Last night, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences held the 25th annual DICE Awards in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The usual suspects won it big, with Hazelight Studio’s It Takes Two snagging two major awards–Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, nominated for nine total awards, walked home with four including Family Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Animation.
See the full list of winners below:
- Game of the Year—It Takes Two (Hazelight)
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Design—It Takes Two (Hazelight)
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction—Deathloop (Arkane Studios)
- Action Game of the Year—Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
- Online Game of the Year—Halo Infinite (343 Industries)
- Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game—Unpacking (Witch Beam)
- Outstanding Achievement in Animation—Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction—Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
- Outstanding Technical Achievement—Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
- Family Game of the Year—Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games)
- Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition—Returnal (Housemarque)
- Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design—Returnal (Housemarque)
- Outstanding Achievement in Story—Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix)
- Adventure Game of the Year—Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix)
- Fighting Game of the Year—Guilty Gear Strive (Arc System Works)
- Racing Game of the Year—Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games)
- Role-Playing Game of the Year—Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Square Enix)
- Sports Game of the Year—Mario Golf: Super Rush (Camelot/Nintendo)
- Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year—Age of Empires IV (World’s Edge/Microsoft)
- Immersive Reality Technical Achievement—Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn)
- Immersive Reality Game of the Year—Lone Echo II (Ready at Dawn)
- Mobile Game of the Year—Pokémon Unite (TiMi Studio)
- Outstanding Achievement in Character—Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu
Xbox chief Phil Spencer was also honored during the ceremony with a well-deserved lifetime achievement award. Ed Boon, the creator Mortal Kombat, was also inducted into the DICE Hall of Fame.
For those who haven’t yet played this curious co-op adventure, It Takes Two is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. In January, Variety reported that Hazelight would be teaming up with dj2 Entertainment to adapt It Takes Two for film and television. Earlier this month, it was announced that the game had sold five million copies.
