The SXSW Gaming Awards are back this year celebrating some of the best games of the past year. Last year’s ceremony was hosted by none other than OMGitsfirefoxx and WWE’s Xavier Woods.
The indie smash hit Cuphead is nominated for 6 awards including “Excellence in Visual Achievement” and “Excellence in Animation”.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was also nominated for 6 awards including the highest honor, Video Game of the Year. Meanwhile, Super Mario Odyssey was nominated for “Excellence in Musical Score” and “Excellence in SFX”.
Who do you want to take home the crown? Will it be Horizon: Zero Dawn? NieR Automata? You still have time to vote for your favorites, just head on over to the IGN page to cast your vote and tune in March 17th to see the winners.
If you’re unable to attend, watch the show live at twitch.tv/sxswgamingawards!
Check out the full list of nominees below.
Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
Call of Duty: WWII – Activision / Sledgehammer Games
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Capcom
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Musical Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
Persona 5 – Atlus / P-Studio
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Capcom
Skyrim VR – Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
Assassin’s Creed Origins – Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animations.
Assassin’s Creed Origins – Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
Gorogoa – Annapurna Interactive / Jason Roberts
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
Persona 5 – Atlus / P-Studio
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Excellence in Convergence
Awarded to the game that excels in crossover to other entertainment mediums such as film, music, toys, animation, sports and more.
DropMix – Hasbro / Harmonix
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series – Telltale Games
South Park: Fractured But Whole – Ubisoft / Ubisoft San Francisco
Star Trek Bridge Crew – Ubisoft / Red Storm Entertainment
Star Wars Battlefront II – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
Gang Beasts – Double Fine Presents / Boneloaf
Destiny 2 – Activision / Bungie
Fortnite – Epic Games
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
Splatoon 2 – Nintendo
Most Promising New Intellectual Property
Awarded to a new property that risked creating something fresh and that excelled within its genre or category for the year.
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
Night in the Woods – Finji Games / Infinite Fall
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game
Awarded to the game that was primarily produced via crowdfunding platforms and had excelled beyond the expectations set before it.
Darkwood – Acid Wizard Studio
Kona – Parabole
Night in the Woods – Finji Games / Infinite Fall
Perception – Feardemic / The Deep End Games
The 7th Continent – Serious Poulp
Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – Bethesda Softworks / MachineGames
Fortnite – Epic Games
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
Cuphead – StudioMDHR
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
Night in the Woods – Finji Games / Infinite Fall
Persona 5 – Atlus / P-Studio
Prey – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
What Remains of Edith Finch – Annapurna Interactive / Giant Sparrow
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
Doki Doki Literature Club – Team Salvato
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory
Life is Strange: Before the Storm – Square Enix / Deck Nine
Night in the Woods – Finji Games / Infinite Fall
What Remains of Edith Finch – Annapurna Interactive / Giant Sparrow
Trending Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that consistently entertained and kept us watching on social platforms with its humor, stories, and more.
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy – Humble Bundle / Bennett Foddy
Night in the Woods – Finji Games / Infinite Fall
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
Doki Doki Literature Club – Team Salvato
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator – Game Grumps
Esports Game of the Year
Awarded to the online game that has the best competitive scene, or potential to grow one, and most entertainment value.
Call of Duty: WWII – Activision / Sledgehammer Games
Tekken 7 – Bandai Namco Entertainment / Bandai Namco Studios
FIFA 18 – EA Sports / EA Romania & Vancouver
F1 2017 – Codemasters / Codemasters Birmingham
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Capcom
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality – Owlchemy Labs / Adult Swim Games
Skyrim VR – Bethesda Softworks / Bethesda Game Studios
Star Trek Bridge Crew – Ubisoft / Red Storm Entertainment
SUPERHOT VR – SUPERHOT Team
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
Clank! In! Space! – Renegade Game Studios
Gloomhaven – Cephalofair Games
Near and Far – Red Raven Games
Santorini – Roxley
The 7th Continent– Serious Poulp
Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp – Nintendo
Fire Emblem Heroes – Nintendo
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy – Humble Bundle / Bennett Foddy
Gorogoa – Annapurna Interactive / Jason Roberts
Monument Valley 2 – Ustwo Games
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Horizon: Zero Dawn – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games
NieR: Automata – Square Enix / PlatinumGames
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS – PUBG Corporation
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo