We are excited to unveil the MSXdev26 jury panel! Staying true to tradition, this year’s line-up unites a distinguished team of international MSX veterans, ready to review and score every submitted game.
A game contest without a jury just wouldn’t feel like a real compo, would it? That’s why we’ve brought together an extraordinary group of MSX enthusiasts, dedicated to reviewing the creations of others. This team of giants combines a wide spectrum of skills and passions, ready to share insights and enhance the MSX experience for everyone.
Ladies and gentlemen, the jurors for MSXdev26 are: Hayo Rubingh, Jeroen Derwort, Óscar Toledo Gutiérrez, Wim Dewijngaert, and Naoki Ito, forming a five-member international jury panel.
With this panel of jurors, we have a broad range of expertise on board to give a good balanced outcome for the ranking of this edition’s game list.
Judging
The juror panel will evaluate each game based on its quality and provide a rationale for their scores. The list of scores will be published, and the winner will be declared once all games have been assessed by the panel. Additionally, the jurors’ individual scores and justifications will be accessible for public download as a PDF file from the official MSXdev website.
Just like last year, all entries will be judged as they are, without separate categories. Each juror gives a score between 1 and 100, with higher numbers indicating better performance. The total score of the game comes from adding up the individual scores given by all the jurors. Simple and transparent. Ties are broken by awarding extra points. Jurors are free in their scoring method and to designate honorable mentions where they see fit.
Jury deliberation officially starts right after the game-submission deadline of MSXdev26 which is March 2027. The jurors are given a few weeks to reach a final conclusion, which we will bring forward shortly after that.
Jury introduction
The talented and respected group of jurors takes on the important job of carefully reviewing each MSXdev26 entry, providing honest yet always encouraging feedback. This role is much more than just a duty; it’s a remarkable commitment that showcases their passion, skill, and dedication. Here’s a look at the panel.
Óscar Toledo Gutiérrez (Mexico)
Not a stranger to MSXdev, Óscar has been a participant in earlier editions delivering creative games that resonated well within the community. He is the brilliant mind behind the multi-computer compiler CVBasic, and co-founder of Mexico’s MSX meeting events.
Óscar Toledo Gutiérrez, better known as “nanochess”, has been passionate about MSX since 1986, when he first discovered an issue of Input MSX magazine. Soon after, he was glued to the keyboard, turning game ideas into code. Known for MSX titles like Zombie Near, Princess Quest, Mecha-8, and Mecha-9, he unveiled Metro Wars for MSX2 last year, created with his new CVBasic compiler.
CVBasic is a cross‑platform BASIC compiler that lets you write a single BASIC program and compile it for various 8‑bit systems, including MSX1 and MSX2. Recent MSXdev editions have featured output from this compiler, enabling developers to turn BASIC code into fast machine code and create complete ROM games.
Óscar also co-founded the “MSX México Meet” events, uniting fellow geeks to enjoy 8-bit fun through exhibitions, demos, and mini workshops.
He now splits his time between freelance work, selling restored retro hardware, and writing books and articles on software development, while spending his free time playing Metal Gear 2 on his Sony HB-F1XDJ.
We are proud having you onboard the panel, Óscar.
Wim Dewijngaert (Belgium)
Known for his outstanding writings on MSX games, Wim Dewijngaert is well-acquainted with the MSX community. From early magazine contributions to international teletext art and a Konami legacy book, he takes his 8-bit passion seriously – perfect credentials for an MSXdev juror.
Wim has been orbiting the MSX universe since its early days, and in 1985 he joined MSX Club Magazine, a Dutch-language print magazine all about the 8-bit phenomenon. There, he wrote the gaming tips section, which was later compiled into the “The big Peeks, Pokes and Tricks” book series. He basically became the MSX cheat‑code librarian with that.
He took this book-writing idea a bit further and began working on “Konami’s MSX Legacy, the unofficial story”, which he released in 2019. Packed with over 800 full-color pages, this book – or should we say bible – delves deep into Konami’s iconic MSX catalogue, mixing history, trivia and, of course, tips, tricks and maps, and is a treasure for every fervent MSX gamer.
Nowadays, Wim works as a web designer in Brussels, Belgium, and keeps his passion for low-res pixel art alive through his teletext-art creations, showcasing them on international TV stations.
We are delighted to have Wim joining our juror panel.
Hayo Rubingh (the Netherlands)
From Dutch soil comes Hayo, a seasoned MSX devotee who brought us plenty to watch, hear, and enjoy on those classic CRT screens. With FAC Soundtracker, he made waves while freelancing for the MSX Computer Magazine, later co-founding its online archive. Still passionate about the machine, Hayo now brings his dreams to life using modern tools.
If you’re old like us, you probably remember the demo scene of the late eighties in full swing, watching 8-bit wizards pull off crazy feats just to show off their skills. If not, hop in a time machine and check out Hayo, one of the pioneers. With his group FAC, he created some of the first MSX demos and had a knack for adding MSX-audio samples to impress. Which lead to perhaps the most impactful piece of software for that demo scene, FAC Soundtracker, or FST for short.
FST was the first tracker-style music program for the MSX, sparking a revolution that inspired musicians to create MSX soundtracks and paving the way for many outstanding successors that refined and expanded the concept in countless ways. Alongside developing the software, Hayo also worked on several music disks and demos with the enthusiastic support of like-minded MSX geeks.
Hayo contributed articles to MSX Computer Magazine and later worked at its publishing company as a systems engineer and editor – all under the watchful eye of the legendary end-boss Wammes Witkop. In 2012, he co-founded an online archive of MSX Computer Magazine and MCCM with former colleagues and other MSX enthusiasts. The site offers over 6,500 pages of MSX history, and visitors can even launch published BASIC listings directly through the WebMSX emulator.
Hayo keeps his 8-bit heart beating these days by experimenting with new modern tools to create MSX tools, games and other projects, and even come full circle by recreate classic software like FST itself for the web. Check out all his tinkering at https://rubikonlab.com/
Dinosaurs are hanging out at the juror table with Hayo – welcome!
Jeroen Derwort (the Netherlands)
Another Dutchman at the juror’s table is Jeroen Derwort, a man of many talents and a deep affection for the MSX computer system. He dabbled in BASIC and chip-tune compositions, contributing to several MSX productions. Later in life, he pursued his passion for computer science, built a career around it, began organizing MSX meetings, and eventually became chairman of the Dutch Games Association.
Isn’t MSX-BASIC just perfect for figuring out how to use that strange machine you’ve just booted up? That’s probably what drew Jeroen into exploring this mysterious world of 8-bit curiosity. As he got more familiar with the concept, he began creating games with it and gradually shifted towards music composition. He might have even been using that tracker Juror Hayo developed around that time. His work appeared in several MSX productions like for example Treasure of Babylon and MSX in a Row! One of his early Moonsound compositions even won the OPL4 category of the Future Disk music competition.
After his MSX years, Jeroen pursued a professional career in game development. He co-founded Gamebasics, the game studio behind Online Soccer Manager (OSM). The first version of the football management concept began on his MSX2, eventually evolving into an online game enjoyed by millions worldwide.
Today, Jeroen is GameLab Manager at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and chairman of the Dutch Games Association, representing and supporting the Dutch games industry. He has also returned to hands-on game development, experimenting with modern platforms while rediscovering the technical challenges and creative possibilities of classic MSX hardware.
A passionate collector of MSX computers, Jeroen also co-organizes bi yearly MSX gatherings in his hometown of Zoetermeer.
With all that, Jeroen Derwort is a fantastic addition to the panel for judging upcoming MSXdev games. Good having you sir!
Naoki Ito (Japan)
A well-known figure in the Japanese MSX homebrew scene, Naoki Ito has been creating charming, inventive games and tools for the platform since its early days. Using the moniker N.I., he caught the MSX game-making bug early, contributing type-in games to magazines and steadily releasing a stream of polished mini‑games over the years.
One of the leading MSX magazines, especially in Japan, was MSX-FAN, a publication dedicated to the system with interviews, listings, reviews, and everything that makes a magazine complete. By contributing to this and other publications, Naoki put his creativity to good use and grabbed the opportunity to share his work. Still today, Naoki released his games through various platforms.
His work ranges from whimsical platformers to puzzle toys and utilities, often distinguished by their compact design, cute aesthetics, and a spirit of joyful experimentation. As a former MSXdev participant, N.I. is a passionate, prolific, and creative man always exploring new ways to make the 8‑bit machine shine.
Naoki is currently teaming up with Bo Designs on Concrete Heart, an MSX2 action RPG that features battle screens similar to those in strategy RPGs. You might recognize the team from projects like Caravan Boomer, for example.
This year, he joins the MSXdev jury with the same enthusiasm and craftsmanship that define his creations, bringing a sharp eye for design, technical insight, and a deep love for the MSX community.
We’re excited to welcome N.I. to this year’s jury panel.
Conclusion
The MSXdev Team is delighted to welcome such distinguished experts into our ranks. We wholeheartedly wish them an enjoyable and rewarding experience, confident in their expertise to adeptly handle the challenging responsibilities of jury duty. We trust you share our excitement!
