The nominees for the 16th annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have just been revealed and two popular titles, "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" and "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," lead the pack with four nods apiece.
The Witcher 3, a role-playing fantasy game from CD Projekt RED, dominates the list with nominations in four categories including Game of the Year, Best Visual Art, Best Narrative and Best Technology. It faces competition from Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid V, an open world action-adventure game which up for Best Design, Best Audio, and Best Technology and Game of the Year awards.
According to the award-giving organization, any game released publicly throughout 2015 was eligible for nomination. Nominees and winners will be decided by the GDCA International Choice Awards Network. This invitation-only group is made up of "leading game creators from all parts of the industry."
Other titles in the list of Game of the Year nominees are Bloodborne, Rocket League and the post-apocalyptic role-playing game Fallout 4. The recipient of the said award last year was "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor."
Notable titles that have managed to get nominations in multiple categories include Her Story (Best Handheld/Mobile Game, Best Narrative, Innovation Award), Star Wars Battlefront (Best Visual Art, Best Technology, Best Audio), Bloodborne (Game of the Year, Best Design, Best Visual Art), Splatoon (Innovation, Award, Best Visual Art) and Fallout 4 (Game of the Year, Best Design, Best Technology).
Apart from Game of the Year, here are the other award categories up for grabs along with the nominees vying to get them.
Game of the Year
- Fallout 4
- The Witcher 3
- Metal Gear Solid V
- Bloodborne
- Rocket League
Innovation Award
- Her Story
- Super Mario Maker
- Undertale
- Splatoon
- The Beginner's Guide
Best Debut
- Studio Wildcard
- Toby Fox
- Moon Studios
- Moppin
- Steel Crate Games
Best Design
- Rocket League
- Metal Gear Solid V
- Bloodborne
- Fallout 4
- Splatoon
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
- Lara Croft: GO
- Fallout Shelter
- Downwell
- Her Story
- AlphaBear
Best Visual Art
- Ori and the Blind Forest
- The Witcher 3
- Star Wars Battlefront
- Bloodborne
- Splatoon
Best Narrative
- Her Story
- The Witcher 3
- Life is Strange
- Undertale
- The Beginner's Guide
Best Audio
- Star Wars Battlefront
- Ori and the Blind Forest
- Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
- Metal Gear Solid V
- Crypt of the NecroDancer
Best Technology
- Metal Gear Solid V
- The Witcher 3
- Star Wars Battlefront
- Fallout 4
- Just Cause 3
The GDCA event itself will take place on March 14 to 18, 2016, but the winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 16 at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Centre at 6:30 p.m. PST.
Funomena co-founder Robin Hunicke, who is also a game producer and professor of game design at UC Santa Cruz, will host the show. Gaming enthusiasts who want to attend awarding have to register. The deadline for discounted passes is on February 3. Otherwise, those who are unable to see the show in person can stream it live on Twitch.
