Mediterranea Inferno Wins Best Italian Game at 2024 Italian Video Game Awards
At the 2024 Italian Video Game Awards, held during First Playable in Florence, the visual novel Mediterranea Inferno won Best Italian Game and Outstanding Experience. Developer Lorenzo "Eyeguys" Redaelli used his acceptance speech to criticize fascism in Italy, prompting IIDEA director general Thalita Malagò to privately apologize to attending institutions. The game, published by Santa Ragione, follows three gay men in Puglia and explores themes of capitalism and heterocispatriarchy. Other winners included dotAGE (Best Debut), Universe for Sale (Outstanding Art), Untold Games (Outstanding Company), and Elisa Farinetti (Outstanding Individual Contribution). The ceremony was streamed on Twitch via Multiplayer.it and held at Cinema La Compagnia.
Key facts
- Mediterranea Inferno won Best Italian Game and Outstanding Experience at the 2024 Italian Video Game Awards.
- Developer Lorenzo Redaelli criticized fascism in his acceptance speech.
- IIDEA director general Thalita Malagò apologized privately to institutions after Redaelli's speech.
- Mediterranea Inferno is a visual novel about three gay men in Puglia.
- Santa Ragione published the game and previously won awards in 2023 and 2021.
- dotAGE won Best Italian Debut Game, developed by Michele Pirovano.
- Universe for Sale won Outstanding Art, developed by Tmesis Studio.
- Untold Games won Outstanding Italian Company and Elisa Farinetti won Outstanding Individual Contribution.
- The ceremony was streamed on Twitch via Multiplayer.it and held at Cinema La Compagnia in Florence.
- The event coincided with the final evening of the Premio Strega.
Entities
Artists
- Lorenzo Redaelli
- Pietro Righi Riva
- Michele Pirovano
- Elisa Farinetti
Institutions
- IIDEA
- Santa Ragione
- Triennale Milano
- Toscana Film Commission
- Multiplayer.it
- Broken Arms Games
- Untold Games
- Tmesis Studio
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Puglia
- Cinema La Compagnia
- Nana Bianca