I am curious to see what will take home the awards and what the staff covering for us says the buzz is on.
2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct
gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming
experience on any handheld device.
- Call of Duty Mobile — TiMi Studios / Activision
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
- Sky: Children of the Light — thatgamecompany
- Where Cards Fall — Snowman
- Whispers of a Machine — Clifftop Games / Raw Fury
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any
tabletop game in any genre.
- Paladins of the West Kingdom — Renegade Game Studios
- Parks — Keymaster Games
- Pax Pamir — Wehrlegig Games
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon — Awaken Realms
- Taverns of Tiefenthal — North Star Games
XR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design
across any VR platform.
- Blood & Truth — Sony Interactive Entertainment
- No Man’s Sky BEYOND VR — Hello Games
- Pistol Whip — Cloudhead Games
- The Under Presents — Tender Claws
- tori — BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.
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.
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Borderlands 3 — Gearbox Software / 2K Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Pokemon Sword and Shield — Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Super Mario Maker 2 — Nintendo
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.
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Knights and Bikes — Foam Sword / Double Fine Productions
- Overland — Finji
- Sea of Solitude — Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts
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.
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — ArtPlay / 505 Games
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Katana ZERO — Askiisoft / Devolver Digital
- The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animations.
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- KINGDOM HEARTS III — Square Enix
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — Nintendo
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
- Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers — Square Enix
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne — Capcom
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
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.
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
- Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
- Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
- A Plague Tale: Innocence — Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive
Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo
- Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Resident Evil 2 — Capcom
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
- Concrete Genie — Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
- Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
- Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
