After being an exclusively online event for the past two years, the Game Developers Conference will return to its in-person roots in 2022. Planned to take place from March 21-25 in San Francisco, the highlight of the event will be the Game Developers Choice Awards, honoring the many game devs who have impressed critics and audiences over the past year. From audio and design to storytelling and innovation, plenty of awards are up for grabs, and while many of these heavy-hitters are familiar to those who tuned into The Game Awards 2021, a few surprise entries have also made their way into the list of nominees.
Five titles will be duking it out for the coveted Game of the Year award: Resident Evil Village, Deathloop, It Takes Two, Forza Horizon 5, and Inscryption. The first three were also nominated for the same award at The Game Awards in December. It’s no surprise that Arkane Studio juggernaut Deathloop is up for five other awards at the GDCA, including Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art, and the Innovation Award. Coming right behind is It Takes Two, up for five awards, and Forza Horizon 5, which is up for four.
Here is the full list of GDCA nominees:
GAME OF THE YEAR
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
BEST AUDIO
Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
BEST DEBUT
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
Valheim (Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing)
Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive)
Sable (Shedworks / Raw Fury)
BEST DESIGN
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
INNOVATION AWARD
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Wildermyth (Worldwalker Games / WhisperGames)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
BEST NARRATIVE
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal / Square Enix)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble)
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games)
It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)
Life is Strange: True Colors (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
Chicory: A Colorful Tale (The Chicory: A Colorful Tale Team / Finji)
BEST TECHNOLOGY
Halo Infinite (343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios)
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
BEST VISUAL ART
Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
Deathloop (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine / Xbox Game Studios)
The Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony will take place on March 23 and will be livestreamed on the official GDC Twitch channel.
