Though it’s renown for being a hotbed of cinematic activity, SXSW 2016 will soon descend on Austin, Texas for its annual celebration of film and interactive media.
Among the events slated over the March 17-19 window is the SXSW Gaming Expo, and we now have word of the nominees in the running for an award. Highlighting the best of the best, the event’s gaming advisory board has selected the likes of Bloodborne, The Witcher 3 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain among many others.
All 40 nominees will be playable on the show floor, and it is the SXSW attendees that will vote for the eventual winners in time for the awards ceremony taking place on March 19. Here’s the full rundown of each category:
GAME OF THE YEAR
Bloodborne
Fallout 4
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
UndertaleTABLETOP GAME OF THE YEAR
Above and Below
Blood Rage
Codenames
Lanterns: The Harvest Festival
Pandemic LegacyMOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR
Downwell
Fallout Shelter
Her Story
Lara Croft GO
SteamWorld HeistEXCELLENCE IN GAMEPLAY
Bloodborne
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Rocket League
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
UndertaleEXCELLENCE IN ART
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Bloodborne
Ori & the Blind Forest
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Yoshi’s Woolly WorldEXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Batman: Arkham Knight
Ori and the Blind Forest
Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Order: 1886EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Fallout 4
Just Cause 3
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Until DawnEXCELLENCE IN VISUAL ACHIEVEMENT
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Star Wars Battlefront
The Order: 1886
The Witcher 3: Wild HuntEXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE
Her Story
Life is Strange
SOMA
Tales from the Borderlands
The Witcher 3: Wild HuntEXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
Bloodborne
Fallout 4
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Rocket League
Super Mario MakerEXCELLENCE IN SFX
Bloodborne
Rise of the Tomb Raider
STar Wars Battlefront
The Order 1886
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeEXCELLENCE IN MUSICAL SCORE
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Ori and the Blind Forest
The Witcher 3: Wild HuntEXCELLENCE IN MULTIPLAYER
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Halo 5: Guardians
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Rocket League
SplatoonEXCELLENCE IN CONVERGENCE
Batman: Arkham Knight
Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition
Guitar Hero Life
Rock Band 4
Star Wars BattlefrontMOST ENDURING CHARACTER
Geralt (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)
Hannah Smith (Her Story)
The Joker (Batman: Arkham Knight)
Lara Croft (Rise of the Tomb Raider)
Ori (Ori and the Blind Forest)MOST VALUABLE ESPORTS TEAM
Cloud9
Counter Logic
Evil Geniuses
Team Archon
Team EnVyUsMOST ENTERTAINING ONLINE PERSONALITY
Angry Joe
Greg Miller
Markiplier
PewDiePie
Tim SchaferMOST FULFILLING CROWDFUNDED GAME
Broken Age
Kerbal Space Program
Kingdom Death: Monster
PIllars of Eternity
UndertaleMOST PROMISING NEW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Bloodborne
Life is Strange
Ori and the Blind Forest
Splatoon
UndertaleTHE MATTHEW CRUMP CULTURAL INNOVATION AWARD
Emily is Away
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Her Story
Life is Strange
Undertale
What do our readers think of the nominees and, more importantly, who will emerge victorious from each category?
[Source: SXSW]