The GDC 2018 Awards are coming up and the nominees for the best in the game industry over the last year are in. Expected titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda: Breath of the Wild could possibly take home multiple awards from the ceremony on Wednesday, March 21st but many games from indie to AAA are represented. Read on to see if your favorite games of 2017 are up for any GDC awards.
This year marks the 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, a peer-based video game event in which members of the industry from around the world nominate titles published in 2017 and celebrate achievements in their field. The 2018 awards are being held at the San Fransisco Mascone Center on March 21st at 6:30 pm. All GDC 2018 pass-holders are welcome to attend. The ceremonies will be hosted by Robin Hunicke, a professor of at UC Santa Cruz and the co-founder of game studio Funomena ( Luna, Wattam).
Awards will be given for various categories including many “Best of” awards such as Best AR/VR Game, Best Mobile Game and Best Narrative as well as Game of the Year and an Innovation Award. Honorable Mentions will be acknowledged along with the winning titles providing opportunities for many game creators. There will also be special award categories for Pioneer, Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement that have not yet been announced. An Audience Award Category will be open for online voting in late January. More information on the 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards can be found here.
Here's a complete list of the award categories and the nominees:
Best Audio
- Cuphead (StudioMDHR)
- Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames / Square Enix)
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Debut
- Team Cherry (Hollow Knight)
- Sidebar Games (Golf Story)
- StudioMDHR (Cuphead)
- Infinite Fall (Night in the Woods)
- Jason Roberts / Buried Signal (Gorogoa)
Best Design
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames / Square Enix)
Best Mobile Game
- Reigns: Her Majesty (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
- Hidden Folks (Adriaan de Jongh and Sylvain Tegroeg)
- Monument Valley 2 (ustwo games)
- Gorogoa (Jason Roberts / Buried Signal / Annapurna Interactive)
- Bury Me, My Love (The Pixel Hunt / Figs / ARTE France / Playdius)
Innovation Award
- Gorogoa (Jason Roberts / Buried Signal / Annapurna Interactive)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)
- Everything (David OReilly / Double Fine Productions)
- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation)
Best Narrative
- Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall / Finji)
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
- What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames / Bethesda Softworks)
Best Technology
- Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Best Visual Art
- Persona 5 (P-Studio / Atlus)
- Cuphead (StudioMDHR)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall / Finji)
Best VR/AR Game
- Superhot VR (SUPERHOT Team)
- Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft)
- Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios)
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Game Of The Year
- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation)
- Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames / Square Enix)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)