It looks like Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding really connected with the judging panel for the 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards. The developer’s latest game, and his first as the head of an independent team, was nominated in seven categories: “Game of the Year,” “Best Design,” “Best Visual Art,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio,” “Best Technology,” and the “Innovation Award.”
The remaining “Game of the Year” contenders gobbled up most of the rest of the nominations, as Remedy’s Control and Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds were close behind with five nominations apiece. Also in the running are House House’s Untitled Goose Game (which collected four nominations) and From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (which snuck into the conversation with three nominations).
In addition to this year’s slate of competitive awards, Kate Edwards will receive Ambassador Award for her work in “helping video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action.” Edwards is the current Executive Director of Global Game Jam and the former head of the International Game Developers Association.
The 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony will take place on on Wednesday, March 18, and will be livestreamed on the GDC’s Twitch channel. The full list of nominees, as well as all the Honorable Mentions, can be found after the break.
Game of the Year
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM), The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)Best Mobile Game
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- What the Golf? (Triband Productions / The Label Limited)
- Grindstone (Capybara Games)
- Sky: Children of the Light (thatgamecompany)
- Call of Duty: Mobile (TiMi Studios / Activision)
Honorable Mentions
Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik / Akupara Games), Assemble with Care (ustwo), Pilgrims (Amanita Design), Archero (Habby), Card of Darkness (Choice Provisions), Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)Best VR/AR Game
- Vader Immortal (ILMxLAB / Disney)
- Blood & Truth (SCEE Studio London / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Asgard’s Wrath (Sanzaru Games / Oculus Studios)
- Boneworks (Stress Level Zero)
- Pistol Whip (Cloudhead Games)
Honorable Mentions
Trover Saves the Universe (Squanch Games), Falcon Age (Outerloop Games), Ghost Giant (Zoink), Vacation Simulator (Owlchemy Labs), Stormland (Insomniac Games / Oculus Studios)Best Design
- Baba Is You (Hempuli)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic)
Honorable Mentions
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM), Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games), Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)Best Visual Art
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
Honorable Mentions
Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive), Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo / Nintendo), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo), Void Bastards (Blue Manchu / Humble Bundle)Best Narrative
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, Koei Tecmo Games / Nintendo), A Plague Tale: Innocence (Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive), Heaven’s Vault (inkle), Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik / Akupara Games), Telling Lies (Drowning a Mermaid Productions, Furious Bee / Annapurna Interactive)Best Audio
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
Honorable Mentions
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games / Nintendo), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Disco Elysium (ZA/UM), Ape Out (Gabe Cuzzillo, Bennett Foddy, Matt Boch / Devolver Digital), Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)Best Technology
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Noita (Nolla Games)
Honorable Mentions
Gears 5 (The Coalition / Xbox Game Studios), Resident Evil 2 (Capcom), Manifold Garden (William Chyr Studios), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision), The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts), Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)Best Debut
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital)
- Manifold Garden (William Chyr Studios)
- Knights and Bikes (Foam Sword Games)
- Neo Cab (Chance Agency)
Innovation Award
- Untitled Goose Game (House House / Panic)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Baba Is You (Hempuli)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions
Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games), Hypnospace Outlaw (Tendershoot, ThatWhichIs Media / No More Robots), Kind Words (Popcannibal), Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo), Wattam (Funomena / Annapurna Interactive)
