Each year in Austin, Texas, the annual SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival brings together the worlds of music, film, and the interactive arts for a weekend of celebration and honoring the mediums' biggest achievements, with the annual SXSW Gaming Awards revealing their nominees for the best games of 2016.
The SXSW Festival has revealed its full list of nominees for the festival's 2017 Gaming Awards, with over 100 nominees honored across 23 categories, including new categories for this year's awards such as Trending Game of the Year, Fan Creation of the Year, and eSports Game of the Year.
Overall, Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed shooter Overwatch took the highest number of award nominations with 10, while other titles from the year such as DOOM, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and more are also among some of the top awards for the year.
The SXSW Gaming Awards 2017 will take place on Saturday, March 18th, 2017 at 8pm at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin, Texas. The ceremony will be hosted by WWE superstar and YouTuber Austin Creed and Twitch streamer OMGitsfirefoxx. The full list of nominees for this year's awards can be found below:
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Dishonored 2 - Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
DOOM - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Titanfall 2 - Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.
Clash Royale - Supercell
Pokémon GO - Niantic
Pokémon Sun and Moon - The Pokémon Company / Game Freak
Reigns - Devolver Digital / Nerial
Severed - DrinkBox Studios
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
Arkham Horror: The Card Game - Fantasy Flight Games
Captain Sonar - Asmodee North America
Inis - Asmodee North America
Mechs vs Minions - Riot Games
The Others - CMON Inc.
Esports Game of the Year
Awarded to the online game with the best competitive scene, growth, and entertainment value.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - Activision / Infinity Ward
Gears of War 4 - Microsoft Studios / The Coalition
Killer Instinct: Season 3 - Microsoft Studios / Iron Galaxy Studios
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Street Fighter V - Capcom
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.
Dead by Daylight - Starbreeze Studios / Behaviour Digital Inc.
Job Simulator - Owlchemy Labs
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
SUPERHOT - SUPERHOT Team
Who's Your Daddy - Evil Tortilla Games
Fan Creation of the Year
Awarded to the most compelling fan-made piece of work across all games and platforms. This includes, but isn’t limited to, artwork, writing, videography, special effects, and more.
Brutal Doom 64 - Sergeant_Mark_IV
Enderal - The Shards of Order - SureAI Team
Fallout 1.5: Resurrection - Resurrection Team
Fallout: Revelation - MechanicalCakeTV
Jack - A Stanley Parable Short Film - Vesio Productions
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation
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.
1979 Revolution: Black Friday - INK Stories
Fragments of Him - Sassybot
Orwell - Surprise Attack / Osmotic Studios
Quadrilateral Cowboy - Blendo Games
That Dragon, Cancer - Numinous Games
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
Firewatch - Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
The Last Guardian - Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
Oxenfree - Night School Studio
That Dragon, Cancer - Numinous Games
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
Dishonored 2 - Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
INSIDE - Playdead
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
The Witness - Thekla, Inc.
Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
Dark Souls III - BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment / FromSoftware, Inc.
Dishonored 2 - Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
DOOM - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Firewatch - Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
I Expect You to Die - Schell Games
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.
Darkest Dungeon - Red Hook Studios
Hyper Light Drifter - Heart Machine
Starbound - Chucklefish Games
SUPERHOT - SUPERHOT Team
That Dragon, Cancer - Numinous Games
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.
Firewatch - Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Stardew Valley - Chucklefish Games / ConcernedApe
SUPERHOT - SUPERHOT Team
Tom Clancy's The Division - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Massive
Most Memorable Character
Awarded to the best game character that left an overwhelming impression.
Firewatch - Henry & Delilah
The Last Guardian - Trico
Overwatch - Tracer
Titanfall 2 - BT-7274
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Nathan Drake
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
Battlefield 1 - Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Gears of War 4 - Microsoft Studios / The Coalition
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
SpeedRunners - tinyBuild / DoubleDutch Games
Titanfall 2 - Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
Excellence in Convergence
Awarded to the game that excels in crossover to other entertainment mediums such as film, music, toys, animation, sports and more.
Batman: Arkham VR - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios
Batman: The Telltale Series - Telltale Games
FIFA 17 - EA Sports / EA Canada
NBA 2K17 - 2K Sports / Visual Concepts
Total War: WARHAMMER - SEGA / Creative Assembly
Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
ABZÛ - 505 Games / Giant Squid
Firewatch - Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
INSIDE - Playdead
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
The Witness - Thekla Inc.
Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.
DOOM - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
INSIDE - Playdead
The Last Guardian - Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
Battlefield 1 - Electronic Arts / EA DICE
DOOM - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Final Fantasy XV - Square Enix
Titanfall 2 - Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
Battlefield 1 - Electronic Arts / EA DICE
No Man's Sky - Sony Interactive Entertainment / Hello Games
Overwatch - Blizzard Entertainment
Pokémon GO - Niantic
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer 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.
DOOM - Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Final Fantasy XV - Square Enix
Hyper Light Drifter - Heart Machine
The Last Guardian - Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
Thumper - Drool
Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
Battlefield 1 - Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Dishonored 2 - Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
INSIDE - Playdead
Titanfall 2 - Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Gamer’s Voice Single Player
Awarded to the top fan-favorite indie games found in the Indie Corner, as chosen by Gaming Expo attendees.
Ape Out - Gabe Cuzzillo
Asura - Ogre Head Studio
Bootleg Systems - NEONABLE
CHKN - Katapult
Circles - Illusive Games
Code 7 - Episode 0: Allocation - Goodwolf Studio
Cryptark - Alientrap
Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor - Sundae Month
Event [0] - Ocelot Society
Far From Noise - George Batchelor
Haimrik - Below the Game
Hollow Knight - Team Cherry
Katana Zero - Askiisoft
MachiaVillain - Wild Factor
Mages of Mystralia - Borealys Games
Night in the Woods - Infinite Fall
No Truce With The Furies - ZAUM STUDIO OÜ
Obduction - Cyan
Owlboy - D-Pad Studio
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Mimimi Productions
She Remembered Caterpillars - jumpsuit entertainment
Sundered - Thunder Lotus Games
The Hex - Daniel Mullins Games
The Metronomicon - Puuba
The Pedestrian - Skookum Arts
The Shrouded Isle - Kitfox Games
Tumbleseed - AEIOWU
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine - Dim Bulb Games
Gamer’s Voice Multiplayer
Akuto: Mad World - Hut 90
Antihero - Tim Conkling
ARENA GODS - Supertype
Beasts of Balance - Sensible Object
Flat Heroes - Parallel Circles
Friday Night Bullet Arena - Red Nexus Games
Human: Fall Flat - No Brakes Games
Invisigun Heroes - Sombr Studio
Overcooked - Ghost Town Games
Schlicht - Team Schlicht
Red Rope: Don't Fall Behind - Yonder
Saltlands - Antler Games
Sky Noon - Lunar Rooster
Strikers Edge - Fun Punch Games
Tooth and Tail - Pocketwatch Games
Vast: The Crystal Caverns - Leder Games