GDC organizers announced 22nd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, will be held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF) on Wednesday, March 23rd.
The developer-picked nominations were led by Deathloop with six nominations, followed by It Takes Two with five and Forza Horizon 5 with four. The trio were also nominated for Game of the Year awards along with Inscryption and Resident Evil Village.
Each year, the organizers also present three professional awards: Pioneer Award, Audience Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Pioneer Award, formerly the First Penguin Award, honors individuals who have developed breakthrough technologies, game concepts or game designs that paved the way for their followers.
Previous winners include Roberta Williams, Jordan Mechner, David Braben, Ralph Bell, Steve Russell, Yu Suzuki and Gabe Newell.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the careers and achievements of developers who have had a significant impact on the game development process and the game as a whole.
Previous recipients include Amy Hennig, Tim Schafer, Todd Howard, Tim Sweeney, Hironobu, Sakaguchi, Ken Kutaragi, and Bioware Doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.
Audience Award winners are selected by public voting from a list of finalist games in each major category.
The full list of finalists and honorable mentions can be found below.
22nd Annual GDC Awards Nominees
Game of the Year
- Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Requires two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
Honorable Mention: Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios), Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix), Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios), Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji), Death’s Door (Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital)
best audio
- Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Unboxing (Witch Beam/Humble)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Honorable Mention: Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios), It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts), Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), Kid A Mnesia: Exhibition (Arbitrarily Good Productions, Namethemachine / Epic Games), Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
best debut
- Kena: Spirit Bridge (Ember Lab)
- Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)
- Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
- Clever Escape (Beethoven and Dinosaurs/Annapurna Interactive)
- Sable (The Shack/Primitive Fury)
Honorable Mention: Genesis Noir (Wildcat Den / Fellow Traveller), ElecHead (Tsuyomi / NamaTakahashi), Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk / Humble)
best design
- Requires two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
- Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Honorable Mention: Resident Evil Village (Capcom), Unpack (Witch Beam/Humble), Death’s Gate (Acid Nerve, Devolver Digital), Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)
Innovation Award
- Requires two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
- Unboxing (Witch Beam/Humble)
- Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
Honorable Mention: Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji), Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)
best narrative
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Requires two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
- Unboxing (Witch Beam/Humble)
Honorable Mention: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Life is Strange: True Colours (Deck Nine / Square Enix), The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller / Dear Villagers), Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital), Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games) )/Whisper Games)
Social Impact Award
- Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games)
- Requires two (Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts)
- Life is Strange: Primary Colors (Deck Nine/Square Enix)
- Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox game)
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji)
Honorable Mention: Forza Horizo n 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)
best technology
- Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
Honorable Mention: Battlefield 2042 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts), Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
best visual arts
- Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
- Kena: Spirit Bridge (Ember Lab)
- Dead Loop (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Honorable Mention: The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive), Resident Evil Village (Capcom), Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)
