The DICE Awards will be held in Las Vegas on February 23, and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences recently announced the nominees for the 20th edition of this awards ceremony.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, one of last year’s major video game releases, is leading the nominees with a total of ten nominations, which is not surprising taking into account that Naughty Dog’s PS4 exclusive was one of the best games of 2016 due to its superb story, graphics and stellar gameplay.
Other AAA games like Battlefield 1 (eight nominations) and The Last Guardian (seven nominations) are also in the running for several awards each. And it is also great to see that the Academy has nominated two of last year’s best indie games, Inside and Firewatch, which have garnered nine and six nominations each respectively.
Additionally, Bethesda’s game director Todd Howard, who was behind major games like Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, will be inducted into the Academy’s Hall of Fame at the awards ceremony. Howard will join the likes of Japanese designer Hideo Kojima, who received this honour during last year’s ceremony, and others like Sid Meier of Civilization fame, who have also been inducted into the Academy’s Hall of Fame in the past.
Here follows a list of the nominees for the 20th DICE Awards which will be taking place on February 23 this year.
(As an aside, it should be noted that D.I.C.E. stands for Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain. It should not be confused with Swedish game developer DICE, the team behind video games like Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 1, one of this year’s nominees)
Game of the Year
- Battlefield 1
- Inside
- Overwatch
- Pokémon Go
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Inside
- The Last Guardian
- Overwatch
- Street Fighter V
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Battlefield 1
- Firewatch
- Inside
- The Last Guardian
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Nick Reyes
- Firewatch – Delilah
- Firewatch – Henry
- The Last Guardian – Trico
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Nathan Drake
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Abzu
- Battlefield 1
- Doom
- The Last Guardian
- Titanfall 2
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Battlefield 1
- Inside
- The Last Guardian
- Quantum Break
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Firewatch
- Inside
- Oxenfree
- That Dragon, Cancer
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Battlefield 1
- No Man’s Sky
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 2
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Action Game of the Year
- Battlefield 1
- Doom
- Gears of War 4
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 2
Adventure Game of the Year
- Firewatch
- Inside
- King’s Quest: The Complete Collection
- The Last Guardian
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Family Game of the Year
- Dragon Quest Builders
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Ratchet & Clank
- Rock Band Rivals
- Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Fighting Game of the Year
- EA Sports UFC 2
- Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator
- Killer Instinct: Season 3
- Pokkén Tournament
- Street Fighter V
Racing Game of the Year
- DRIVECLUB VR
- Forza Horizon 3
Role-Playing / Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
- Dark Souls 3
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
- Hyper Light Drifter
- Tom Clancy’s The Division
- World of Warcraft: Legion
Sports Game of the Year
- FIFA 17
- Madden NFL 17
- MLB The Show 16
- NBA 2K17
- Steep
Strategy / Simulation Game of the Year
- The Banner Saga 2
- Deus Ex GO
- Fire Emblem Fates
- Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
- XCOM 2
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
- 1979 Revolution: Black Friday
- Firewatch
- Inside
- Superhot
- That Dragon, Cancer
Handheld Game of the Year
- Dragon Quest Builders
- Fire Emblem Fates
- Kirby: Planet Robobot
- Pokémon Sun and Moon
- Severed
Mobile Game of the Year
- Clash Royale
- Crashlands
- Gardenscapes – New Acres
- Pokémon Go
- Reigns
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Battlefield 1
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Overwatch
- Titanfall 2
- Tom Clancy’s The Division
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- I Expect You To Die
- Inside
- Overwatch
- Owlboy
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- 1979 Revolution: Black Friday
- Battlefield 1
- Inside
- The Last Guardian
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End