Celebrating its 20th year of honoring the industry’s top games, The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts representing its 33,000+ membership base, has announced the recipients of the D.I.C.E. Awards for the best games from 2016. Earning Game of the Year was Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment (pictured above are Frank Pearce (right) and Jeff Kaplan (left) from Blizzard Entertainment), which challenges players to join the ranks of a legendary force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers and oddities, and clash on the battlefields of a near-future Earth. The awards were unveiled at the annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony, held at The Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The AIAS membership honored games in 24 award categories, including Overwatch and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which received four awards each. INSIDE won three awards, including the D.I.C.E. Sprite Award, which recognizes a game with limited resources for development and exposure (as compared to AAA titles). Other top honorees were Pokémon GO for Mobile Game of the Year, Steep for Sports Game of the Year, Street Fighter V for Fighting Game of the Year and Dark Souls III for RPG/MMO Game of the Year. Winners for newly -dded awards that recognized achievement and innovation in virtual reality and augmented reality games, included SUPERHOT VR for Immersive Reality Game of the Year and Eagle Flight for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement.
“For the past 20 years, the D.I.C.E. Awards have been bringing together the most talented, innovative and inspiring minds in interactive entertainment to recognize and celebrate the industry’s most outstanding achievements,” said Mike Fischer, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “We’re thrilled to congratulate all of this year’s award winners whose incredible games have amazed and entertained fans worldwide, and are truly an inspiration to us all.”
In addition to the awards for the industry’s best games and creators from the previous year, the D.I.C.E. Awards also honored Todd Howard, Executive Producer and Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, as the 22nd inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame, which honors individuals who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games. Howard was recognized for having created some of the industry’s most successful games by pioneering open-world gameplay, and played a key role in the creative direction and growth of highly-regarded franchises, including The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Both are known for their experiential approach to world-building and storytelling, and have earning multiple D.I.C.E. Awards throughout the years.
The complete list of winners includes:
Game of the Year
Overwatch
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
INSIDE
Publisher: Playdead
Developer: Playdead
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Overwatch
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Eagle Flight
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: FunHouse
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
SUPERHOT VR
Publisher: SUPERHOT Sp. z o.o.
Developer: SUPERHOT Sp. z o.o.
Mobile Game of the Year
Pokémon GO
Publisher: Niantic Labs
Developer: Niantic Labs
Handheld Game of the Year
Pokémon Sun and Moon
Publisher: The Pokémon Company
Developer: Game Freak
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
INSIDE
Publisher: Playdead
Developer: Playdead
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
Overwatch
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis Games
Sports Game of the Year
Steep
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Annecy
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Dark Souls III
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: FromSoftware, Inc.
Racing Game of the Year
Forza Horizon 3
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Playground Games, Turn 10 Studios
Fighting Game of the Year
Street Fighter V
Publisher: Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
Developer: Capcom
Family Game of the Year
Ratchet & Clank
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Adventure Game of the Year
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Action Game of the Year
Overwatch
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Outstanding Achievement in Story
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Battlefield 1
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Dice
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
DOOM
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: id Software
Outstanding Achievement in Character
The Last Guardian – Trico
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: JAPAN Studio
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
INSIDE
Publisher: Playdead
Developer: Playdead
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Since 1996, the DICE have recognized outstanding games, individuals and development teams that push the boundaries of technology, creativity and artistic expression in the worldwide interactive entertainment industry. Titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy’s Peer Panels. The panels are comprised of the game industry’s most experienced and talented professionals. Each panel is responsible for evaluating one award category. D.I.C.E. Awards recipients are determined by a vote of qualified AIAS members. Award voting is confidential, conducted online and supervised and certified by VoteNet Solutions, Inc. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of AIAS members, makes the D.I.C.E. Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software.
