This Year’s Annual Google Play Awards With Two New Categories, Here are The Nominees

This is the third year for Google Play Awards and Google added new categories this time – augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The nominees are announced, so let’s take a look who will be ‘fighting’ for the gold in 2018.

This year’s annual Google Play Awards nominees have been announced by Google and the winners will be announced on May 7 at Google I/O Conference (Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California).

Here are the categories:

1. Apps
2. Best Accessibility Experience
3. Gaming
4. AR and VR experience

In the first category, you’ll find well-being apps or apps that “empower users to live the best version of their lives, while demonstrating responsible design and engagement strategies.”

• Clue – period-tracking app
• Lifesum – diet planet and calorie counter app
• Headspace – meditation and mindfulness app
• Fabolous – meditation, relax and sleep
• Simple Habit – meditation, health and fitness

The “Best Accessibility Experience” apps are apps or games that can be helpful to those with disabilities or special needs.

• Audio Game Hub – audio-based game
• Be My Eyes – to help blind people with tasks through a video
• Open Sesame – touch free
• Voice Volume Catcher – control your voice

The third category, Gaming, is divided into two categories

1. Standout Indie
2. Best Community Building Game

The “Standout Indie” category is a category for independent developers. Here are the nominees:

• Agent A
• Bridge Constructor Portal
• Flipping Legend
• Old Man’s Journey
• OPUS: Rocket of Whispers

The second or “Best Community Building Game” is all about connecting mobile gamers in a way to complete tasks together and have fun while playing. In this category, we have the following nominees:

• Clash Royale
• Episode
• Lineage 2: Revolution
• Pokemon Go
• PUBG Moblie

Let’s take a look at the numbers, even though we don’t know Google’s criteria:

• Clash Royale – over 21 million downloads, 4,6 score from reviews, active for more than two years.
• Episode – over 1,5 million downloads, 4,3 score from reviews
• Lineage 2: Revolution – this is fresh meat, but a very cool game.
• Pokemon Go – over 10 million downloads, 4,1 score from reviews, active for almost two years.
• PUBG – over 1,5 million downloads, 4,4 score from reviews, active for less than 2 months.

If Google’s criteria include total downloads and how long the game has been active, then Clash Royale and Pokemon Go will fight for the gold. If not, Clash Royale could be walking out with the gold.

For last, there is also AR and VR experience category, “Best AR or VR Experience,” with the following nominees, as the best in this category:

• BBC Earth: Life in VR
• Porshe Mission E
• Asteroids!
• Brickscape
• Figment AR

The winners will be announced on May 7, so until then stay with us and get the latest mobile news.