The nominees for the SXSW 2017 Gaming Awards are in and, unsurprisingly, it’s Overwatch and Naughty Dog’s action-adventure sequel Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End that lead the pack. The latter scooped up eight nominations in total, including Excellence in Design and Most Memorable Character (Nathan Drake), not to mention that coveted Game of the Year accolade.
Per SXSW’s official site, that title is reserved for “the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.” Uncharted 4 will be going up against Dishonored 2, Doom, Overwatch and Respawn’s Titanfall 2 for top honors in two months’ time. Other noteworthy nominations include Inside, which got the nod for Excellence in Design. Indeed, Playdead’s enthralling adventure game was named Game of the Year during WGTC’s own end-of-year coverage, and though Inside missed out on the GOTY category this time around, we’re confident Playdead will be leaving Austin with a few awards in tow.
You can get the full rundown of all categories and nominees 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 DogMobile 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
Pokemon Go – Niantic
Pokemon Sun and Moon – The Pokémon Company / Game Freak
Reigns – Devolver Digital / Nerial
Severed – DrinkBox StudiosTabletop 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 GamesFan 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 ProductionsMatthew 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 GamesExcellence 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 DogExcellence 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 GamesMost 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 GamesMost 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 MassiveMost 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 EntertainmentExcellence 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 AssemblyExcellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
Abzu – 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 DogExcellence 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 DogExcellence 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 – DroolExcellence 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
Austin, Texas will play host to SXSW 2017 from March 10th-19th. Expect plenty of WGTC coverage throughout the festival, with the Gaming Awards ceremony due to take place on Saturday, March 18th.