With GDC 2024 on the horizon, the biggest Game Developer Conference in North America has decided to prep for the occasion and announce the 24th Game Developers Choice Awards finalists before the conference.
The main difference between award shows like The Game Awards 2023, and the 24th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, is that during GDC 2024 it’s all about the developers, and the developers themselves judge which title is the best of the year. This is opposed to other shows that use critics and fan voting, and for the year 2023, they’ve officially announced their finalists. The winners will be honoured at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony which will be held during the GDC 2024 conference, alongside the Independent Games Festival Awards.
Last year, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring took home the prestigious Game of the Year award at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2023, and for 2024, the GDCA nominations are led by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3, which each received a total of seven nominations each, directly followed by Geometric Interactive’s Cocoon with five nominations as well. The other titles up for Game of the Year are Dave the Diver, Dredge and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Below are the categories and nominations this year.
Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Categories & Finalists
BEST AUDIO
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- Venba (Visai Games)
BEST DEBUT
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Venba (Visai Games)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios / Thunderful Publishing)
BEST DESIGN
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
INNOVATION AWARD
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- The Making of Karateka (Digital Eclipse)
BEST NARRATIVE
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- Venba (Visai Games)
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
- A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio / Toge Productions)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Bordeaux / Ubisoft)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives / Devolver Digital)
- Venba (Visai Games)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
BEST VISUAL ART
- Alan Wake II (Remedy Entertainment / Epic Games)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
GAME OF THE YEAR
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- COCOON (Geometric Interactive / Annapurna Interactive)
- Dave the Diver (Mintrocket)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games / Team17)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
For more information regarding the Game Developers Choice Awards 2024, fans can head over to their official website. Fans looking to spectate all the action can head over to the official GDC 2024 Twitch channel on March 20 to see who wins the categories.
