The Golden Joystick Awards 2020 is officially in the books. The awards show took place last night with 24 different awards being given out to developers, performers, and of course their video games. The biggest winner of the evening was easily The Last of Us Part II which took home all six awards it was nominated for, a record for the show. The title was also won the show’s highest award, Ultimate Game of the Year, solidifying it as one of the premier titles in the annals of video game history.
Naughty Dog’s sequel to The Last of Us has been decisive in the fan base, to say the least. After some of the plot details were leaked, there was an enormous backlash to how the creative directors changed the narrative and the story, especially when it came to the main protagonists’ Joe and Ellie. Regardless, The Last of Us Part II was hugely successful for both Naughty Dog and Sony as it became the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive, although Ghost of Tsushima has since claimed that title. In our review of the game, we stated: “The Last of Us Part II is a technical achievement by Naughty Dog, and is a worthy sequel to what many consider one of the best games ever made.”
Along with the aforementioned Ultimate Game of the Year, the other five awards that The Last of Us Part II won were Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, Best Audio, PlayStation Game of the Year, and Studio of the Year which was given to Naughty Dog. Other major winners of the night include Hades which won Best Indie Game, Best Performer which was won by Sandra Saad for her portrayal of Kamala Kahn in Marvel’s Avengers, and Most Wanted Game which was given to God of War: Ragnarock. You can check out the full list of winners here.