Nominated in Swedish Game Awards 2026

Futuregames student game SUBOPTIMAL nominated at Swedish Game Awards

We are proud to announce that SUBOPTIMAL, created by Futuregames students under the team name WeCanDoBetter Games, has been nominated for Best Technology at the Swedish Game Awards: New Talent 2026.

SUBOPTIMAL is a chaotic four-player online co-op adventure in which players work together to pilot a falling-apart submarine through a dark underwater cave system in search of Captain Mega-Hook’s lost treasure.

Each player controls a different part of the submarine, making teamwork and communication essential. The crew must coordinate their movements, repair leaks, avoid dangerous wildlife and try to keep the vessel from sinking.

The nomination for Best Technology recognises the technical skill, creativity and collaboration behind the project. SUBOPTIMAL is one of four games competing in the category at this year’s Swedish Game Awards: New Talent.

The team behind SUBOPTIMAL consists of Futuregames students Riley Elwell and Max Hjort as Technical Designers, Yanlin Liu and Victor Chéronet as Level Designers, and Marcus Persson, Linus Jernström and Yasmin Adas as Programmers. Milia O. Zetterberg and Antonia Mertes also contributed animation support and the submarine model.

The nominated games will be presented at the Swedish Game Awards: New Talent Showcase in Stockholm on 10 September. Visitors will be able to playtest selected nominated games and meet the teams behind them. The award ceremony takes place at Bio Skandia on 11 September 2026.

Congratulations to the entire team, and best of luck at the awards!

the Team

Technical Designers

• Riley Elwell
• Max Hjort

Level Designers

• Yanlin LIU
• Victor Chéronet

Programmers

• Marcus Persson
• Linus Jernström
• Yasmin Adas

Animation help and Submarine model

• Milia O. Zetterberg
• Antonia Mertes

Useful links

• SUBOPTIMAL on Steam
• Interview with the team