2019 Game Developers Choice Awards Finalists are Led by Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, and Marvel’s Spider-Man

TIm Schafer, Founder of Double Fine Productions, to Serve as Host for the 19th Annual Award Ceremony

SAN FRANCISCO – The nominees for the 19th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have been announced today by organizers. Winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, taking place on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 6:30pm at the San Francisco Moscone Center during the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF).

Organizers are also announcing that the Game Developers Choice Awards will be hosted once again by Tim Schafer, LucasArts industry veteran and founder of Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts 2). Both GDCA and IGF Awards are available to attend for all GDC 2019 pass-holders, as well as streamed via http://twitch.tv/gdc & other to-be-announced streaming platforms.

The developer-picked GDCA nominations are led by Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 with a total of 7 nominations, followed closely by Sony Santa Monica’s God of War and Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man with a total of 6 nominations each. Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, the sprawling adventure set in a richly detailed open world at the dusk of the Wild West era, received nominations for Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation Award, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.

Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, the epic new chapter of the influential action series that features stunning battles with gods and an involving tale of a father’s struggles guiding his son through an unforgiving world, was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year. Marvel’s Spider-Man, the acclaimed action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games starring the beloved comic book character, was also nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.

Other titles receiving multiple nominations include the rewardingly challenging platformer, Celeste from Matt Makes Games, the innovative puzzle whodunnit game Return of the Obra Dinn from Lucas Pope’s 3909, the deeply immersive take on a classic puzzle game, Tetris Effect from Monstars, Resonair & Enhance, and the emotional tale of life and love, Florence from Mountains.

Any video game that was released and made publicly available during the 2018 calendar year, irrespective of platform or delivery medium, is eligible for free nomination for the 2019 Game Developers Choice Awards. Both nominees and winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization, comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.

The complete list of nominees, including honorable mentions, for the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards is as follows:

BEST AUDIO

Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)

Honorable Mentions: Beat Saber (Beat Games), Wandersong (Greg Lobanov / Humble Bundle), Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909), Battlefield V (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)

BEST DEBUT

Polyarc (Moss)
Mountains (Florence)
Nomada Studio (Gris)
Villa Gorilla (Yoku’s Island Express)
Sabotage (The Messenger)

Honorable Mentions: Beat Games (Beat Saber), Digital Sun (Moonlighter), Two Point Studios (Two Point Hospital), Okomotive (Far: Lone Sails)

BEST DESIGN

Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
Into the Breach (Subset Games)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Frostpunk (11 bit studios), Minit (Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Jukio Kallio & Dominik Johann / Devolver Digital), Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909), Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)

BEST MOBILE GAME

Alto’s Odyssey (Snowman)
Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
Reigns: Game of Thrones (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
Holedown (Grapefrukt Games)
Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)

Honorable Mentions: Furistas Cat Cafe (Runaway), The Room: Old Sins (Fireproof Studios), Pocket Run Pool (Zach Gage), Alphabear 2 (Spry Fox), Twinfold (Kenny Sun)

INNOVATION AWARD

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)

Honorable Mentions: Minit (Kitty Calis, Jan Willem Nijman, Jukio Kallio & Dominik Johann /Devolver Digital), Celeste (Matt Makes Games), God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Moss (Polyarc), A Way Out (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

BEST NARRATIVE

Florence (Mountains/Annapurna Interactive)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Honorable Mentions: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft), Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Celeste (Matt Makes Games), Life is Strange 2 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix), Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge / Good Shepherd Entertainment)

BEST TECHNOLOGY

Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)
Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Honorable Mentions: Sea of Thieves (Rare / Microsoft Studios), Far Cry 5 (Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft), Battlefield V (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)

BEST VISUAL ART

Gris (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Honorable Mentions: Battlefield V (EA DICE / Electronic Arts), Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance), Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works / Bandai Namco Entertainment), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft), Below (Capybara Games)

BEST VR/AR GAME

Budget Cuts (Neat Corporation)
Beat Saber (Beat Games)
Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
Moss (Polyarc)
Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Jurassic World Alive (Ludia), In Death (Sólfar Studios), Tendar (Tender Claws), Firewall Zero Hour (First Contact Entertainment / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Deracine (FromSoftware / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

GAME OF THE YEAR

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope / 3909)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
God of War (Sony Santa Monica / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance), Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Bandai Namco Studios & Sora / Nintendo), Into the Breach (Subset Games), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft), Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive), Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)

The Game Developers Choice Awards also recognize two individuals this year with annual Special Awards categories: Pioneer and Lifetime Achievement. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to esteemed writer and director, Amy Hennig, who has had a multifaceted career in game development, starting with development on the Atari 7800 and including roles as creative director and writer of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted game series. The recipient of the Pioneer Award will be announced in the near future.

For more information about the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit: http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/ For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Both the Game Developers Choice Awards and IGF ceremonies are available to attend for all GDC 2019 pass-holders.

Nathan Stevens

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I have always enjoyed playing video games and am a programming team lead for a video game company. I co-founded Gaming Cypher because I enjoy the gaming community and would like to provide the best news service around. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will make sure to get back to you quickly.