GDCA Reveals Finalists for 12th Annual Awards

6 Jan, 2012

Thought the VGAs were all guff? Then the Game Developers Choice Awards might be the awards to get your attention. It’s the industry’s chance to vote on their peers, and this year they had some clear favorites. The organizers for the 12th Annual GDCA have announced the finalists, and it’s no surprise that Bethesda’s superstar Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the big names. Not far behind is Valve Software’s Portal 2, and newcomer Supergiant Games’ Bastion.

Supergiant Games thoroughly impressed with its charming, quirky, and beautiful game, garnering 5 nominations. Portal 2 and Skyrim meet in the ring again to fight for Game of the Year. Batman: Arkham City is also jumping into the fray, and the surprise party-goer is From Software’s hardcore RPG Dark Souls. Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution also received a nod for Game of the Year contender.

The list of triple-A and surprise titles don’t stop there. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, L.A. Noire, Tiny Tower, and Johann Sebastion Joust all received nods.

There’s a literal pantheon of gaming gods and goddesses (not really) helping to choose finalists for this year’s huge list. Winners will then be selected by an invitation-only group of 500 leading creators from all over the world within the video game industry.

Curious to know who’s on the list? Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 12th Annual GDCA:

Best Game Design
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)
Portal 2 (Valve)
Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
Dark Souls (From Software)

Innovation
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure (Toys for Bob)
Portal 2 (Valve)
Bastion (Supergiant Games)
Johann Sebastian Joust (Die Gute Fabrik)
L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)

Best Technology
Battlefield 3 (DICE)
L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)
Crysis 2 (Crytek Frankfurt/UK)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Naughty Dog)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Tiny Tower (NimbleBit)
Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo)
Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick)
Infinity Blade II (Chair Entertainment)
Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP (Capy Games/Superbrothers)

Best Audio
Bastion (Supergiant Games)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
Dead Space 2 (Visceral Games)
Portal 2 (Valve)

Best Downloadable Game
Stacking (Double Fine)
From Dust (Ubisoft Montpelier)
Bastion (Supergiant Games)
Outland (Housemarque)
Frozen Synapse (Mode 7)

Best Narrative
Portal 2 (Valve)
The Witcher 2 (CD Projekt RED)
Bastion (Supergiant Games)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Naughty Dog)
Saints Row: The Third (Volition)

Best Debut
Supergiant Games (Bastion)
Team Bondi (L.A. Noire)
Re-Logic (Terraria)
BioWare Austin (Star Wars: The Old Republic)
Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

Best Visual Arts
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Naughty Dog)
Rayman Origins (Ubisoft Montpelier)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Ignition Japan)
Battlefield 3 (DICE)

Game of the Year
batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studio)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
Portal 2 (Valve)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montreal)
Dark Souls (From Software)

For more information on the awards, visit the official GDCA website.

Via Gamasutra.