////////////////////////// Game Developer consistently strives to provide developers with information,
news, and articles that pertain directly to them. The Front Line Awards are an official way for
us to honor a specific aspect of the industry: the tools that developers need to do their jobs.
Each year, we look at the lineup of new products and new releases of important tools in the categories of
game engines, art tools, middleware, audio tools, and programming/production tools. Recognizing the evolving
nature of game development, we also added a Networking tools category to the awards that reflects the
growing importance of connected gaming.
The Front Line Award winners on display here represent the most innovative, user-friendly, and useful
products from behind the scenes of the world’s best video games. In addition to the Front Line Award winners,
we also want to pay special tribute with our Hall of Fame Award to a product that has made a lasting impact on
the game industry year after year (and which was also not eligible to win in its specific category).
Nominations for this year’s Front Line Awards were open to all new software products and new versions of
software products related to game development released between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2010.
In determining the winners of the 2010 awards, we went through a multistep process. Open nominations were
held in October, and from that list, we consulted with our advisory board to narrow down the results to five
entries in each category. We then handed the finalists over to you, the readers of Game Developer, via an online
survey in November, so that you could have a voice in picking the recipients of the Front Line Awards. After
tabulating the survey responses, we are proud to present the winners along with commentary by developers
from throughout the game industry. A special thanks goes out to everyone who contributed to this year’s Front
Line Awards and congratulations to all the finalists and winners.
—Jeffrey Fleming
www.gdmag.com 15
