21st Game Developers Choice Awards explained

21st Game Developers Choice Awards
Venue:	Online
Date:	July 21, 2021
Most Awards:	Hades (3)
Most Nominations:	Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, The Last of Us Part II (6)
Award1 Type:	Lifetime Achievement Award
Award1 Winner:	Laralyn McWilliams
Award2 Type:	Pioneer Award
Award2 Winner:	Tom Fulp
Award3 Type:	Game of the Year
Award3 Winner:	Hades
Previous:	2019
Main:	Game Developers Choice Awards
Next:	2021

The 21st Game Developers Choice Awards was an annual awards ceremony by Game Developers Choice Awards for outstanding game developers and video games held on July 21, 2021. The awards ceremony was held alongside the Independent Games Festival awards, with both events presented through virtual streaming video due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hades was named as Game of the Year.

Winners and nominees

Nominees were announced on April 20, 2021^[1] Winners (noted in bold below) were named on July 21, 2021.^[2]

Game of the Year

• Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
  • (Valve)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Audio

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

Best Debut Developer

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

Best Design

• Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
  • (Valve)
  • Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Mobile Game

• Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
  • (ustwo/PID Publishing)
  • If Found... (Dreamfeel/Annapurna Interactive)
  • Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
  • The Pathless (Giant Squid/Annapurna Interactive)

Innovation Award

• Dreams (Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • (Mediatonic/Devolver Digital)
  • Hades (Supergiant Games)
  • (Valve)
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios)

Best Narrative

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

Best Technology

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

Best Visual Art

• Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED/CD Projekt)
  • 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)

Best VR/AR Game

• (Valve)
  • Dreams (Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
  • (Motive Studios/Electronic Arts)
  • (Skydance Interactive)

Audience Award

• Ghost of Tsushima – Sucker Punch Productions

Pioneer Award

• Tom Fulp, creator of Newgrounds and co-founder of The Behemoth^[3]

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Laralyn McWilliams, director of Free Realms and Full Spectrum Warrior^[3]

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hades, Ghost of Tsushima, and Last of Us Part 2 lead GDC Award nominees . Jeffrey . Rousseau . April 20, 2021 . April 20, 2021 . .
2. Web site: 2021 Game Developers Choice Award Winners . Trilby . Beresford . July 21, 2021 . July 21, 2021 . .
3. Web site: GDC To Honor Newgrounds Founder Tom Fulp And Industry Veteran Laralyn McWilliams At 21st Annual Awards . Cameron . Koch . July 1, 2021 . July 1, 2021 . .