SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Announced
February 16, 2021

SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Announced

AUSTIN, TX — South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals has announced the nominees for the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards, recognizing the most creative and influential titles, teams and individuals in the industry, and the opening of public voting to determine this year’s winners.
For 2021, SXSW has partnered with IGN to produce the SXSW Gaming Awards show, presented by Discord, on Saturday, March 20 at 7:00pm CT. The show will be broadcast live on SXSW Online, ign.com, and on twitch.tv/sxswgaming and twitch.tv/ign.

“Gaming is a key part of the creative ecosystem that makes up SXSW, and provides our community an opportunity to honor the achievements with the brightest minds in the field,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer for SXSW. “We’re excited to partner with IGN to bring this celebration to a global audience for 2021.”

This year the nominations for the 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards include 43 nominees across 12 different categories with public voting open now through Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at sxsw.com/gaming-awards/voting. Winners of the awards will be determined by a weighted total between staff and advisory board input and public voting.

2021 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees

Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks 

Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions  / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Hades — Supergiant Games 

Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios

The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment


Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

Bugsnax — Young Horses  

Cloudpunk — Ion Lands  

Crown Trick — NExT Studios / Team17  

Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing  

Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing  

Ikenfell — Happy Ray Games / Humble Games  

Monster Sanctuary — Moi Rai Games / Team17  

Raji: An Ancient Epic — Nodding Heads Games / Super.com  

Risk of Rain 2 — Hopoo Games / Gearbox Publishing 

The Last Campfire — Hello Games 


Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

Calico — Flatout Games  

Fort — Leder Games  

Oceans — North Star Games  

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine — KOSMOS 

The Search for Planet X — Renegade Game Studios / Foxtrot Games 


VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.

Down the Rabbit Hole — Cortopia Studios / Beyond Frames Entertainment  

Half-Life: Alyx — Valve  

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts  

Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts 

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Skydance Interactive 


Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment  

If Found… —  Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive  

Tell Me Why — DONTNOD Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios 

The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment 


Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla — Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft  

Cloudpunk — Ion Lands  

Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX  

Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions  / Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
 

Excellence in Game Design

Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time — Toys for Bob / Activision  

Desperados III — Mimimi Games / THQ Nordic  

Hades — Supergiant Games  

Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios 

Watch Dogs: Legion — Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft 


Excellence in Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 — CD Projekt Red / CD Projekt  

DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks  

Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX 
 
Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios 

Trials of Mana — Xeen / SQUARE ENIX 


Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing  

Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing  

Risk of Rain 2 —  Hopoo Games, Gearbox Publishing  

Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts 

VALORANT — Riot Games 


Excellence in Narrative

Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions  / Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Hades — Supergiant Games  

Immortals Fenyx Rising — Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft  

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales — Insomniac Games /  Sony Interactive Entertainment 

The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment


Excellence in Audio Design

Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

Bugsnax — Young Horses  

DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks  

Observer: System Redux — Bloober Team
  
Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 — Vicarious Visions / Activision 


Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.

Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Genshin Impact — miHoYo 

Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions  / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Microsoft Flight Simulator — Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. In 2021, the event moves to a digital format. SXSW Online offers conference sessions, music showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking and professional development opportunities. An essential destination for global professionals, SXSW Online 2021 will take place March 16 - March 20.