Organizers have revealed the nominees for the 20th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), the leading video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers. The winners will be honored at the GDCA ceremony, which will take place on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. PST at the San Francisco Moscone Center during this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF).
The GDCA will be hosted by Kim Swift, design director of Electronic Art’s (EA) Network Meta, an in-development, platform-related project working with a cross-functional team across EA. Swift is known for her work as a key developer on beloved games, including Portal and Left 4 Dead, powered by groundbreaking gameplay mechanics. All GDC pass-holders can attend the ceremony, which will be livestreamed at twitch.tv/gdc.
So far, Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding has earned seven award nominations, making it the most highly nominated title this year. The acclaimed title has received nominations for its genre-defying experimentation with audio, design, narrative, visual art, and much more. Remedy Entertainment’s Control and Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds follow closely behind with five nominations each across multiple categories.
Many titles have been recognized as finalists, including four nominations for ZA/UM’s cerebral role-playing game Disco Elysium and the light-hearted game Untitled Goose Game by House House. The musically inspired Sayonara Wild Hearts by Simogo and FromSoftware’s challenging, visceral story of vengeance in feudal Japan —Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — were each nominated for three awards.
The GDCA also recognize two individuals with the Pioneer and Ambassador Special Awards. Kate Edwards, former head of the International Game Developers Association and current Global Game Jam executive director, will receive the Ambassador Award for her work in the advancement of video games through advocacy and action. The recipient of the Pioneer Award will be announced later this year.
View the complete list of nominees, including honorable mentions, at gamechoiceawards.com. Click here for more of our coverage.
Photos: FromSoftware, Kojima Productions, Simogo
