The SXSW Gaming Awards will once again play a big role in the annual Austin arts festival, and this year’s nominees were announced earlier this week.
Remedy’s Control and Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding lead the way with seven nominations apiece, but Kojima’s latest mindbender won’t be competing for “Video Game of the Year.” Instead, Control will do battle with Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5, ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium, From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for the coveted award.
Winners at the 2020 SXSW Gaming Awards will be determined by a split vote between the festival’s advisory board and a public poll, which is now open at SXSW.com through Sunday, February 23.
This year’s ceremony will be held on on Sunday, March 15, and it’ll be hosted by Wil Wheaton and Star Wars: Battlefront II‘s Janina Gavankar. All SXSW registrants will be able to attend the ceremony as part of their festival ticket, and the rest of us will be able to tune in to the festivities via SXSW’s Twitch channel.
You can find a complete list of this year’s nominees in all categories after the break.
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.
- Call of Duty: Mobile (TiMi Studios / Activision)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
- Sky: Children of the Light (thatgamecompany)
- Where Cards Fall (Snowman)
- Whispers of a Machine (Clifftop Games / Raw Fury)
XR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
- Blood & Truth (Sony London / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- No Man’s Sky Beyond VR (Hello Games)
- Pistol Whip (Cloudhead Games)
- The Under Presents (Tender Claws)
- Tori (Bandai Namco Entertainment America)
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
- Paladins of the West Kingdom (Renegade Game Studios)
- Parks (Keymaster Games)
- Pax Pamir (Wehrlegig Games)
- Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon (Awaken Realms)
- Taverns of Tiefenthal (North Star Games)
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.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Borderlands 3 (Gearbox Software / 2K Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield (Game Freak / Nintendo)
- Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo)
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
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.
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Knights and Bikes (Foam Sword / Double Fine Productions)
- Overland (Finji)
- Sea of Solitude (Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts)
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
- A Plague Tale: Innocence (Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive)
Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
- Astral Chain (Platinum Games / Nintendo)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
- Astral Chain (Platinum Games / Nintendo)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
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.
- Astral Chain (Platinum Games / Nintendo)
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (ArtPlay / 505 Games)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Katana Zero (Askiisoft / Devolver Digital)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (Square Enix)
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (Capcom)
- Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm Studios / WB Games)
Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo / Nintendo)
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animations.
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)
- Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm Studios / WB Games)
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
- Concrete Genie (Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Control (Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games)
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software / Activision)
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.
- Death Stranding (Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)
- Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive)
- Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward / Activision)
- Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games / Nintendo)
- Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm Studios / WB Games)
- Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts)
