Geoff Keighley, a globally renowned game Journalist has recently announced the nominations for the upcoming Game Awards 2021. The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony that honors the achievements in the game industry. Produced and hosted by Geoff, these awards are being given since 2014. Alongside the awards, the ceremony also focuses on premiers of new games and in-depth analysis of the previously announced ones.
This year, ‘Deathloop’ by Arkane Studios is leading the pack with as many as nine nominations including—Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action Game, and Game of the Year. It also received a couple of nominations in the Best Performance Category with Jason E. Kelley and Ozioama Akagha. Besides Deathloop, ‘Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart’ was also impressive, bagging six nominations. Here is the complete list of nominations:
Game of the Year
This award recognized a game that delivers the best overall experience considering the creative as well as technical aspects.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog)
Nominations for 2021:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
Best Game Direction
This award is given for creative vision and approach in game design and direction.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog)
Nominations for 2021:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
Best Narrative
This award recognizes the best storytelling and narrative development in a game.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog)
Nominations for 2021:
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
Best Art Direction
This is awarded for phenomenal achievements in art design and animations.
Last Year’s Winner: Ghost of Tsushima
Nominations for 2021:
- Deathloop
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- The Artful Escape
Best Score Music
This award is given for compelling music including score and original song/soundtrack.
Last Year’s Winner: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Nominations for 2021:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Deathloop
- Nier Replicant ver 1.22474487139
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Artful Escape
Best Audio Design
This award recognizes the best in-game sound and audio design.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II
Nominations for 2021:
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Best Performance
This award is given to an individual for voice-over acting as well as motion performance capture.
Last Year’s Winner: Laura Bailey- Abby, The Last of Us Part II
Nominations for 2021:
- Erica Mori, Life is Strange
- Giancarlo Esposito, Far Cry 6
- Jason E. Kelley, Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson, Resident Evil Village
- Ozioama Akagha, Deathloop
Games for Impact
This is awarded to a thought-provoking game with a social message.
Last Year’s Winner: Tell Me Why
Nominations for 2021:
- Before your Eyes
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- No Longer Home
Best Ongoing Game
This award is given to a game that develops outstanding ongoing content.
Last Year’s Winner: No Man’s Sky
Nominations for 2021:
- Apex Legends
- Call of Duty: War Zone
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
Best Indie Game
This is awarded to a game that is independently developed outside the traditional system.
Last Year’s Winner: No Man’s Sky
Nominations for 2021:
- 12 Minutes
- Death’s Door
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Inscryption
- Loop’s Hero
Best Debut Indie Game
This is awarded to the best debut game developed by an independent studio.
Last Year’s Winner: Phasmophobia
Nominations for 2021:
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- The Artful Escape
- The Forgotten City
- Valheim
Best Mobile Game
This is awarded to a game that can be seamlessly played on a mobile device.
Last Year’s Winner: Among Us
Nominations for 2021:
- Fantasian
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends
- MARVEL Future Revolution
- Pokemon Unite
Best Community Support
This award recognizes a game for its community support, responsiveness, and transparency.
Last Year’s Winner: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Nominations for 2021:
- Apex Legends: Escape
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Final Fantasy XIV Online
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Best AR/VR Game
This award is given to a game that provides the best user experience in AR or VR.
Last Year’s Winner: Half-life: Alyx
Nominations for 2021:
- Hitman III
- I Expect You to Die 2
- Lone Echo II
- Resident Evil 4
- Sniper Elite VR
Innovation in Accessibility
This award recognizes software/hardware that adds features, content, and technology to augment the game experience.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II
Nominations for 2021:
- Far Cry 6
- Forza Horizon 5
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Best Action Game
This award is given to the best games in the action genre.
Last Year’s Winner: Hades
Nominations for 2021:
- Back 4 Blood
- Chivalry II
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Returnal
Best Action/Adventure Game
This award is given to the best adventure game that combines combat with traversal and puzzle-solving.
Last Year’s Winner: The Last of Us Part II
Nominations for 2021:
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metroid Dread
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Psychonauts 2
Best RPG
This is awarded to the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression.
Last Year’s Winner: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Nominations for 2021:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Scarlet Nexus
- Shin Megami Tensei V
- Tales of Arise
Best Fighting Game
This award is given to the best game based around head-to-head combat.
Last Year’s Winner: Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
Nominations for 2021:
- Demon Slayer- Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles
- Guilty Gear- Strive-
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Virtua Fighter 5- Ultimate Showdown
Best Family Game
This is awarded to the best game that is appropriate for family play.
Last Year’s Winner: Animal Crossing (New Horizons)
Nominations for 2021:
- It Takes Two
- Mario Party Superstars
- New Pokemon Snap
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
- WarioWare: Get it Together
Best Sports/Racing Game
This award is given to the best traditional/non-traditional sports game.
Last Year’s Winner: Tony Hawk’s Pro Shaker 1+2
Nominations for 2021:
- F1 2021
- Fifa 22
- Hot Wheels Unleashed
- Forza Horizon 5
- Riders Republic
Best SIM/Strategy Game
This is awarded to the best game that focuses on simulation or strategy gameplay.
Last Year’s Winner: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Nominations for 2021:
- Age of Empires IV
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination
- Humankind
- Inscryption
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Multiplayer Game
This is given for the best multiplayer gameplay as well as design.
Last Year’s Winner: Among Us
Nominations for 2021:
- Back 4 Blood
- It Takes Two
- Knockout City
- Monster Hunter Rise
- New World
- Valheim
Content Creator of the Year
This is awarded to a content creator or streamer who has made a positive impact on the community in 2021.
Last Year’s Winner: Valkyrae
Nominations for 2021:
- Dream
- Fuslie
- Gaules
- Ibai
- TheGrefg
Best Esports Athlete
This is awarded to the athlete who is judged as the most outstanding performer regardless of the game.
Last Year’s Winner: Heo “Showmaker” Su
Nominations for 2021:
- Chris “Simp” Lehr
- Heo ‘Showmaker” Su
- Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
- Oleksandr “S1mple”Kostyliev
- Tyson “Tenz” Ngo
Best Esports Coach
This award is given to the coach with brilliant performance and conduct.
Last Year’s Winner: Danny “Zonic” Sorensen
Nominations for 2021:
- Airat “Silent” Gaziev
- Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
- James “Crowder” Crowder
- Kim “kkOma” Jeong gyun
Best Esports Event
This award recognizes events that provided the best experience to participants as well as the audience.
Last Year’s Winner: League of Legends World Championship 2020
Nominations for 2021:
- The International 2021
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
- Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2 Masters
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
Best Esports Game
This is awarded to the game that delivers the best overall Esports experience.
Last Year’s Winner: League of Legends
Nominations for 2021:
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- DOTA2
- League of Legends
- Valorant
Best Esports Team
This award is presented to the best Esports team with the best team performance and conduct.
Last Year’s Winner: G2 Esports
Nominations for 2021:
- Atlanta FaZe, Call of Duty
- DWG KIA, League of Legends
- Navi, CS:GO
- Team Spirit, DOTA2
- Sentinels, Valorant
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