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GDC Awards 2021 nominees include The Last of Us Part II, Hades, and Ghost of Tsushima

Joseph Yaden
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The nominees for the 21st annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have been announced. The winners will be selected during the GDCA ceremony, which will take place during the 2021 Game Developers Conference on July 21, 2021.

Leading the list are The Last of Us Part II, Hades, and Ghost of Tsushima, all of which have six nominations each — including Game of the Year. Elsewhere, Half-Life: Alyx, the most recent entry in the acclaimed series, sits comfortably at five nominations. Interestingly, each Game of the Year nominee is exclusive to one platform, with the exception of Hades, which is available on both PC and Nintendo Switch.

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The nomination list largely looks similar to previous ceremonies like The Game Awards. The only notable absence from the list is Among Us, an indie game that became a smash hit in 2020. Despite the fact that the game initially launched in 2018, it was a staple of 2020 award nominations and year-end roundups.

Below is the full list of GDCA nominees:

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Best Audio

  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Doom Eternal (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Debut

  • Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)
  • Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital/Playism, Origame Digital)
  • Carrion (Phobia Game Studio/Devolver Digital)
  • Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry/Playstack)
  • Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games/Super!Com)

Best Design

  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

Innovation Award

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios)
  • Dreams (Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic/Devolver Digital)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)

Best Mobile Game

  • The Pathless (Giant Squid/Annapurna Interactive)
  • Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
  • Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
  • Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo/PID Publishing)
  • If Found… (Dreamfeel/Annapurna Interactive)

Best Narrative

  • Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer/Annapurna Interactive)
  • Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Technology

  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Dreams (Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Visual Art

  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios/Xbox Game Studios/iam8bit)
  • Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED/CD Projekt)

Best VR/AR Game

  • The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)
  • Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
  • Dreams (Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios/Electronic Arts)

Game of the Year

  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

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Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
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