The nominations for the annual DICE (Design Innovate Communicate Entertain) Awards have been announced, and two familiar names top the list. The DICE Awards, which are organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, are different than some other gaming awards, as they reflect what the gaming industry, rather than critics or fans, think the best games of the year are. This year’s show will emanate from its usual home in Las Vegas and be hosted by Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot.
The three leading contenders are God of War with 12 nominations, Marvel’s Spider-Man with 11 nominations, and Red Dead Redemption 2 with 8 nods. Some games that have been largely left out of other awards shows have also received nominations – Return of the Obra Dinn has picked up an impressive six nominations, while Into the Breach, Florence, and Astro Bot Rescue Mission have all picked up four nods. You can check out the full list of nominees, below:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- God of War
- GRIS
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Moss
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- GRIS
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Kassandra)
- God of War (Atreus)
- God of War (Kratos)
- Marvel's Spider-Man (Peter Parker/Spider-Man)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Arthur Morgan)
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Detroit: Become Human
- Forgotton Anne
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Tetris Effect
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Battlefield V
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Moss
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Florence
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
- Battlefield V
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Celeste
- Destiny 2: Forsaken
- Far Cry 5
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Adventure Game of the Year
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Family Game of the Year
- ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
- Kirby Star Allies
- LEGO DC Super-Villains
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas
- Unravel Two
Fighting Game of the Year
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- SOULCALIBUR VI
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Horizon 4
- F1 2018
- Wreckfest
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
- Monster Hunter World
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Sports Game of the Year
- FIFA 19
- Mario Tennis Aces
- MLB The Show 18
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Bad North
- Frostpunk
- Into the Breach
- Northgard
- RimWorld
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
- Beat Saber
- Dr. Grordbort's Invaders
- Tónandi
- Torn
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
- Beat Saber
- Moss
- Sprint Vector
- Transference
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
- Celeste
- Florence
- Into the Breach
- Minit
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Portable Game of the Year
- Dandara
- Donut County
- Dragalia Lost
- Florence
- Oddmar
Online Game of the Year
- Fortnite
- Destiny 2: Forsaken
- Laser League
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Sea of Thieves
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- God of War
- Into the Breach
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Return of the Obra Dinn
- Subnautica
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Florence
- God of War
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Game of the Year
- God of War
- Into the Breach
- Marvel's Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Some interesting choices! If there’s something I’m struck by, it’s the lack of nominations for “games as a service” style titles. Again, these awards are decided by industry insiders – could we be seeing a departure from the loot box and microtransaction mania of the past few years? Any nominees you’ve been meaning to check out? I think I need to give Return of the Obra Dinn a try.
The 22nd annual DICE Awards will be held on February 13 at 8pm PT.
About the author: Professional writer of trivial things. Nathan has been covering games, entertainment, and online culture for over a decade with bylines at IGN, GameSpy, Cracked, Uproxx, ComicBook, and more. Joined Wccftech gaming team in 2017, and has written hundreds of game reviews and thousands of news stories since.
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