"PLAY.. THE.. GAME.." - Reginald Fils-Aimé, 2013
The Game Awards, created by Geoff Keighley, is an annual awards ceremony to honor outstanding artistic, technical and gameplay achievements in the video game industry. Spanning console, mobile and PC gaming, as well as eSports, The Game Awards is the first of a new breed of award shows, built from the ground up exclusively for global digital and streaming platforms.
This thread is for the general discussion of the event when it finally goes live. Until the show starts however, feel free to take a look at the list of nominations below and make your predictions about what you think will win each category and what you think will be unveiled furing the presentation!
Thursday, December 1st @ 8:30 PM U.S. Eastern (GMT-5) for the Pre-Show!
The award show starts at 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern
The show will be broadcasted in the following places:
Some of what we know so far...
- Lawbreakers, an upcoming first person shooter by Boss Key Productions and Nexon, will be making some announcements about their title
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be bringing an exclusive look at the latest entry in one of Nintendo’s oldest and longest-running franchises
- Mass Effect: Andromeda will be showcasing gameplay for the first time
- Prey will be showing the worldwide debut of gameplay for the first person shooter revival
- The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier (which just recently had its release date announced as December 20th) will be debuting an extended look at gameplay from the first episode of Season 3
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)
- WINNER 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.
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog/SIE)
BEST ART DIRECTION
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Abzû (Giant Squid/505)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- WINNER 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.
- Batlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- WINNER 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
- WINNER Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
- Rich Sommer 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)
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER Pokémon 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)
- WINNER Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
BEST ACTION GAME
For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.
- Batlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- WINNER 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.
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER 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)
- Pokkén Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
- WINNER Street Fighter V (Capcom)
BEST STRATEGY GAME
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER Pokémon 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)
- WINNER 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.
- Batlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER 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.
BEST FAN CREATION
For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.
- Project AM2R
- Pokémon Uranium
- Brutal Doom 64
- WINNER 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)
- WINNER Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- ByuN – Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
- Infiltration – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
- Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros. Melee)
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 (Dota 2)
- SK Gaming
- ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
- WINNER 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)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot)
- WINNER Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Street Fighter V (Capcom)