Kiwi video game makers receive international praise

A screenshot of the game Path of Exile.

Five New Zealand video game makers have been lauded in major international 'Best of 2013' lists.

Path of Exile by West Auckland-based Grinding Gear Games has won GameSpot's PC Game of the Year Award while Turbo Racing League by Wellington-based PikPok was the runner-up for Apple's Best of 2013 Game of the Year.

Indie developer Michael Brough was named one of the Top 10 Game Developers of 2013 by Gamasutra.

The Blockheads by Majic Jungle and Bloons Tower Defence 5 by NinjaKiwi also feature in Apple's Best of 2013.

New Zealand Game Developers Association chairperson, Stephen Knightly said it has been a break-out year for the country's gaming industry.

"Many New Zealand made games have won rave reviews and awards during the year, but to be singled out in retrospectives from the world's leading gaming press and publishers is outstanding. It shows that the quality of New Zealand developers' games count among the best in the world," Knightly said.

In the last financial year, revenue from New Zealand made video games grew 86 percent with the vast majority being digital exports.

"It's great to see commercial success being matched with critical recognition," Knightly said.

About the games:

- Path of Exile is an online Action RPG. After seven years of development, it was launched on October 23 this year and now has over 4.2 million registered users.It's one of the most popular online Role Playing Games in the world today.

-Turbo Racing League puts players in the driver's seat in the world of Turbo, a family-friendly 3D movie released by Dreamworks earlier this year. Over 30 million players have downloaded the game from the Apple App Store and Google Play. As well as the AppStore Best of 2013 it was also a finalist for Google Play's Best Game Based on a Movie.

- Michael Bough is an independent developer of experimental and art games. Born and educated in Auckland he currently lives in the UK. Earlier this year he was a finalist in the Independent Games Festivals' Innovation Award.