Hades and Ghost of Tsushima were the big winners at the 2021 Game Developers Choice Awards.
With GDC 2021 held online due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards was a later than usual celebration of 2020’s best games.
Not that the fourth-month delay stopped Hades from taking the spotlight once again. Supergiant’s acclaimed action roguelike picked up three more awards for the trophy cabinet, including Best Audio, Best Design, and the coveted Game of the Year award.
It was also a good night for Sucker Punch Productions. Samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima took home the award for Best Visual Art and was the recipient of the Audience Award.
Other winners included Media Molecule’s game creation suite Dreams, which picked up the Innovation Award, and Asobo Studio’s Microsoft Flight Simulator, which was recognised in the Best Technology category.
Newgrounds creator Tom Fulp received this year’s Pioneer Award, and industry legend Laralyn McWilliams was given a deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.
We send our congratulations to every studio, developer, and artist nominated at this year’s awards. Here’s the complete list of nominees and winners.
GDC Awards 2021 – Nominees and Winners
Game of the Year
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Audio
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Debut
- Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)
- Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital)
- Carrion (Phobia Game Studio / Devolver Digital)
- Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry / Playstack)
- Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games / Super!Com)
Best Design
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Innovation Award
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic / Devolver Digital)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
Best Mobile Game
- The Pathless (Giant Squid / Annapurna Interactive)
- Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
- Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo / PID Publishing)
- If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
Best Narrative
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Technology
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
Best Visual Art
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Best VR/AR Game
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)
- Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
- Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
- Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios / Electronic Arts)
Audience Award
- Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Pioneer Award
- Tom Fulp
The Lifetime Achievement Award
- Laralyn McWilliams
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