Game Developers Conference | March 25-29, 2013 | Moscone Convention Center

GDCA Game Developers Choice Awards are the premier accolades for peer-recognition in the digital games industry, celebrating creativity, artistry and technological genius. Industry professionals from around the world nominate for the awards, free of charge, ensuring that the recipients reflect the community's opinions.

Awards in thirteen categories will be given at a ceremony produced by the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and presented by Gamasutra.com and Game Developer Magazine, on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at GDC. The gala event, held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival, will be hosted in of San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center.

Wednesday, March 27
6:30 - 8:30 PM
GDC Ballroom, West Hall, Street Level

View video of the Awards Ceremony here

For further details about the Choice Awards, visit www.gamechoiceawards.com.

For more information on Choice Award sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole.

WINNER: Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk

Pioneer Award

The Pioneer Award (formerly known as the First Penguin Award) celebrates those individuals who developed a breakthrough technology, game concept, or gameplay design at a crucial juncture in video game history - paving the way for the myriads who followed them.

WINNER: Steve Russell

Ambassador Award

The Ambassador Award honors an individual or individuals who have helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to be an advocate for video games and help further our art.

WINNER: Chris Melissinos

Audience Award

WINNER: Dishonored (Arkane Studios)

Game of the Year

The Game of the Year Award recognizes the choice of game developers for the overall best game release.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)

Innovation Award

The Innovation Award recognizes the single game that demonstrates true innovation, advances the state of the art, and pushes the boundaries of games as an expressive medium.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)
The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment)
ZombiU (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft)

Best Audio

The Best Audio Award recognizes the overall excellence of audio in a game - including, but not limited to, sound effects, musical composition, sound design, orchestration, etc.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games/Devolver Digital)
Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)

Best Debut

The Best Debut Award recognizes the best game from any development studio which released its first publicly available title.

WINNER: Subset Games (FTL: Faster Than Light)

Finalists:
Humble Hearts (Dust: An Elysian Tail)
Polytron Corporation (Fez)
Giant Sparrow (The Unfinished Swan)
Fireproof Games (The Room )

Best Downloadable Game

Best Downloadable Game Award recognizes the overall best game released on console or PC platforms specifically and solely for digital download - with an emphasis on smaller, more 'casual'-friendly titles.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
Spelunky (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
Trials: Evolution (RedLynx/Microsoft Studios)
Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)

Best Game Design

The Best Game Design Award recognizes the overall excellence of design in a game - including, but not limited to, gameplay mechanics, playability, play balancing, and level design.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
Spelunky (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

Best Handheld Game Award recognizes the overall best game commercially released on any handheld platform.

WINNER: The Room (Fireproof Games)

Finalists:
Gravity Rush (SCE Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Hero Academy (Robot Entertainment)
Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (Sora/Nintendo)

Best Narrative

The Best Narrative Award recognizes the overall excellence of storytelling in a game - including, but not limited to, scenario, plot construction, story, dialogue, and other major factors.

WINNER: The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Finalists:
Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Entertainment/2K Games)
Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
Virtue's Last Reward (Chunsoft/Aksys Games)

Best Technology

The Best Technology Award recognizes the overall excellence of technology in a game - including, but not limited to, graphics programming, artificial intelligence, networking, and physics.

WINNER: Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Finalists:
PlanetSide 2 (Sony Online Entertainment)
Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Treyarch/Activision)
Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Best Visual Arts

The Best Visual Arts Award recognizes the overall excellence of visual art in a game - including, but not limited to, art direction, animation, modeling, character design, texture creation, and so on.

WINNER: Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:
Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/2K Games)
Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)

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