South by Southwest has revealed the nominees for the seventh annual SXSW Gaming Awards.
Live from Austin and via livestream on Twitch on March 15th, 2020, the awards – which recognise “the most creative and influential titles, teams and individuals in the industry” – also include two special recognition awards given to those “who have impacted the Games Industry in a meaningful way”. This year, game industry champion of change award goes to Able Gamers’ Steven Spohn and journalist of the year award goes to Cecilia D’ Anastacio.
Winners of the 2020 Gaming Awards will be determined by a “weighted total between staff and advisory board input and public voting”. Voting is live now and will close on Sunday, February 23rd: visit SXSW Gaming Awards voting page for more.
“Gaming is an important part of the creative ecosystem that comes together in Austin every March.,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. “The SXSW Gaming Awards provides our community with an opportunity to celebrate achievements and hear from the brightest minds in the field while taking advantage of the unique mix of industries that gather at our event.”
“Like film, television, and music, gaming is an art form that inspires, entertains, and challenges. Transcending language and culture, genre and platform, tens of millions of gamers across the globe play games, alone and together, every day,” added co-host Wil Wheaton. “It is such an honor and privilege to celebrate and recognize all the amazing humans who work so hard, for so long, to create and support the games we all love.”
“The artists in the games industry are among the smartest creators in modern culture. They are a powerful force and continue to see its potential expand,” said co-host Janina Gavankar. “I hope that in celebrating the exceptional talents of game creators and sharing the positive impacts games can have, we open the door for people across industries to become part of the community.”
The full list of nominees is as follows:
Video Game of the Year
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Mobile Game of the Year
- Call of Duty Mobile — TiMi Studios / Activision
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
- Sky: Children of the Light — thatgamecompany
- Where Cards Fall — Snowman
- Whispers of a Machine — Clifftop Games / Raw Fury
Tabletop Game of the Year
- Paladins of the West Kingdom — Renegade Game Studios
- Parks — Keymaster Games
- Pax Pamir — Wehrlegig Games
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon — Awaken Realms
- Taverns of Tiefenthal — North Star Games
XR Game of the Year
- Blood & Truth — Sony Interactive Entertainment
- No Man’s Sky BEYOND VR — Hello Games
- Pistol Whip — Cloudhead Games
- The Under Presents — Tender Claws
- tori — BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.
Trending Game of the Year
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Borderlands 3 — Gearbox Software / 2K Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Pokemon Sword and Shield — Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Super Mario Maker 2 — Nintendo
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Knights and Bikes — Foam Sword / Double Fine Productions
- Overland — Finji
- Sea of Solitude — Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts
Most Promising New Intellectual Property
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — ArtPlay / 505 Games
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Katana ZERO — Askiisoft / Devolver Digital
- The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
Excellence in Animation
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- KINGDOM HEARTS III — Square Enix
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Art
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — Nintendo
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Design
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Gameplay
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Excellence in Multiplayer
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers — Square Enix
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne — Capcom
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Musical Score
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Narrative
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
- A Plague Tale: Innocence — Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive
Excellence in SFX
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Resident Evil 2 — Capcom
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Excellence in Technical Achievement
- Concrete Genie — Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
Excellence in Visual Achievement
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
