Today, the Game Developers Conference revealed the finalists for nominations for the Game Developers Choice Awards. The winners will be chosen at the CDGA ceremony, which will take place at the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, July 1st at 4:30 PM in conjunction with the Independent Game Festival 2021.
The nominations, picked by developers, are led by a three way tie between Supergiant Games’ Hades, Super Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2. Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx came in second with five nominations. All four are nominated for Game of the Year. The other games up for more than one award are Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Media Molecule’s Dreams.
Hades was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year; Ghost of Tsushima was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year; The Last of Us Part 2 was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.
It’s a good list, though there are some notable snubs. DOOM Eternal was only nominated for Best Sound Design, which is baffling given the game’s technical and design prowess. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was also only nominated for Best Sound Design, which is an odd choice given the sheer bravery of the game’s narrative. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, another snub, only received a nomination for Best Visual Design.
My money’s on either Hades or The Last of Us Part 2 to take home Game of the Year given how other awards shows we’ve seen have worked out, but we’ll have to wait until July to be sure.
You can check out the rest of the nominees and the honorable mentions here.