With the yearly Game Developers Conference (GDC) just over the horizon, the list of nominees for the nineteenth annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) were announced earlier today. Any game that was made available during 2018 was able to receive a nomination.
Rockstar’s Western epic Red Dead Redemption II leads the competition with nominations in seven different categories. Those seven categories include Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation Award, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and the coveted Game of the Year. Following Red Dead Redemption II, Sony’s two massive 2018 PlayStation 4 exclusives Sony Santa Monica’s God of War and Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man received six nominations each. The two successful hits landed in the same exact categories including Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.
The full list of Game of the Year nominees includes:
- Red Dead Redemption II
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Celeste
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Along with honoring all of 2018’s best games, the award ceremony will also honor two distinct individuals with special awards. Former Naughty Dog alum Amy Hennig will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding career in the industry. The event will also give out the Pioneer Award. However, the recipient for the Pioneer Award has yet to be announced.
The awards will be given out during the GDCA ceremony on March 20, 2019 in San Fransisco during the annual Game Developers Conference. Once again, Tim Schafer, the founder of Double Fine Productions, will host the award ceremony. All GDC attendees will be able to attend the GDCA ceremony. For those unable to attend GDC or the award ceremony, the event will be hosted on the official GDC Twitch channel along with other streaming platforms that will be announced at a later date.
For a full list of awards, nominees, and honorable mentions, you can check out the official GDC website.