This past weekend wrapped up the Third-Annual SXSW Gaming Awards in Austin, TX. A total of 21 awards were presented on March 19, 2016 with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt receiving the highest honor: Game of the Year.
Many of the past year’s most popular titles like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Her Story, and Bloodborne all walked away with high honors. There were also a few surprise upsets before the night was over.
Check out the full list of winners below:
Video Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
WINNER: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – CD Projekt /CD Projekt RED
Mobile Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.
WINNER: Her Story – Sam Barlow
Table Top Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
WINNER: Pandemic Legacy – Z-Man Games
Excellence in Gameplay: Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
WINNER: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – Konami
Excellence in Art: Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
WINNER: Bloodborne – Sony Computer Entertainment /FromSoftware
Excellence in Animation: Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.
WINNER: Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix /Crystal Dynamics
Excellence in Technical Achievement: Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
WINNER: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – CD Projekt /CD Projekt RED
Excellence in Visual Achievement: Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
WINNER: The Order: 1886 – Sony Computer Entertainment / Ready at Dawn
Excellence in Narrative: Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
WINNER: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – CD Projekt /CD Projekt RED
Excellence in Design: Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
WINNER: Bloodborne – Sony Computer Entertainment / FromSoftware
Excellence in SFX: Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
WINNER: Star Wars Battlefront – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
Excellence in Musical Score: Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
WINNER: Ori and the Blind Forest – Microsoft Studios / Moon Studios
Excellence in Multiplayer: Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
WINNER: Rocket League – Psyonix
Excellence in Convergence: Awarded to the game that excels in crossover to other entertainment mediums such as film, music, toys, animation, sports and more.
WINNER: Batman: Arkham Knight – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios
Most Enduring Character: Awarded to the best game character that left an overwhelming impression.
WINNER: Lara Croft, Rise of the Tomb Raider – Square Enix /Crystal Dynamics
Most Valuable Esports Team: Awarded to the professional team that excels in performance and provides the most valuable impact in its competitive scene.
WINNER: Evil Geniuses
Most Entertaining Online Personality: Awarded to the online gaming-related personality that consistently entertains and keeps us watching with their humor, stories, special effects, and more.
WINNER: Greg Miller – Kinda Funny
Most Promising New Intellectual Property: Awarded to a new property that risked creating something fresh and that excelled within its genre or category for the year.
WINNER: Splatoon – Nintendo
Most Fulfilling Crowdfunded Game: Awarded to the game that was primarily produced via crowdfunding platforms and had excelled beyond the expectations set before it.
WINNER: Undertale – Toby Fox
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.
WINNER: Undertale – Toby Fox
Gamer’s Voice Award: Awarded to the best games created by indie developers, selected by SXSW Gaming attendees.
WINNER MULTIPLAYER: Gang Beasts – Bone Loaf
WINNER SINGLE PLAYER: SUPERHOT – SUPERHOT Sp. z o.o.