Compared to other events in the gaming sphere, the Game Developers Conference is, as its name implies, more focused on the industry side of things. It’s an opportunity to network and see presentations from other developers, but if your game is good, you can potentially also be recognized at the awards ceremony.
Held the night of March 19, the GDC awards were dominated by Balatro, which won all four awards it was nominated for. Other winners include Astro Bot, for Technology and Audio, Metaphor: ReFantazio, which won Best Narrative, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which took home the Audience Award. Developers Sam Lake and Lucas Pope were each recognized for their impacts on the industry, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Pioneer Award, respectively. You can see the rest of the nominees and recipients below.
Game of the Year
Astro Bot (Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
WINNER: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (ATLUS / SEGA / Studio Zero)
Best Audio
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
WINNER: Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Best Debut
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
WINNER: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios / Kepler Interactive)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Best Design
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
WINNER: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Lorelai and the Laser Eyes (Simogo / Annapurna Interactive)
Best Narrative
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (RGG Studio / SEGA)
WINNER: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ / CRITICAL REFLEX)
Best Technology
WINNER: Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios / PlayStation Publishing LLC)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Ninja Theory / Xbox Game Studios)
Tiny Glade (Pounce Light)
Best Visual Art
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
WINNER: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero / ATLUS)
Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Innovation Award
Animal Well (Billy Basso / Bigmode)
Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
WINNER: Balatro (LocalThunk / Playstack)
Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)
UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Social Impact Award
1000xRESIST (Sunset Visitor 斜陽過客 / Fellow Traveller)
Astro Bot (Playstation Studios Team ASOBI / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Frostpunk 2 (11 bit studios)
WINNER: Life is Strange: Double Exposure (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
Neva (Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital)
Audience Award
WINNER: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
Pioneer Award
Lucas Pope
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sam Lake
For more GDC, read about the new industry-wide video game union or the accessibility initiative backed by Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, and more.
