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The finalists for the 22nd annual Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced, with the winners set to be revealed on Wednesday, March 23rd.
The nominees, which are selected by developers, are led by Arkane’s Deathloop, which has received 6 nominations (Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation Award, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year). That’s closely followed by Hazelight’s It Takes, Two with five nominations (Best Design, Innovation Award, Best Narrative, Social Impact Award and Game of the Year), and Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 with four nominations (Best Audio, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year).
The nominees and winners have been selected by game creators from across the industry, with the awards taking place at this year’s GDC. Additionally, The Independent Games Festival Awards will be handed out on the same day.
The full list of nominees, including honourable mentions, is as follows:
BEST AUDIO
Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal / Square Enix)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Honourable Mentions: 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 Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)
Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
The Artful Escape: (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive)
Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)
Honourable Mentions: Genesis Noir (Feral Cat Den / Fellow Traveller), ElecHead (Tsuyomi / NamaTakahashi), Unsighted (Studio Pixel Punk, Humble)
BEST DESIGN
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Honourable Mentions: Resident Evil Village (Capcom), Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble), Death’s Door (Acid Nerve, Devolver Digital), Loop Hero (Four Quarters, Devolver Digital)
INNOVATION AWARD
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Honourable Mentions: 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-Montréal / Square Enix)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
Honourable Mentions: Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab), Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine / Square Enix), The Forgotten City (Modern Storyteller / Dear Villagers), Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital), Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji)
Honourable Mentions: Forza Horizon 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)
Honourable Mentions: Battlefield 2042 (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
BEST VISUAL ART
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Honourable Mentions: 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)
GAME OF THE YEAR
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Honourable Mentions: Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios), Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos-Montréal / 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)
