The nominees for the 16th annual Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain lead the way with four nominations each.
The “leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers,” the 16th annual Game Developers Choice Awards will take place on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30pm PT at the San Francisco Moscone Center during the 2016 Game Developers Conference. You’ll be able to watch the event live on Twitch, with developer Robin Hunicke, co-founder of Funomena (Wattam), hosting.
Any video game released and made publicly available during 2015 is eligible for nomination. The winners will be selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), “which is an invitation-only organization, comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.”
Here’s the full list of nominees:
Game of the Year
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
- The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
- Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
- Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
Innovation Award
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- Super Mario Maker (Nintendo EAD Group No. 4 / Nintendo)
- Undertale (Toby Fox)
- Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
- The Beginner’s Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
Best Debut
- Studio Wildcard (ARK: Survival Evolved)
- Toby Fox (Undertale)
- Moon Studios (Ori and the Blind Forest)
- Moppin (Downwell)
- Steel Crate Games (Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes)
Best Design
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
- Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
- Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/ Bethesda Softworks)
- Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
- Lara Croft: GO (Square Enix Montréal / Square Enix)
- Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
- Downwell (Moppin / Devolver Digital)
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- AlphaBear (Spry Fox)
Best Visual Art
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios)
- The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
- Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
Best Narrative
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
- Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)
- Undertale (Toby Fox)
- The Beginner’s Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)
Best Audio
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios)
- Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (The Chinese Room / Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
- Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
Best Technology
- Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
- The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
- Just Cause 3 (Avalanche Studios / Square Enix)
The Pioneer, Ambassador, and Life Achievement awards will also be given out during the GDC Awards.
GDC 2016 takes place from March 14 – 18 in San Francisco.
[Source: GDC]
GotY 2015 (PSLS Awards)
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Game of the Year 2015
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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a game that takes on an open world setting, fills it with plenty to accomplish, and provides damn good gameplay to make sure every moment spent in its wild paradise is enjoyed.
Kojima Productions took the Metal Gear franchise to a new level with The Phantom Pain, exceeding sky-high expectations and delivering an almost perfect experience which both hardcore MGS fans could enjoy, without alienating first-timers. - Mack Ashworth
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has something for everyone. Whether you're new to the series or even RPGs in general, you should be able to pick up Geralt's latest adventure and go. The various difficulty levels welcome every type of player, and the beautiful in-game world with its equally beautiful story beg to be explored. - Zarmena Khan
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Bloodborne
If you think Sony's 2014 first-party offering was lackluster and didn't provide enough "oomph" compared to other platforms, then you most likely haven't played Bloodborne. Granted, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea due to its gameplay, ridiculous learning curve and difficulty. However, if you can look past all of that, and try a "Souls" game, then you'll see From Software at its best, and giving us a game for the ages.
It's a masterclass of action-RPG goodness that every PlayStation 4 owner should at least try (well, at least until you beat a boss before you give up and say it's not for you). I wouldn't have guessed this was my type of game, but after beating the Cleric Beast, I was hooked!
Just be prepared to die over and over, and have a stress ball nearby or something for those "tense" and annoying moments. - Alex Co
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And the winner is...
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Winner - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Where other contenders falter, The Witcher 3 excels. With its lush world, intriguing story, and enjoyable gameplay among other aspects, The Witcher 3 checks all the boxes for a GOTY winner. CD Projekt RED has set a benchmark for excellent storytelling, and while the game does have its issues, the overall package makes it an adventure that every gamer needs to try out at least once. - Zarmena Khan
