Abertay University games students and graduates win big at UK games festivals

Abertay students and graduates have been celebrating a summer of success after winning big at two UK games festivals.

Current and former University students have been recognised with accolades at both Gamebridge and the Glasgow Indie Games Festival.

Student Success at Gamebridge

Dare Academy 2025’s winning game Galactic Postal Servitude, made by River Boat Games, was named the Best Team Project at Gamebridge on 27 June. The team was also a runner-up in the event’s Pitching Competition.

Three members of Riverboat Games accept their Best Team Project award on stage at Gamebridge. They are joined on stage by the award host. All of them smile to the camera. — Three members of Riverboat Games accept their Best Team Project award on stage at Gamebridge. Photo credit: Gamebridge (Linkedin).

Nothing's Wrong in Subsistia, made by current Abertay student team Daft Newt as part of their third-year Professional Project module, was named runner-up in the Best Team Project category.

Newly-graduated Ollie Kidd won the 3D Character Art award for his work, Moth Shepherd – which was made for their 4th year Honours project and displayed at the Abertay Digital Graduate Show in May.

An image of Moth Shepherd, a high-fidelity 3D video game character created by Abertay graduate Ollie Kidd. The character has brown hair and green eyes, and wears a biege outfit. The background is grey, featurinng rune-type symbols. — An image of Moth Shepherd, a high-fidelity 3D video game character created by Abertay graduate Ollie Kidd. Image Credit: Ollie Kidd.

In the Design Excellence category, third-year student Sean Bermingham came runner up for Bounce Back, a fast-paced 2D platformer where you play as a slime.

Elsewhere, there were Honourable Mentions for two graduates from the Class of 2026 displaying their Honours projects: Abi Loughran in the 3D Environment Art category for Moonlit Offering; and Rainers Zujevs in the Technical Excellence category for A Blank Canvas.

Gamebridge, which took place at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, helps students and graduates prepare for careers in the games sector and the wider creative industries.

Abertay Grad’s Gaelic Chip Shop Horror Goes Down a Storm at GIGF

Meanwhile, Abertay graduate James Muirhead’s Gaelic-language chip shop comedy-horror game, Grease Trap ‘99, was named Best in Show at the Glasgow Indie Games Festival (GIGF).

Set in a Highland fish and chip shop in 1999, and inspired by James’s own experiences working in a chipper, it proved a huge hit with the crowd at the event.

Abertay graduate James Muirhead at the Glasgow Indie Games Festival. He is dressed in a chip shop uniform in reference to his game, Grease Trap '99. He holds an open pizza box with a small figurine inside it. — Abertay graduate James Muirhead at the GIGF, debuting the game Grease Trap '99. Image Credit: Martin Lynagh.

Grease Trap ‘99 takes visual inspiration from PlayStation 1 and 2 games. It is described as a “story-driven retro mystery horror/comedic takeaway simulator”, and was strongly influenced by the game Sauna2000.

Muirhead, who graduated from Abertay’s Games Design and Production course in the class of 2022, said:

“I’ve been working on the project since mid-February, and this was the first time I’d shown the game to the public. I really wanted that first showcase to be in person so I could see players’ reactions, which was a lot of fun. I’ve wanted to make this game for years. After graduating from Abertay, I ended up working in a fish and chip shop before landing my first job in the games industry. Working in the fish and chip shop was just an experience in my life, and I wanted to share some of the funny things I saw while working there and turn them into something fun and playable.

Winning the Best in Show award at GIGF was completely unexpected, especially with so many amazing projects on display at the festival, but it was incredibly exciting. I’ve been working on the game on my own for so long, so it was really rewarding to see it go down so well with the public.

Grease Trap 99’ will be available on Steam from Friday, 17 July.

A still from Grease Trap '99. The retro PlayStation visuals show a platter of chips about to be fried in a fish and chip shop. — A still from Grease Trap '99. Image Credit: James Muirhead.

Lecturer in Game Production, Martin Lynagh, said:

It's very rewarding to see so many of our students achieve recognition for their work from industry professionals, educators and peers at the Gamebridge festival this year, particularly given the exceptionally high standard of entries . The variety of achievements recognised is also extremely gratifying, from Ollie Kidd's success in the 3D Character Art category with his outstanding Honours project, to Sean Bermingham's personal project being named runner-up for Design Excellence, and two games that began life in our Professional Project module, Galactic Postal Servitude and Nothing's Wrong in Subsistia, placing first and second respectively in the Team Project category. We are extremely grateful to the volunteers who organise the festival and these awards are a testament to the hard work, creativity and talent of everyone involved.

It was also fantastic to see Game Design and Production alumnus James Muirhead take Best in Show in a very strong field at the Glasgow Independent Games Festival with the demo for his darkly comic horror game, Grease Trap '99. As James's first project as an independent developer, this is a remarkable achievement, and we will be following the game's development closely.