Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice wins SXSW GOTY

South by Southwest (SXSW) announce the winners of the seventh annual SXSW Gaming Awards, with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice picking up Game of the Year.

Following the example set by the GDC and IGF awards, the winners of this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards have been revealed online. The awards aim to recognise “the most creative and influential titles, teams and individuals in the industry” across 19 categories. The winners are selected through a combination of public voting and assessment from SXSW staff and advisory board members.

FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice adds to its trophy cabinet by picking up the awards for Video Game of the Year and Excellence in Visual Achievement. Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding also picked up two awards, for Musical Score and Technical Achievement.

Other winners include The Outer Worlds, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Speaking about the awards, Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer for SXSW, says:

“Gaming is a key part of the creative ecosystem that brings us together, and now more than ever it provides us with a unique sense of escape and adventure in uncertain times. We were devastated that we weren’t able to celebrate our honorees in person with the cancellation of our event, but glad that we’re still able to share their achievements and creative works with our community.”

This year’s acceptance messages are well worth watching. It’s a reminder of how much industry recognition can mean to the creators and developers behind the games we play. Here’s the full list of winners.

2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Winner

Video Game of the Year

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – FromSoftware / Activision

Mobile Game of the Year

Winner: Sky: Children of the  Light – Thatgamecompany

Tabletop Game of the Year

Paladins of the West Kingdom – Renegade Game Studios

XR Game of the Year

No Man’s Sky Beyond VR – Hello Games

Trending Game of the Year

Pokémon Sword And Shield – Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Disco Elysium – Za/Um

Most Promising New Intellectual Property

The Outer Worlds – Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division

Excellence in Animation

Kingdom Hearts III – Square Enix

Excellence in Art

The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Nintendo

Excellence in Design

Control – Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games

Excellence in Gameplay

Devil May Cry 5 –  Capcom

Excellence in Multiplayer

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers – Square Enix

Excellence in Musical Score

Death Stranding – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Narrative

Disco Elysium – ZA/UM

Excellence in SFX

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Death Stranding – Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Visual Achievement

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Fromsoftware / Activision

Game Industry Champion of Change

Steven Spohn

Game Industry Journalist of the Year

Cecilia D’anastasio

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