The Game Awards 2016 Nominations

By
Christopher Bobo
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As the year comes to an end, all the “best of” lists and awards are coming out, including the de facto premiere game awards.

The annual event produced by Geoff Keighley pulls together a panel of judges from 29 international publications, from Entertainment Weekly to IGN to Waypoint, to select the best games across a variety of categories.

To be considered for nomination, the game needs to have a commercial release date on or before Nov. 24, 2016, meaning high-profile games like Dead Rising 4, Final Fantasy 15 and The Last Guardian are ineligible this year but will be considered for the 2017 Game Awards.

The big winner in the nominations game is Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End with eight nods, including three for best performance. That’s thanks to the talents of Emily Rose, Nolan North and Troy Baker. Inside and Overwatch both received five nominations, including one for Game of the Year. Firewatch also garnered five nominations across four categories.

New to this year’s awards are Best Action, replacing the best shooter category from 2015, and Best VR Game.

The Game Awards 2016 will be held Dec. 1, 2016 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET. The event will also be livestreamed across a variety of platforms.

So, for those who love the pomp and circumstance of award shows and the interactive fun of video games, here are this year’s nominees for the 2016 Game Awards.

Jury Selected

GAME OF THE YEAR

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST STUDIO/GAME DIRECTION

Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

  • Blizzard Entertainment (for Overwatch)
  • EA DICE (for Battlefield 1)
  • id Software (for Doom)
  • Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
  • Respawn Entertainment (for Titanfall 2)

BEST NARRATIVE

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Mafia 3 (Hangar 13/2K Games)
  • Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST ART DIRECTION

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

  • Abzu (Giant Squid/505 Games)
  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN

For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

BEST PERFORMANCE

Award to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

  • Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay (in Mafia 3)
  • Cissy Jones as Delilah (in Firewatch)
  • Emily Rose as Elena (in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
  • Nolan North as Nathan Drake (in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
  • Rich Sommer as Henry (in Firewatch)
  • Troy Baker as Sam Drake (in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)

GAMES FOR IMPACT

For a though-provoking game with a profound, pro-social meaning or message.

  • 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (iNK Stories)
  • Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
  • Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
  • Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
  • That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
  • The Witness (Thekla Inc.)

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME

For the best game playable on portable devices, including mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

  • Clash Royale (Supercell)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
  • Pokémon Go (Niantic Inc.)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

BEST VR GAME

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

  • Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
  • Eve: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
  • Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

BEST ACTION GAME

For the best games in the action genre focused on combat.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME

The best action/adventure games, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

  • 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 ROLE-PLAYING GAME

The best games 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)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt Red/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
  • World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • 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)
  • The King of Fighters 14 (SNK/Atlus USA)
  • Pokkén Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokémon Co. International)
  • Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)

BEST FAMILY GAME

Best game appropriate 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/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
  • Pokémon Go (Niantic Labs)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Skylanders Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

BEST STRATEGY GAME

Best game focused on real-time or turn-based strategy gameplay.

  • Civilization 6 (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
  • Total War: Warhammer (The Creative Assembly/Sega)
  • XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K Games)

BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

  • FIFA 17 (EA Vancouver/Electronic Arts)
  • Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
  • MLB The Show 16 (SIE San Diego Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • 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.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team17)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
  • Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Fan’s Choice

BEST ESPORTS PLAYER

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)
  • Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
  • ByuN – Hyun Woo (StarCraft 2)
  • Infiltration – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter 5)
  • Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

The eSports team 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)
  • Cloud9

BEST ESPORTS GAME

The eSports game that has demonstrated 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 Games)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)

TRENDING GAMER

For a streamer/influencer/media member who has made an important impact on the industry in 2016.

  • AngryJoeShow
  • Boogie2988
  • Danny O’Dwyer
  • Jacksepticeye
  • Lirik

BEST FAN CREATION

For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.

  • Project AM2R
  • Pokémon Uranium
  • Brutal Doom 64
  • Enderal: The Shards of Order

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

Recognizing an upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward. Must be announced and scheduled for release after Dec. 1, 2016.

  • God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2(Rockstar Games)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)