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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