The 21st Annual Game Developers Choice Awards announced their list of nominees and categories for this year, where Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and The Last of Us Part II each tied with six nominations.
Each year at GDC, developers from across the globe gather to celebrate games with educational panels, networking opportunities, as well as their annual awards show, where developer-chosen nominees are awarded for excellence in various areas. Games from the previous calendar year are judged across ten categories.
The headliners from this year include Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and The Last of Us Part II, where each has been nominated in six categories, with Half-Life: Alyx trailing closely behind with five. This year’s nominees are substantial in that they close out the PS4/Xbox One generation, where clearly Sony has made a major impression on game developers.
Additional nominations of note include Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo’s social-aim hit, battling for Game of the Year and the Best Design award, and Dreams, Sony’s game creation toolbox, making its way into three categories—Innovation, Best Technology, and Best VR/AR Game.
The all-digital event will take place July 19th-23rd, featuring over 400 unique sessions, as well as opportunities for “education, inspiration, and networking.” Previous years have seen plenty of impressive titles winning awards, and following COVID-19 concerns from last year, it’s great to see the event moving forward.
The full list of categories, nominees, and honorable mentions:
BEST AUDIO
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Half-Life: Alyx (Valve), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo), Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit), Fuser (Harmonix Music Systems / NCsoft)
BEST DEBUT
- Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)
- Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital)
- Carrion (Phobia Game Studio / Devolver Digital)
- Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry / Playstack)
- Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games / Super!Com)
Honorable Mentions: Call of the Sea (Out of the Blue / Raw Fury), Röki (Polygon Treehouse / CI Games), If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
BEST DESIGN
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Crusader Kings III (Paradox Development Studio / Paradox Interactive), Spelunky 2 (Blitworks, Mossmouth / Mossmouth), Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
INNOVATION AWARD
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic / Devolver Digital)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
Honorable Mentions: Astro’s Playroom (Sony Japan Studio/Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment), The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Watch Dogs: Legion (Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft)
BEST MOBILE GAME
- The Pathless (Giant Squid / Annapurna Interactive)
- Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
- Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo / PID Publishing)
- If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions: Pokémon Café Mix (Genius Sonority / Nintendo / The Pokémon Company), Reigns: Beyond (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
BEST NARRATIVE
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Honorable Mentions: Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), Half-Life: Alyx (Valve), Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt), If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Vanillaware / Atlus)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Astro’s Playroom (Sony Japan Studio/Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VISUAL ART
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VR/AR GAME
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)
- Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios / Electronic Arts)
Honorable Mentions: Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games), The Room VR: A Dark Matter (Fireproof Games), Iron Man VR (Camouflaj / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios), Until You Fall (Schell Games)
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Spelunky 2 (Blitworks, Mossmouth / Mossmouth), Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios), Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Genshin impact (miHoYo)
