This year’s edition of SXSW Gaming Conference and Festival was fulfilled with lots of great games and announcements, especially for the fans of SEGA, with the upcoming game Sonic Forces. And as usual with all the major gaming events, the SXSW committee organised the “SXSW Gaming Awards 2017”. This competition rewarded 23 development studios and publishers for the excellency of their work and what they’ve brought to the games industry.
This year, Nintendo grabbed only one award, thanks to their partnership with Niantic Labs. That’s right, and it’s no surprise given the overwhelming success it got, Pokémon GO was nominated “Mobile Game of the Year”. While we might wonder why Zelda Breath of the Wild isn’t rewarded once, we just need to remember that the SXSW Gaming Awards 2017 feature only games released during the 2016 calendar year (and not financial year). We however regret to not see other good games from the Wii U and 3DS platforms, but next to hugely successful games like Overwatch or Uncharted 4, it was no match.
Excellence in SFX
Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Excellence in Musical Score
DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Animation
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Excellence in Art
Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
Excellence in Convergence
Batman: The Telltale Series – Telltale Games
Excellence in Multiplayer
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Most Memorable Character
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Nathan Drake
Most Promising New Intellectual Property
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game
Starbound – Chucklefish Games
Excellence in Gameplay
DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
Excellence in Design
Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
Excellence in Narrative
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games
Gamer’s Voice Multiplayer
Arena Gods – Supertype
Gamer’s Voice Single Player
Owlboy – D-pad Studio
Fan Creation of the Year
Brutal Doom 64 – Sergeant_Mark_IV
Trending Game of the Year
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Esports Game of the Year
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
Tabletop Game of the Year
Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Fantasy Flight Games
Mobile Game of the Year
Pokémon GO – Niantic
Video Game of the Year
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog