The Games Developer Conference (GDC) will once again play host to the industry’s retrospective on the past year with the annual Game Developer Choice Awards, with returning hosts Double Fine Productions’ Tim Schaefer overseeing this years’ accolades.
With 14 different categories – including the brand new Best AR / VR Game category – there’s a good chance some of your favorite titles from the past year are in the running for at least one award. Large AAA surprises like Blizzard’s Overwatch, EA’s Battlefield 1 and Sony Computer Entertainment’s The Last Guardian share the spotlight with indie darlings like Firewatch, Inside, and Oxenfree.
What games will take home the top prizes in their respective categories? We will find out on Wednesday, March 1st at 7 pm PST when the awards ceremony is live-streamed from the San Francisco Moscone Center. Yours truly will be in attendance at this year’s Critics Choice awards and I’ll be providing live coverage from GDC 2017 both here on Broken Joysticks and on our twitter account.
Here are the nominees in no particular order:
BEST AUDIO
Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts)
Thumper (Drool)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Inside (Playdead)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
BEST DEBUT
Heart Machine (Hyper Light Drifter)
Campo Santo (Firewatch)
ConcernedApe (Stardew Valley)
Drool (Thumper)
Night School Studio (Oxenfree)
BEST DESIGN
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
The Witness (Thekla)
Inside (Playdead)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME
Super Mario Run (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Clash Royale (Supercell)
Pokémon Go (Niantic)
Reigns (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
Pokémon Sun/Moon (Game Freak / The Pokémon Company)
INNOVATION AWARD
The Witness (Thekla)
Inside (Playdead)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
Pokemon Go (Niantic)
BEST NARRATIVE
The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
Battlefield 1 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
DOOM (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VISUAL ART
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
The Last Guardian (JAPAN Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)
BEST VR/AR GAME
Rez Infinite (Monstars / Enhance Games)
Superhot VR (SUPERHOT Team)
Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives (Owlchemy Labs)
Pokémon Go (Niantic)
Fantastic Contraption (Radial Games / Northway Games)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
Inside (Playdead)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Firewatch (Campo Santo / Panic)
