South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Gaming (March 15-17, 2019) has announced the finalists for its sixth annual SXSW Gaming Awards. The Gaming Awards recognize the greatest titles, teams, and individuals from across the gaming industry. Finalists were curated by a panel of judges who evaluated hundreds of entries into 21 unique categories. Winners will be announced at the SXSW Gaming Awards Ceremony, taking place Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m. CT at the Hilton Austin Downtown (Grand Ballroom, 6th Floor). This event is open to all holders of SXSW Gaming wristbands or SXSW badges.
“2018 was an incredible year in the gaming industry. Developers large and small took leaps of faith to provide players with experiences unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.”
Andrew McNeill, Gaming Conference Manager at SXSW Gaming
The SXSW Gaming Awards present a unique opportunity to be recognized by thousands of gaming fans and industry professionals during the SXSW Gaming Festival. Having premiered at SXSW 2014, the Gaming Awards have rapidly grown to receive hundreds of applications across all 21 of its unique award categories, which are dedicated to both AAA and indie developers alike.
Winners will be determined by a weighted total between public and advisory board votes. Voting will be available to the public starting today, Monday, February 11 through Sunday, February 17 at midnight via the SXSW Gaming website.
2019 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees
Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- Battlefield V – EA DICE / Electronic Arts
- Forza Horizon 4 – Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
- Tetris Effect – Resonair / Monstars Inc. / Enhance, Inc.
Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.
- GRIS – Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Octopath Traveler – Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo
- Return of the Obra Dinn – 3909 LLC
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. / Sora Ltd. / Nintendo
Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animations.
- Detroit: Become Human – Quantic Dream / SIE
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – Arc System Works Co., Ltd. / BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.
- Beat Saber – Beat Games
- Dead Cells – Motion Twin
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. / Sora Ltd. / Nintendo
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.
- Astro Bot Rescue Mission – ASOBI / SIE
- Detroit: Become Human – Quantic Dream / SIE
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Destiny 2: Forsaken – Bungie
- Fortnite – Epic Games
- Monster Hunter: World – Capcom
- Overcooked 2 – Ghost Town Games / Team17
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. / Sora Ltd. / Nintendo
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Celeste – Matt Makes Games
- Detroit: Become Human – Quantic Dream / SIE
- Florence – Mountains / Annapurna Interactive
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Ubisoft Québec / Ubisoft
- Detroit: Become Human – Quantic Dream / SIE
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- GRIS – Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
Excellence in Convergence
Awarded to the game that excels in crossover to other entertainment mediums such as film, music, toys, animation, sports and more.
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – Arc System Works Co., Ltd. / BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.
- EA SPORTS FIFA 19 – Electronic Arts
- Jurassic World Evolution – Frontier Developments
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Star Trek Fleet Command – Interplay Entertainment / Scopely
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.
- 11-11: Memories Retold – Digixart / Aardman Animations / BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
- Celeste – Matt Makes Games
- Monster Prom – Beautiful Glitch / Those Awesome Guys
- The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit – Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix
- Where the Water Tastes Like Wine – Johnnemann Nordhagen / Good Shepherd Entertainment
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.
- Celeste – Matt Makes Games
- GRIS – Nomada Studio / Devolver Digital
- Octopath Traveler – Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
- Tetris Effect – Resonair / Monstars Inc. / Enhance, Inc.
Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.
- Donut County – Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Into the Breach – Subset Games
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
- Return of the Obra Dinn – 3909 LLC
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.
- Ashen – A44 / Annapurna Interactive
- Beat Saber – Beat Games
- Dead Cells – Motion Twin
- GRIS – Nomada Studio – Devolver Digital
- Octopath Traveler – Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo
Most Evolved Game
Awarded to the game that was enhanced with the best additional content after its original release.
- Destiny 2: Forsaken – Bungie
- Fortnite – Epic Games
- No Man’s Sky NEXT – Hello Games
- Overwatch – Blizzard
- Pokémon Go – Niantic / The Pokémon Company
Most Promising New Esports Game
Awarded to the online game that has the best competitive scene, or potential to grow one, and most entertainment value.
- NBA 2K19 – NBA 2K League / 2K Games
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – Arc System Works Co., Ltd. / BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc
- Fortnite – Epic Games
- GWENT: The Witcher Card Game – CD Projekt Red / CD Projekt
- SOULCALIBUR VI – BANDAI NAMCO Studios / BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
Most Fulfilling Community-Funded Game
Awarded to the game that was primarily produced via crowdfunding platforms and had excelled beyond the expectations set before it.
- CrossCode – Radical Fish Games / Deck13 Interactive GmbH
- Monster Prom – Beautiful Glitch / Those Awesome Guys
- Moonlighter – Digital Sun / 11 bit studios
- Root – Leder Games
- Wandersong – Greg Lobanov / Humble Bundle
Trending Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that consistently entertained and kept us watching on social platforms with its humor, stories, and more.
- Beat Saber – Beat Games
- Celeste – Matt Makes Games
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Monster Hunter: World – Capcom
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
- Astro Bot Rescue Mission – ASOBI / SIE
- Beat Saber – Beat Games
- Moss – Polyarc Games
- Sprint Vector – Survios, Inc.
- Tetris Effect – Resonair / Monstars Inc. / Enhance, Inc.
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
- Brass: Birmingham – Roxley Game Laboratory
- Everdell – Starling Games
- Keyforge: Call of the Archons – Fantasy Flight Games
- Root – Leder Games
- Western Legends – Kolossal Games
Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.
- Alto’s Odyssey – Team Alto
- Donut County – Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive
- Florence – Mountains / Annapurna Interactive
- Fortnite – Epic Games
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Marvel Strike Force – FoxNext Games LA / FoxNext
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- Celeste – Matt Makes Games
- God of War – Sony Santa Monica / SIE
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games / SIE
- Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. / Sora Ltd. / Nintendo
The list of winners from the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards can be found here.
SXSW Gaming offers the best in gaming culture with three days of hands-on play, panels, tournaments, exhibitions, exclusive networking opportunities, and a one-of-a-kind awards show. SXSW Gaming is one of the South by Southwest® Family of Events. Taking place from March 15 – 17, 2019 in Austin, TX, SXSW Gaming is open to all SXSW registrants and SXSW Gaming wristband holders.
