Nominees for The Game Awards 2016 announced

A total of 63 games have been nominated for The Game Awards 2016 which will air live on Thursday, December 1st from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Uniting game industry creators, eSports champions, influencers, and Hollywood names, The Game Awards are judged by 28 leading global media and influencer outlets.

Leading the list with eight nominations, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and three nominations for Best Performance, is Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Following up with five nominations a piece are Firewatch, Inside, and Overwatch (which will be free to play this weekend). Game of the Year nominees include Inside, Overwatch, DOOM, Titanfall 2, and of course, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

On the publisher side, Sony Interactive Entertainment garnered 13 nominations to lead the pack, with Electronic Arts following with 10 nominations, Blizzard with seven, and Bethesda with six. A pair of independent developers, Playdead and Campo Santo, both received five nominations.

“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.”

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. Gamers and fans can head over to The Game Awards website and vote in one of five categories, including three eSports categories, before November 30th.

The program will be available globally on TheGameAwards.com and on Facebook Live, PlayStation Network, Steam, Twitch, Twitter, Xbox Live, YouTube, IGN, GameSpot, on the Next VR app, and will even be live in China in partnership with Tencent. Those watching live on PlayaStation Network, Xbox Live, and Steam will be able to purchase select nominated games at a discount during “The Game Awards Sale.”

The complete list of nominees for The Game Awards 2016 follows:

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)

What games do you think should win each category? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.