Nominees for The Game Awards 2016

The nominees for The Game Awards 2016 (AKA “The Oscars of the Gaming World” per the New York Times)  Are Here!  It is a diverse slate of 63 games, with Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End,” Campo Santo’s “Firewatch,” Playdead’s “Inside,” and Blizzard Entertainment’s “Overwatch” leading the pack. The nominees, which will be honored at The Game Awards 2016 on Thursday, December 1 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, have demonstrated creative and technical excellence across console, mobile PC and virtual reality platforms, as judged by 28 leading global media and influencer outlets.

“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art,” said Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards producer/host.  “In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted — including surprises and new game announcements.”    

“Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” garnered the most nominations with eight, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and three nominations in Best Performance for cast members Nolan North, Troy Baker and Emily Rose. Other highlights from this year’s nominees include “Firewatch,” “Inside,” and “Overwatch,” which all received 5 nominations, including Game of the Year nominations for “Inside” and “Overwatch.” Other Game of the Year nominees are id Software/Bethesda’s “DOOM,” and Respawn/Electronic Arts’ “Titanfall 2.” Sony Interactive Entertainment was the most nominated game publisher, achieving 13 nominations, followed by Electronic Arts with 10 nominations, Blizzard with seven, and Bethesda with six. Independent developers Playdead and Campo Santo both earned five nominations.

A full list of nominees can be found below and is also available at www.thegameawards.com. Fan voting is now open in five categories, including three eSports Categories to recognize the Best eSports Player, Best eSports Team and Best eSports Game. The deadline to vote is November 30, 2016.

This year’s show will feature the world gameplay premiere of Bioware’s highly anticipated Mass Effect: Andromeda, as well as other games to be announced in the coming days.

The Game Awards 2016 is executive produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie H. Kim. LeRoy Bennett is creative director, and Ryan Polito is director. Tickets to attend The Game Awards 2016 live at the Microsoft Theater are now on sale at AXS.com.

The Game Awards 2016 Will Be Live On Every Gaming Screen and Virtual Reality on Thursday, December 1 at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT

GAME OF THE YEAR
For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

• DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST GAME DIRECTION
Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

• Blizzard (for Overwatch)
• DICE (for Battlefield 1)
• id Software (for DOOM)
• Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
• Respawn (for Titanfall 2)

BEST NARRATIVE
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
• Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

BEST ART DIRECTION
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

• Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• DOOM (id/Bethesda)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
• Thumper (Drool)

BEST PERFORMANCE
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

• Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
• Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
• Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch
• Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

GAMES FOR IMPACT
Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

• 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)
• Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
• Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
• Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
• That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

• Firewatch (Campo Santo)
• Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
• Inside (Playdead)
• Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
• The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD
For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

• Clash Royale (Supercell)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
• Pokemon Go (Niantic)
• Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

BEST VR GAME

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

• Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
• EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
• Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
• Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
• Thumper (Drool

BEST ACTION GAME
For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• DOOM (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

• Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
• Hitman (IO Interactive/Square-Enix)
• Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST RPG
The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

• Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square-Enix)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
• World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
• Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

BEST FIGHTING GAME
For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

• Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
• King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
• Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
• Street Fighter V (Capcom)

BEST STRATEGY GAME
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

• Civilization VI (Firaxis Games/2K)
• Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
• Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
• XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)

BEST FAMILY GAME
Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres. 

• Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
• Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
• Pokemon Go (Niantic)
• Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

BEST SPORTS/RACING
For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

• FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
• Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
• MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
• NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)

BEST MULTIPLAYER
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences. 

• Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
• Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
• Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

• God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

TRENDING GAMER, PRESENTED BY INTEL

For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.

• AngryJoeShow
• Boogie2988
• Danny O’Dwyer
• JackSepticEye
• Lirik

BEST FAN CREATION
For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.

• Project A2MR
• Pokemon Uranium
• Brutal Doom 64
• Enderal: The Shards of Order

BEST ESPORTS PLAYER, PRESENTED BY OMEN BY HP
The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.

• Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
• Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
• ByuN –Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
• Infiltrator – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
• Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

The eSports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.

• SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
• Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
• SK Gaming
• ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
• Cloud 9

BEST ESPORTS GAME
The eSports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
• DOTA2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot)
• Overwatch (Blizzard)
• Street Fighter V (Capcom)