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Google Play today announced the winners of its Best of 2021 awards, a collection of apps and games that it has decreed made a positive contribution this year. According to Google Play, the mobile game that gets the top honors is Pokémon Unite, following up on last year’s winner Genshin Impact.
Google honored the game for its “dynamic gameplay and cross-platform experience,” according to Google. The voters nominated Garena Free Fire Max, a mobile battle royale title, to take the top spot in User’s Choice
Pokémon Unite’s producer, Masaaki Hoshino, said in a statement: “We tried to distill the best parts of the MOBA genre to create a new kind of game, but I must admit that I was unsure if it would be well received by players around the world. This award shows that our game has been positively received by fans and the media, and while this is a great relief, at the same time it reaffirms our determination to continue doing our best to make Pokémon UNITE an even more exciting experience that meets our players’ expectations.”
The awards also acknowledged the successes of a number of indie developers on the platform. The winners of the Best Indie award are 7 Billion Humans, Bird Alone, Donut County, My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge, and Puzzling Peaks EXE. The Best Competitive award, on the other hand, was full of AAA mobile titles, including League of Legends: Wild Rift, Marvel Future Revolution, and the big winner Pokémon Unite. The other honorees in that category are Rogue Land and Suspects: Mystery Mansion.
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In non-game awards, the Balance meditation app was named as the Best App of 2021. Other apps honored include Clubhouse, Laughscape, Clementine, and Moonbeam.
Here is the complete list of games that won this year:
Best Game:
- Pokémon Unite by The Pokémon Company
User’s Choice:
- Garena Free Fire Max by Garena International
Best Competitive:
- League of Legends: Wild Rift by Riot Games
- Marvel Future Revolution by Netmarble
- Pokémon Unite by The Pokémon Company
- Rogue Land by Huuuge Games
- Suspects: Mystery Mansion by Wildlife Studios
Best Game Changers:
- Inked by Nuverse
- JanKenUP! by Humita
- Knights of San Francisco by Raindead
- Overboard! by Inkle Ltd
- Tears of Themis by MiHoYo
Best Indies
- 7 Billion Humans by Tomorrow Corporation
- Bird Alone by George Batchelor
- Donut County by Annapurna
- My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge by Devolver Digital
- Puzzling Peaks EXE by AppSir
Best Pick Up & Play
- Cats in Time by Pine Studio
- Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! by King
- Disney Pop Town by Jam City
- Switchcraft by Wooga
- Towers by JOX Development
Best for Tablets:
- Chicken Police — Paint it RED! by HandyGames
- League of Legends: Wild Rift by Riot Games
- My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge by Devolver Digital
- Overboard! by inkle Ltd
- The Procession to Calvary by Joe Richardson
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