The organizers of South by Southwest Gaming have finally announced the nominees of this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards, to be held on March 14 in Austin, Texas.
This year’s nominees for the Videogame of the Year category are a tough bunch with titles ‘Bayonetta 2’, ‘Dark Souls II’, ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition, ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor’ and ‘Shovel Knight’ all contending for the prestigiously titled award.
Hosting the show this year is actress/comedian Janet Varney (‘Legend of Korra’) and YouTube gaming celebrity Markiplier.
For those unaware, the SXSW Gaming Awards is an annual awards show that is held by its organizers to show respect and admiration for the work put into the gaming medium as a whole. It will be running alongside the SXSW Gaming Expo, a free public convention that runs March 13-15 in Austin.
This year’s awards show categories and respective nominees are as follows:
Videogame of the Year:
- Bayonetta 2
- Dark Souls II
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Shovel Knight
Mobile Game of the Year:
- Bravely Default
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Monument Valley
- Super Smash Bros. 3DS
- Threes!
Table Top Game of the Year:
- Dead of Winter
- Five Tribes
- King of New York
- Sheriff of Nottingham
- Star Realms
Excellence in Gameplay:
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Nidhogg
- Super Smash Bros. Wii U
- Titanfall
Excellence in Art:
- The Banner Saga
- Child of Light
- Monument Valley
- Transistor
- The Wolf Among Us
Excellence in Animation:
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- inFAMOUS: Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Super Smash Bros. Wii U
- Titanfall
Excellence in Technical Achievement:
- Alien: Isolation
- Destiny
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
Excellence in Visual Achievement:
- Alien: Isolation
- Far Cry 4
- Monument Valley
- Transistor
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Excellence in Narrative:
- The Banner Saga
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Wolf Among Us
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Excellence in Design and Direction:
- Dark Souls II
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
- The Talos Principle
Excellence in SFX:
- Alien: Isolation
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- The Evil Within
- Far Cry 4
- Titanfall
Excellence in Musical Score:
- The Banner Saga
- Destiny
- Child of Light
- Transistor
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Excellence in Multiplayer:
- Destiny
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Super Smash Bros. Wii U
- Titanfall
- Towerfall Ascension
Excellence in Convergence:
- Alien: Isolation
- Disney Infinity 2.0
- FIFA 15
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- The Wolf Among Us
Most Valuable Character:
- Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us)
- Ellie (The Last of Us: Left Behind)
- The Goat (Goat Simulator)
- Octodad (Octodad: Dadliest Catch)
- Red (Transistor)
Most Valuable Esports Team:
- Alliance
- Cloud9
- Evil Geniuses
- Fnatic
- SK Gaming
Most Valuable Online Channel:
- Cynical Brit
- Rooster Teeth
- SMOSH Games
Most Valuable Add-On Content
- Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Series
- Dark Souls II: Crown of the King Series
- The Last of Us: Left Behind
- World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Most Anticipated Crowdfunded Game
- The Banner Saga
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Shovel Knight
- Star Citizen
- Wasteland 2
What do you think of the nominees? Is there anything you think should’ve made the cut? Let us know in the comment section below!
Source: SXSW Gaming
