Nominees for the 2021 Game Developers Choice Awards have been released, with titles such as Hades, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us 2 leading the way. The Game Developers Choice Awards include various categories such as Game of the Year, Best Audio, Best Debut, and the Innovation Award.
Last year's Game of the Year title went to Untitled Goose Game, and this year's nominee list is full of impressive choices. The GOTY award nominees are Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Hades, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us 2. While Animal Crossing, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us have made plenty of appearances in game award nominations, Half-Life: Alyx could be the first VR game to win the Game Developers Choice Awards' top honor.
Naughty Dog's huge 2020 release may continue its historic run winning Game of The Year awards. The Last of Us 2 has earned more GOTY awards than any other game in history. The previous record was held by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with 260 awards, which The Last of Us 2 broke this January. The Last of Us 2 could push the record even further with a win at the Game Developers Choice Awards though the title has received six Game Developers Choice Awards nominations overall, tying Hades and Ghost of Tsushima for the most nominations received.
The indie title Hades has also earned a good amount of GOTY awards. Hades made a big mark at the 2021 BAFTA Games Awards winning Best Game, Artistic Achievement, Game Design, and Best Narrative. Hades also recently won GOTY and Excellence in Game Design at the 2021 SXSW Awards, adding to an impressive list of accolades.
Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima has won a number of video game awards as well, and is still up for more. Ghost of Tsushima took home the Player's Choice title at The Game Awards in December, and has recently been nominated for multiple categories in the Game Audio Network Guild Awards including Best Music, Sound Design, Dialogue, and more.
The Game Developers Choice Awards will be available to stream on July 21 at 4:30 p.m. PST for any owners of a Game Developers Conference pass. Although the full schedule has not been released, the award show is expected to have presentations as well as guest appearances. All games released in 2020 are eligible for the awards, and the winners are picked by the International Choice Awards Network, a group of developers from around the world.
The full list of nominees is below.
BEST AUDIO
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (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)
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)
BEST DESIGN
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
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)
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)
BEST NARRATIVE
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
The Last of Us 2 (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)
BEST VISUAL ART
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us 2 (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)
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)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
The Last of Us 2 (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Source: GDC