The Game Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Game Awards. It is given to a video game judged to deliver the best experience across creative and technical fields. The award is traditionally accepted by the game's directors or studio executives. The process begins with over 100 video game publications and websites, which collectively name six games as nominees. After the nominees are selected, the winner is chosen by a combined vote between the jury (90%) and public voting (10%).
| The Game Award for Game of the Year | |
|---|---|
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| Awarded for | Best video game of the year |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | The Game Awards |
| First awarded | December 5, 2014 |
| Most recent winner | Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) |
| Most awards | |
| Most nominations | Sony Interactive Entertainment (13) |
| Website | thegameawards |
Since its inception, the award has been given to ten video games. Publishers Electronic Arts and Sony Interactive Entertainment have won the award twice, the latter being nominated a record thirteen times, while FromSoftware is the only developer with more than one win. Bethesda Softworks and Capcom are the most nominated companies without a win at four. The most recent winner is Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios.
Process and history
editThe Game Awards has a voting jury consisting of over 100 video game media and influencer outlets, which have been specifically selected for their work in critically evaluating video games. Each outlet completes an unranked ballot listing its top five choices; games with the most appearances across the ballots are selected as the nominees. The winners are determined between the jury (90%) and public voting (10%).[1] The public vote is held via the official website and social media platforms such as Discord, Facebook, and Twitter;[2][3] in China, fan voting is held via Bilibili.[1]
Any game released before a certain date in November prior to the ceremony is eligible for award consideration.[4] As a result, any game released after the cutoff date is eligible in the following year's ceremony,[1] such as 2018's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate nominations at the Game Awards 2019;[5] similarly, games released between the ballot due date in early November and the cutoff date in mid-to-late November are often overlooked, such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in both 2019 and 2020[a] and Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020.[4] Early access games available before the cutoff date are eligible, as are live service games regardless of their release year:[1] 2018's Among Us received several nominations in 2020.[9]
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The Game Award for Game of the Year is given to a video game judged to deliver the best experience across creative and technical fields.[10] It is presented as the final award of the ceremony and is widely considered its most prestigious honor.[11][12][13] Since 2017, the announcement of the winner has been preceded by a medley performance of the scores of each nominee by the Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe.[14][15] The category was expanded from five to six nominees in 2018.[16]
The award is traditionally accepted by the director of the winning game or an executive from the studio; the first award in 2014 was accepted by Dragon Age: Inquisition executive producer Mark Darrah and BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn.[17] The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley presented the award for the first four ceremonies.[11][18][19][20] Other presenters include directors of past winners—such as 2016 winner Overwatch's lead director Jeff Kaplan in 2018,[21] 2020 winner The Last of Us Part II's creative director Neil Druckmann in 2021,[12] and 2021 winner It Takes Two's director Josef Fares in 2022[22]—and celebrity guests like Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez in 2019,[23] Christopher Nolan in 2020,[24] and Timothée Chalamet in 2023.[25]
Winners and nominees
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Winners are listed first, highlighted in yellow and boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Multiple nominations and awards
editDevelopers
edit| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| FromSoftware | 5 | 2 |
| Nintendo EPD | 1 | |
| Capcom | 4 | 0 |
| Insomniac Games | 3 | |
| Blizzard Entertainment | 2 | 1 |
| Naughty Dog | ||
| Santa Monica Studio | ||
| Guerrilla Games | 0 | |
| id Software | ||
| Kojima Productions | ||
| Remedy Entertainment | ||
| Square Enix |
Publishers
edit| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Interactive Entertainment[c] | 13 | 2 |
| Nintendo | 10 | 1 |
| Bethesda Softworks | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | ||
| Electronic Arts | 3 | 2 |
| Bandai Namco Entertainment[d] | 1 | |
| Blizzard Entertainment | 2 | |
| Square Enix | 0 |
Franchises
edit| Franchise | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil | 3 | 0 |
| Super Mario | ||
| Elden Ring | 2 | 1 |
| God of War | ||
| The Legend of Zelda | ||
| Doom | 0 | |
| Final Fantasy | ||
| Horizon | ||
| Marvel's Spider-Man |
Notes
edit- ^ Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was released prior to the cutoff date of The Game Awards 2019 but was considered ineligible and did not receive any formal nominations[4][6] (it placed third in the fan-voted Player's Voice Award);[7] it received one nomination in 2020.[8]
- ^ Published in Japan by subsidiary company Atlus
- ^ Known as Sony Computer Entertainment until April 2016[46]
- ^ Known as Bandai Namco Games from January 2014 to April 2015[47][48]
References
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- ^ Talbot, Carrie (December 10, 2020). "Here's how to watch tonight's Game Awards 2020 show". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Carpenter, Nicole (November 18, 2020). "Why some of 2020's big games didn't get Game Awards nominations". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Baird, Scott (December 14, 2019). "Sakura Didn't See Smash Bros. Win A Game Award Because He Was Busy Working". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Carvalho, Jared (November 21, 2019). "Why Isn't Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order a Video Game Awards Nominee?". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (December 13, 2019). "Fire Emblem: Three Houses Crowned Strategy Game Of The Year". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Duckworth, Joshua (November 23, 2020). "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Highlights a Big Problem with The Game Awards 2020". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Dolen, Rob (November 22, 2020). "Why Among Us Isn't Up for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2020". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (November 14, 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 nominees announced". Gematsu. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
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- ^ Kerr, Chris (December 10, 2021). "It Takes Two named Game of The Year at The Game Awards". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 9, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 Date And First Details Revealed". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Richardson, Tom (December 7, 2023). "The Game Awards 2023: How orchestra chief makes the famous medley". Newsbeat. BBC. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Crecente, Brian (November 13, 2018). "'God of War,' 'Red Dead Redemption II' Tie For Most Game Awards Noms". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Gibson, Caley (December 6, 2014). "Edmonton-based BioWare wins Game of the Year award". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ McDermott, Thomas (December 4, 2015). "The highs and lows of The Game Awards 2015". DarkZero. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ The Game Awards [@thegameawards] (December 2, 2016). "And here's your #TheGameAwards 2016 Game of the Year winner!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Alexander, Julia (December 7, 2017). "The Game Awards crowns The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild best game of 2017". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Cryer, Hirun (December 6, 2018). "Watch the Game Awards 2018 Here: Start Time and all Award Nominees". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Kaser, Rachel (December 8, 2022). "Elden Ring wins Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Ryan, Jackson (December 13, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019: Every result, world premiere, reveal and surprise". CNET. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Martin (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 live report". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Patches, Matt (December 7, 2023). "Timothée Chalamet, ex-Xbox 360 controller modder, bravely steps out at The Game Awards". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
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