Apple's App Store Awards 2022 brings surprises and VR hype for next year

techradar.com:

Apple has announced the winners of the App Store Awards 2022, with BeReal – the new social platform that has you snapping and sharing a pair of photos (one from your phone's front and one from the back camera) each day, took the App of the Year award this year.

The App Store Awards(opens in new tab) is a yearly event where Apple recognizes developers and the apps they've created that have made the biggest impact on its users and the company. Whether that’s in social media, games or sport, they take advantage of the hardware and software that Apple's recently brought out.

There were a bunch of games that were highlighted this year, such as Wilde Flowers(opens in new tab) and Inua(opens in new tab) winning the Apple Arcade game of the year and Cultural Impact award respectively, while GoodNotes 5(opens in new tab), developed Time Base Technology Limited, took the iPad App of the Year award.

It's interesting to spot that there's 16 winners here, rather than 15 of the previous years – that's because there's a new 'China Game of the Year' added to the roster, which only shows the breadth of how one country is making an impact on the App Store.

With this in mind, TechRadar reached out to the developers of Wylde Flowers, Gentler Streak and Inua about plans for their apps in the near future, after winning these awards from Apple.

Available on Apple Arcade(opens in new tab), Wylde Flowers is a game reminiscent of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, where you control the protagonist – Tara, building and running a farm during the day while also moonlighting as a witch during the night.

Developed by Studio Drydock, the developers told us that they were proud to receive the Apple Arcade game of the year, but that there's also an upcoming