On Friday, March 20, 2026, the 19th Fukuoka Game Contest "GFF AWARD 2026" was held at the Fukuoka City Science Museum.
A total of 1,056 works were submitted to this event, which is held with the aim of fostering future game creators!
Which work overcame the fierce competition and seized the Grand Prize?
(Note: This article is about a competition held in Japan. Some of the work titles are unofficial translations. The students' names are displayed in kanji because the correct reading is unknown.)
"GFF AWARD 2026" Final Judging Begins! Who Will Stand at the Top of 1,056 Works?
Saiga NAKOn Friday, March 20, 2026, the final judging for the game software category and the award ceremony for each category of GFF AWARD 2026 were held at the Fukuoka City Science Museum.
This tournament marked its 19th year in 2026, and its excitement continues to grow every year.
There were a total of 1,056 entries across four categories, and the Grand Prize was determined from the four groups that passed the rigorous screening.
Introduction of the Prestigious Judges
The judges who selected the Grand Prize this time included the following five members:
Akihiro Hino, President and CEO of LEVEL5 Inc.
Saiga NAKHiroshi Matsuyama, President of CyberConnect2 Co., Ltd.
Saiga NAKChikako Yamakura, President of GANBARION Co., Ltd.
Saiga NAKNaoto Nakamura, Associate Professor at the Kyushu University Faculty of Design
Saiga NAKNaoki Yoshida, Executive Officer and Head of Square Enix's Creative Studio III
Saiga NAKNaoki Yoshida appeared as a guest judge!
We looked forward to hearing the kind of commentary he would provide.
Final Presentations to Decide the Grand Prize!
Saiga NAKAfter the introduction of the judges, final presentations for the four works that won the Excellence Award were conducted.
Each group gave a three-minute presentation, after which the Grand Prize was decided.
First Group: Kirisomezanka(Wabisabi Kobo)
Saiga NAKLeading off was the 2D action game Kirisomezanka.
Saiga NAKThis was the graduation project of Wabisabi Kobo, a team formed by 11 vocational school students from Osaka.
The work is a 2D action game that pursues the exhilaration of Issen (a flash of a blade).
The presentation, where the character for 斬 (the kanji for "slash") is cut in accordance with the action, tickles the "otaku" heart.
In addition to basic strikes, players can unleash new special moves by equipping Men (masks).
Items such as the demon mask, which allows for powerful iai slashes that reflect off walls, and the Chiko mask, which unleashes high-speed Issen that dashes through floors and walls, allow players to proceed through the game while experiencing exhilaration through diverse actions.
Commentary
Saiga NAKWhile Naoki Yoshida praised the overall cohesiveness and the variation in actions, he pointed out the tediousness of the progression and the suddenness of the boss stage gimmicks.
He suggested that in their next production, creating a game design that unfolds in a shorter time might allow them to play to their strengths.
Saiga NAKHiroshi Matsuyama highly praised the intuitive operability and the actions that provide the expected pleasant sensation.
While taking into account the hardships of the production background, he pointed out the poor tempo and lack of learning opportunities, similar to Naoki Yoshida.
Second Group: Habatake! Chibi Dora Grand Prix(Waku Waku Paradise)
Saiga NAKThe second group was the dragon racing game Habatake! Chibi Dora Grand Prix.
Saiga NAKThis title was produced by a team of five vocational school students from Hokkaido.
It is a racing game where players aim for first place by flying freely through courses, making full use of five unique dragons and items.
The design allows for short races that can be played repeatedly.
The biggest feature of this work is Soar.
By filling a gauge with items and other means, players can consume it to fly through the air and aim for a come-from-behind victory.
Commentary
Saiga NAKAkihiro Hino praised the high level of completion but commented that he was concerned about similarities to Mario Kart.
Furthermore, he emphasized the frustration from a player's perspective regarding the screen freezing each time for tutorial explanations.
Saiga NAKChikako Yamakura highly praised the racing game-style action and sense of speed.
Furthermore, she stated that Soar, the characteristic of this title, was fresh and interesting as an element that increases strategy.
While highly evaluating the operability and game design, she pointed out that the items and gauge are on the left side of the screen, while the map and rankings are on the right, which prevents the viewpoint from being fixed.
Third Group: Utsushiyo: Onmyo no Kagami to Hiyo no Miko(Sairaku)
Saiga NAKThe third group was the 3D puzzle action game Utsushiyo: Onmyo no Kagami to Hiyo no Miko.
Saiga NAKThis work was created by a team of 17 members in total, consisting of 1 planner, 6 designers, 4 programmers, and 6 sound creators.
It is a 3D puzzle action game with the concept of copying, cutting, and unfolding, where players use a sacred treasure to materialize spirit-form ground to progress through the stage.
It is a new sensation puzzle game that requires ingenuity, such as lowering the height of the materialized ground to match the character's jumping power, rather than simply materializing it and moving forward.
Commentary
Saiga NAKNaoto Nakamura praised the unique game design but commented that the tutorial might be insufficient.
Additionally, he pointed out motion sickness during play and advised that it might be better to adjust the default camera position and speed.
Saiga NAKHiroshi Matsuyama praised the technology where parts captured by the camera are materialized and the fact that a large group of 17 people was organized for production.
On the other hand, he pointed out a lack of reality in the game settings and noted that improvements remain for camera speed and other aspects, similar to Naoto Nakamura.
Fourth Group: Battlog(Battlog Production Team)
Saiga NAKAppearing last was the card game Battlog.
The appeal of this calculation card game, where players fight by combining number cards, is the ease with which it can be played without understanding complex rules or effects.
It incorporates knowledge everyone knows—such as addition, subtraction, even numbers, and odd numbers—into the game system while simultaneously achieving high-level tactical depth where the fighting style changes depending on the combination.
It is a work where the exhilaration of defeating tough enemies by combining conditions becomes addictive.
Commentary
Saiga NAKNaoki Yoshida highly praised it, stating that its level of cohesiveness was top-notch.
He revealed that out of the four, this was the one he played the longest.
While praising the game's finish, he proposed trying a game design that assumes a wider range of players, saying, "I wanted guides or explanations for the conditions."
Saiga NAKChikako Yamakura commented, "Even I, who am not good with numbers, could play easily and it was interesting."
Additionally, she highly praised the visual unified in black for matching the world-view.
Finally, the Results Announcement! Who Grabbed the Grand Prize?
It was finally time for the results announcement!
First, the Game Planning category was announced.
The theme was New Axis Open World.
- Excellence Award: Break Shot! (HAL Osaka 小北夢大)
- Prize Winner: Fold the World (HAL Osaka 藤下新史)
- Prize Winner: Lost Journey (ECC College of Computer Science 山田幸弥)
- Prize Winner: Kyutoru (ECC College of Computer Science 津田萌寧)
Next was the Game Graphic Art category.
The theme was Fusion and Harmony.
As sub-themes, the background-type theme was An Attractive New RPG World Where Nature and Civilization Harmonize.
The character-type theme was Those Who Fight at the Boundary Between Fantasy and Modernity.
- Excellence Award: Higan no Chou (HAL Tokyo チョウ ミョウ)
- Prize Winner: Rimainzu-REMAINS- (HAL Tokyo ZHENG XI)
- Prize Winner: Futaribocchi no Hakoniwa（HAL Tokyo 小川眞莉乃）
- Prize Winner: URBAN SLAIN (Nippon Engineering College of Hokkaido 小板陸哉)
- Prize Winner: Remnant:Limits (Joshibi University of Art and Design, Media Art Club)
Next was the AI Game Graphic Art category.
The theme was the same as the Game Graphic Art category.
- Excellence Award: TINY LIGHT ENDLESS FOREST(HAL Naguya 岡本沙樹)
Grand Prize Announcement
Saiga NAKAnnouncing the Grand Prize was the representative of the judges, Akihiro Hino.
Saiga NAKAll presenters waited for the announcement with nervous expressions.
Saiga NAKThe work brilliantly selected for the Grand Prize was...
- Battlog
Saiga NAK山森海人 (right): I'm really happy.
It was worth the effort we put into making it.
(Translated from Japanese)
佐藤朔 (left): There were times when I was worried if this game would really be completed, but I'm very happy to receive an award like this.
(Translated from Japanese)
Saiga NAK
The Battlog Production Team was awarded a certificate by Akihiro Hino, a trophy by Naoki Yoshida, and a supplementary prize of 300,000 yen by Naoto Nakamura.
Saiga NAKNaoki Yoshida: First of all, congratulations to everyone on the Battlog Production Team.
The works of the other teams were also wonderful.
In my overall review, I said some harsh things, but that was because we judges looked at the works you made so hard with sincerity and spoke with sincerity to make them better.
The game industry has various things going on, but it's an incredibly interesting industry, so I hope you will keep your motivation and move straight ahead.Participating in GFF AWARD 2026 this time, I felt once again that this is a passionate event that has supported the energy of the game industry and the young people who aspire to it for about 20 years.
I will also work hard on production at Square Enix so that I can be called back again next year and beyond.
It was an honor to be able to participate today.
Thank you very much.
(Translated from Japanese)
Saiga NAKHiroyuki, who had been speaking at the special game dialogue held before the award ceremony, also appeared at the award ceremony!
Hiroyuki: With the growth of AI, an era has come where even one person can produce games.
The gap between regional areas and cities is also closing, and it is becoming possible to create interesting works even in regional areas, so I want you all to do your best.
Thank you very much for today.
(Translated from Japanese)
Decision to Hold the 20th "GFF AWARD 2027"!
Saiga NAKThe decision to hold GFF AWARD 2027 has been made!
Details are expected to be released around the summer of 2026, so let's follow the GFF official X (@GFF_PR) and wait for follow-up reports!
Saiga NAKArchives of this tournament can be viewed from the Fukuoka Game Industry Promotion Agency Official YouTube channel.
