Floodlight: Gaming in the Public Interest!
“Predatorgate” Wins Top Award at Second Floodlight Investigative Journalism Game Jam
The winning game prototype, described as a “love letter to old school journalism,” is based on an investigative report into Predator spyware by Athens-based outlet Inside Story.
“Predatorgate,” created by developers Izzy Fiacco and Z. Daniel Barnett, has won the top prize in Floodlight Gaming’s second investigative journalism game jam. The winning team will receive $5,000 and a spot in SpielFabrique’s Launchpad Program, which offers individualized industry mentoring and support.
The winner was announced on June 2nd at INDIGO, a Benelux games industry conference held in Rotterdam.
Floodlight Gaming’s goal is to help media outlets engage new audiences and deepen the public’s understanding of complex topics through games. This edition of the investigative journalism game jam challenged developers to build interactive, in-browser games directly from published reporting. Developers were given access to a catalog of investigative stories and had the opportunity to ask questions of the journalists behind the reporting.
“Collaboration between the game creators and the journalists ensures that while developers enjoy full creative freedom, the resulting games remain grounded in the integrity of the original reporting,” said Floodlight Gaming and OCCRP Co-Founder Paul Radu. “We were profoundly impressed with the games submitted for this game jam, and we look forward to helping connect many of the games with the media outlets behind the reporting.”
Gaming industry judges praised “Predatorgate” as “an interesting and captivating story,” noting that its aesthetic and pacing reminded them of “a gritty graphic novel.” In the game, the player assumes the role of an investigator trying to put together the mechanics of the Predator spyware network by auditing emails, financial statements, leaked articles, and hidden documents.
“We’re delighted to see our investigation get another life in a video game and that ‘Predatorgate’ was chosen as the winner,” said Inside Story journalist Eliza Triantafillou, who reported the story with Tasos Telloglou. “Our story is based on a multi-year, complex investigative report on illegal spyware surveillance of Greek journalists, ministers, opposition politicians, judges — it is widely regarded as one of the greatest scandals in recent Greek history.”
“I was thoroughly impressed by Inside Story’s reporting, it was so detailed and a lot of the documents used in the reporting were there in the articles,” said game developer Izzy Fiacco, who spearheaded the design, art, writing, and programming of “Predatorgate.”
“Jams like these are fantastic, especially something like the Floodlight Game Jam, where you’re taking breaking news and turning it into an interactive experience within a few months,” he said.
“I was an investigative political journalist for 12 years,” said game developer Z. Daniel Barnett, who worked on the sound design, music, and voice of the winning game. “In many ways, this game is a love letter to old school journalism.”
Game jam finalists included: “He Was Here Yesterday,” by developers Mia Davey and Lukasz Piotrak, based on reporting by freelance journalist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, and “Influence,” by developers Pol Grasland-Mongrain, Pierre Dupiat, and Julie Dupiat, based on reporting by Rafael Olavarria of Factchequeado.
Floodlight Gaming is an initiative of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Gabo Foundation, in partnership with Anima Interactive, V Ventures, Good Game Generation, Pulitzer Center, ZAM, INDIGO, Games for Change, International Game Developers Association, Global Game Jam, and CCIJ.
In August, 2025, we launched the Floodlight Investigative Journalism Game Jam, which gave game developers across the globe access to investigative reporting about organized crime and corruption to adapt into interactive media experiences.
Topics included tracking a ruthless gang across the Americas, revealing how a crew of Romanian criminals conquered the world of ATM skimming, and how an undercover journalist in Ghana went behind enemy lines to expose a cocoa smuggling network.
Developers were able to directly ask the reporters behind the stories questions throughout the development process and a jury of experts chose five finalists.
“Hunting the Hunter” by Berlin-based Greenwave Games won the top prize and they received $5,000 and a spot in SpielFabrique’s Launchpad Program, which offers individualized mentoring and support.
The winning game is based on an investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas from Ghana, “Hunting the Hunter: Infiltrating the Cocoa Smuggling Underworld of Ghana’s Western Border.” Anas went undercover to expose a deep-rooted network that sabotaged Ghana’s economy, deprived farmers, and threatened national security.
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We are also working on further development with game jam runner-up Polyvale Studios, who created “Dark Money,” based on OCCRP’s Laundromat investigations by hundreds of investigative reporters across OCCRP’s global network. A laundromat is a massive financial vehicle that uses offshores to move money across international borders. Through these systems, money stolen from some of the world’s most vulnerable people is laundered for political influence and personal enrichment.
Click on the image to watch the video
The winner was announced at the inaugural Floodlight Investigative Journalism Gaming Summit, held in Amsterdam on September 24 and live-streamed online. The Summit featured highlights from the game jam finalists as well as discussions between game developers and investigative journalists about storytelling and the crossover between the two industries.
About Floodlight
Floodlight Gaming is an arm of Floodlight: Fiction in the Public Interest, which connects investigative reporting with the film and television industries for adaptations into rich stories.
Created by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the world’s largest investigative journalism organization, and the Gabo Foundation, founded by Gabriel García Márquez to promote journalism and literature, Floodlight is a new approach to storytelling.
Floodlight sources the best investigations from across OCCRP’s global network of journalists and the world to deliver to the film and gaming industries to create entertainment that brings these stories to light for mass audiences.
Thank you to Floodlight’s Gaming Partners:
Anima Interactive is a socially conscious games and immersive media studio that blends art and technology to ignite positive cultural impact.
V-Ventures is the investment arm of Stichting Veronica, which initiates and/or invests in innovative models, people, and instruments that build a vibrant media sector and contribute to a free, flourishing, and pluralistic society.
Good Game Generation fosters a new generation of gamers who embrace conscious and healthy entertainment. GGGen seeks to create social spaces where the passion for video games is shared in a constructive and enriching way.
ZAM is an international multi-media platform celebrating African creativity and new thinking. ZAM presents African independent, public-interest storytelling that exposes systems of kleptocracy, challenges exploitation and defends free expression.
The Pulitzer Center champions the power of stories to make complex issues relevant and inspire action and has a bold vision: to be the venue for the world’s most innovative and consequential reporting, with journalism as the key element for mobilizing society through audience engagement strategies.
And our Community Partners:
INDIGO is the premier business event for the Benelux game industry, connecting game developers, publishers, investors and industry professionals through networking, showcases and expert talks.
Games for Change empowers game creators, students, educators, and social innovators to drive real-world impact through games and immersive media.
Global Game Jam empowers all individuals worldwide to learn, experiment, and create together through the medium of games in a safe and welcoming environment. GGJ holds the world’s largest game creation event, The Global Game Jam, and directly serves 40,000 game creators every year in 100+ countries.
SpielFabrique creates international acceleration and mentoring programs for indie game studios, and brings together all industry stakeholders to create greater understanding, knowledge, and collaboration.
International Game Developers Association is the world’s largest nonprofit membership organization serving all individuals who create games.
Floodlight Gaming is extremely grateful to be supported by the Siros Foundation.
