{"id":15631,"date":"2018-03-22T05:34:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T05:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/315738"},"modified":"2018-03-22T05:34:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T05:34:00","slug":"breath-of-the-wild-takes-top-prize-at-the-2018-game-developers-choice-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/breath-of-the-wild-takes-top-prize-at-the-2018-game-developers-choice-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Breath of the Wild takes top prize at the 2018 Game Developers Choice Awards!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Today Nintendo&#8217;s\u00a0<em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> was honored with the prize for Game of the Year at tonight\u2019s 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony during the 2018 Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The game\u2019s expansive sound and deep, open-ended gameplay also earned <em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> the awards for Best Audio and Best Design. An archive of the award ceremony, as well as the full presentation of the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards), can be viewed <a href=\"http:\/\/twitch.tv\/gdc\">on Twitch.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Developer Jason Roberts\u2019 visually inventive and contemplative puzzle game, <em>Gorogoa<\/em>, earned two awards tonight, for Best Mobile Game and the Innovation Award. The game seamlessly blends a unique visual design with engrossing storytelling elements, bending space and reality in the process. Developer Studio MDHR also earned two awards, Best Debut and Best Visual Art, for its work on the retro shooter <em>Cuphead<\/em>. The game faithfully reproduces the charming cartoon aesthetics and toe-tapping jazz of the 1930s, and adds the tight gameplay mechanics of a sidescrolling shooter to create an experience that is at once playful and familiar, yet fiendishly challenging and novel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">The full slate of winners at the 2018 GDCAs also includes Best Narrative award winner, <em>What Remains of Edith Finch<\/em> by Giant Sparrow, a title that artfully portrays the sad and joyful stories of multiple generations of the Finch family; <em>Horizon Zero Dawn<\/em> by Guerilla Games, which earned the award for Best Technology for its visually stunning portrayal of a far-flung sci-fi world filled with lush environments and deadly robotic monsters; and the sharply stylistic VR shooter, <em>SUPERHOT VR<\/em> by the SUPERHOT Team, which won the award for Best VR\/AR Game. In addition, the Audience Award, chosen among the entire selection of GDCA finalists via a public online voting process, was presented to developer PlatinumGames for <em>NieR:Automata<\/em>, the charmingly offbeat open-world RPG.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">The Game Developers Choice Awards honor the very best games of the year, and was created for and voted on by developers. Winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only group comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">In addition to the best games of the last year, the GDCAs also honor the dedicated individuals who have helped further the art, science and craft of video games with special awards. This year\u2019s Ambassador Award, which recognizes those whose actions have helped video games to \u201cadvance to a better place,\u201d went to independent developer and Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail. The award recognizes Ismail\u2019s work helping incubators, local events, universities, community efforts, and games industry policy around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Double Fine and LucasArts developer Tim Schafer, whose career spans almost three decades of creating iconic adventure games across platforms and generations. Schafer has inspired countless developers around the world with his work on standout titles like <em>Day Of The Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango<\/em> &amp; <em>Brutal Legend<\/em>, helped advocate for independent game development, and pioneered independent crowdfunding for games like Double Fine\u2019s <em>Psychonauts 2<\/em> and <em>Broken Age<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">\u201cEvery year sees countless amazing games worthy of recognition, but this year in particular has seen some of the strongest titles to arrive this generation. The GDCAs give us an opportunity to reflect on and honor the games that provided us with endless joy,\u201d said Katie Stern, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference. \u201c<em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> helped us rediscover a childlike sense of adventure and discovery. Titles like <em>Gorogoa<\/em> and <em>What Remains of Edith Finch<\/em> offered us distinct creative visions that can only be experienced in games, and games like <em>Cuphead<\/em> and <em>Horizon Zero Dawn<\/em> crafted worlds we could lose ourselves in. Congratulations to all of tonight\u2019s nominees and winners and thank you for your creativity and dedication.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">The Game Developers Choice Awards winners are:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Audio<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> (Nintendo)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Debut<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Studio MDHR (<em>Cuphead<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Design<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> (Nintendo)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Mobile Game<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>Gorogoa<\/em> (Jason Roberts\/Buried Signal)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Innovation Award<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>Gorogoa<\/em> (Jason Roberts\/Buried Signal)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Narrative<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>What Remains of Edith Finch<\/em> (Giant Sparrow)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Technology<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>Horizon Zero Dawn<\/em> (Guerrilla Games)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best Visual Art<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>Cuphead<\/em> (Studio MDHR)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Best VR\/AR Game<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>SUPERHOT VR<\/em> (The SUPERHOT Team)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Audience Award<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>NieR:Automata<\/em> (PlatinumGames)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Game of the Year<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\"><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> (Nintendo)<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Ambassador Award<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Rami Ismail<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Lifetime Achievement Award<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">Tim Schafer<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span id=\"x_gmail-docs-internal-guid-604ec2d8-498a-c187-1456-9c4046436f9c\">For more information about the 18th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, please visit the official website at <a href=\"https:\/\/protect-eu.mimecast.com\/s\/w0GhCQn88IXREN1TvnWb8?domain=fortyseven-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.gamechoiceawards.com<\/a><\/span>. For information about the 2018 Game Developers Conference, please visit the official website at <a href=\"https:\/\/protect-eu.mimecast.com\/s\/FPM2CWL99F64gyLTynB1J?domain=fortyseven-dot-yamm-track.appspot.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.gdconf.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today Nintendo&#8217;s\u00a0The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was honored with the prize for Game of the Year at tonight\u2019s 18th annual Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony during the 2018 Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The game\u2019s expansive sound and deep, open-ended gameplay also earned The Legend of Zelda: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}