Nic Tringali; Anna Brandberg (Lead UX Designer: Dune: Awakening, Metal: Hellsinger ); the award-winning Gareth Damian Martin, best known for the games In Other Waters and Citizen Sleeper ); and Sybil Collas (Vice Chair for the European Executive Agency for Education Culture, and co-founder of French collective Radi ).
