The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has recently announced the video game nominees for the 21st annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The list features several hit indie games from last year, including Cuphead, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and PUBG.
According to the AIAS announcement, sixty-eight of last year’s top games are nominated for a D.I.C.E. Award, with Horizon Zero Dawn leading the pack with a whopping 10 nominations. Indie games certainly made an impression on the Academy this year, with nods given to multiple indie titles in various categories. Hellblade and Cuphead have both earned five nominations apiece, while PUBG and Gorogoa each received four nominations of their own. What Remains of Edith Finch, Night in the Woods, Pyre, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are among the D.I.C.E. Award finalists as well.
2018 D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists
The D.I.C.E Awards finalists are determined by a set of panelists composed of game developers and industry veterans. Voting for the peer-based award show began on Friday, January 12. Winners will be revealed during the 2018 D.I.C.E. Awards show on February 22 at 8:00 pm PT/11:00 pm ET.
Here’s the full list of categories and finalists nominated for the 2018 DICE Awards:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Cuphead
- For Honor
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Cuphead
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Little Nightmares
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Assassin's Creed Origins - Bayek
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Senua
- Horizon Zero Dawn - Aloy
- Star Wars Battlefront II - Iden Versio
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Chloe Fraiser
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Cuphead
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- RiME
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Destiny 2
- Injustice 2
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Night in the Woods
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Assassin's Creed Origins
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Cuphead
- Destiny 2
- PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Adventure Game of the Year
- Assassin's Creed Origins
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Family Game of the Year
- DropMix
- GNOG
- Just Dance 2018
- SingStar Celebration
- Snipperclips
Fighting Game of the Year
- ARMS
- Injustice 2
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
- Nidhogg 2
- Tekken 7
Racing Game of the Year
- DiRT 4
- Forza Motorsport 7
- Gran Turismo Sport
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Project CARS 2
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Endless Space 2
- Halo Wars 2
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Total War: Warhammer II
- XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- NieR:Automata
- Persona 5
- Torment: Tides of Numenera
Sports Game of the Year
- Everybody's Golf
- FIFA 18
- Golf Clash
- Madden NFL 18
- MLB The Show 17
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- Robo Recall
- Star Trek Bridge Crew
- The Invisible Hours
- Wilson's Heart
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
- Robo Recall
- Space Pirate Trainer
- Wilson's Heart
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
- Everything
- Gorogoa
- Night in the Woods
- Pyre
- Snipperclips
Handheld Game of the Year
- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
- Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
- Metroid: Samus Returns
- Monster Hunter Stories
Mobile Game of the Year
- Cat Quest
- Fire Emblem Heroes
- Gorogoa
- Monument Valley 2
- Splitter Critters
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite
- PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Gorogoa
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Gorogoa
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Game of the Year
- Cuphead
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Find out which games will take home a trophy during the 2018 D.I.C.E. Awards on Thursday, February 22. The show will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube. Head over to the AIAS website for more details on the panelists and nomination process.
