tgacover

We’re coming to the end of 2016 and it’s time for The Game Awards 2016 nominations! These nominations, ranging from Game of the Year to Best eSports Game, were voted on by 29 national and international media and social media outlets. eSports nominees where voted on by eight prominent eSports outlets like MLG, Yahoo eSports, ESPN and Twitch. The winners are determined by these outlets, with a few winners being determined by fan vote.

The Games Award 2016 ceremony will be on December 1st at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be streamed on almost every gaming platform and streaming service including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, PlayStation Network, Steam and XboxLive.  It will also stream in Virtual Reality with NextVR. This is a huge digital event and there is no possible way you could miss it unless the satellites shut down and we lose the internet.  Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

As a special treat there will be a world gameplay premiere of Mass Effect: Andromeda at the ceremony. This is exciting news! You can read more about it here.

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End leads all games with eight nominations including Game of the Year, Best Narrative, and Best Action/Adventure Game. The game also received nods for its three star Voice Actors: Nolan North, Troy Baker and Cissy Jones. These nominations are a fitting end for the Uncharted series.

The Game of the Year nominations offer some stiff competition, but Best Studio/Game Direction also has some tough competition between five truly excellent studios. While Naughty Dog has the most nominations, Blizzard Entertainment follows close behind with seven nominations for Overwatch and World of Warcraft: Legion. DICE also comes in with Battefield 1, a game that is also up for Best Music/Sound Design, Best Action Game, and Best Multiplayer Game. id Software is also up for this award with Doom being nominated for Game of the Year, Best Music/Sound Design, and Best Action Game. Rounding out the five nominees is Respawn whose game Titanfall 2, is up for Game of the Year, Best Action game, and Best Multiplayer Game.

Also included are nominations for most anticipated games of 2017. These include Mass Effect: Andromeda, God or War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. My vote is for Mass Effect: Andromeda.

I’m also really pulling for Dragon Quest Builders to win Best Family Game. That game is amazing. You can check out my review for the game here.

We’ll be sure to update this post with any new updates and watch for our post once the winners are announced on December 1st.

Below are your nominees for this year’s The Game Awards!

GAME OF THE YEAR
Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

BEST STUDIO/GAME DIRECTION
Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

BEST NARRATIVE
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

BEST ART DIRECTION
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN
For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

BEST PERFORMANCE
Award to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

  • Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
  • Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive)
  • Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive)
  • Rich Sommer as Henry, Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive)

GAMES FOR IMPACT AWARD
For a though provoking game with a profound pro-social meaning or message.

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME
For the best game playable on portables devices, including mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

BEST VR GAME
For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

BEST ACTION GAME
For the best games in the action genre focused on combat.

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
The best action/adventure games, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

BEST ROLE PLAYING GAME
The best games designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

BEST FIGHTING GAME
For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

BEST FAMILY GAME
Best game appropriate for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

BEST STRATEGY GAME
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy gameplay.

BEST SPORTS/RACING GAME 
For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.

BEST ESPORTS PLAYER
The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) SK Telecom T1, League of Legends
  • Coldzera (Marcelo David) SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • ByuN (Hyun Woo) Starcraft II
  • Infiltration (Lee Seon-woo) Team Razer, Street Fighter V
  • Hungrybox (Juan Debiedma) Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.

BEST ESPORTS TEAM
The eSports team organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
  • Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
  • SK Gaming
  • Rox Tigers (League of Legends)
  • Cloud9

BEST ESPORTS GAME
The eSports game that has demonstrated creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.

TRENDING GAMER
For a streamer/influencer/media member who has made an important impact on the industry in 2016.

BEST FAN CREATION
For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Recognizing an upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

Follow Me
Latest posts by Renee Lopez (see all)