The Game Awards 2021 took place yesterday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It returned to an in-house gathering and celebration of the games industry, awarding some of the best titles, creators and talent in gaming.
Hosted by Geoff Keighley, his opening speech highlighted the current issue of abuse and harassment in the games industry and its online communities. While not calling out anyone in particular, Geoff made a firm stand against such practices. He encouraged people to speak out, while coming together to build an inclusive and safer industry.
Awards need winners, so here is a list of each category, its nominees and who took the award. While many awards seem arbitrary these days, sometimes overlooking high-quality titles because they aren’t AAA budgets, there was a decent mix of winners. For all the game announcements, we’ll have a separate article later today available here.
Game of the Year Best Game Direction
WINNER: It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Best Game Direction
WINNER: Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment”
Best Narrative
WINNER: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Life Is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine/Square Enix
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Best Art Direction
WINNER: Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Artful Escape – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
Best Score and Music
WINNER: Nier Replicant ver 1.22474487139 – Keiichi Okabe
Cyberpunk 2077 – Marcin Przybylowicz and Piotr T. Adamczyk
Deathloop – Tom Salta
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques
The Artful Escape – Johnny Galvatron and Josh Abrahams
Best Audio Design
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Best Performance
WINNER: Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil Village
Erika Mori as Alex Chen – Life Is Strange: True Colors
Giancarlo Esposito as Antón Castillo – Far Cry 6
Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn – Deathloop
Ozioama Akagha as Juliana Blake – Deathloop
Games for Impact
WINNER: Life Is Strange: True Colors – Deck Nine/Square Enix
Before Your Eyes – GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games
Boyfriend Dungeon – Kitfox Games
Chicory: A Colorful Tale – Greg Lobanov/Finji
No Longer Home – Humble Grove/Fellow Traveller
Best Ongoing Game
WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix
Apex Legends – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Warzone – Raven Software/Activision
Fortnite – Epic Games
Genshin Impact – miHoYo
Best Independent Game
WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
12 Minutes – Luís António/Annapurna Interactive
Death’s Door – Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
Inscryption – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Loop Hero – Four Quarters/Devolver Digital
Best Mobile Game
WINNER: Genshin Impact – miHoYo
Fantasian – Mistwalker
League of Legends: Wild Rift – Riot Games
Marvel Future Revolution – Netmarble/Marvel Games
Pokémon Unite – TiMi Studio/The Pokémon Company
Best Community Support
WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix
Apex Legends – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Bungie
Fortnite – Epic Games
No Man’s Sky – Hello Games
Best VR/AR Game
WINNER: Resident Evil 4 – Armature Studio/Capcom/Oculus Studios
Hitman 3 – IO Interactive
I Expect You to Die 2 – Schell Games
Lone Echo II – Ready at Dawn/Oculus Studios
Sniper Elite VR – Coatsink/Just Add Water/Rebellion Developments
Innovation in Accessibility
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown – Falling Squirrel
Best Action Game
WINNER: Returnal – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios/WB Games
Chivalry II – Torn Banner Studios/Tripwire Interactive
Deathloop – Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 6 – Ubisoft
Best Action/Adventure Game
WINNER: Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Eidos Montreal/Square Enix
Psychonauts 2 – Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Best Role Playing Game
WINNER: Tales of Arise – Bandai Namco
Cyberpunk 2077 – CD Projekt RED
Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom
Scarlet Nexus – Bandai Namco
Shin Megami Tensei V – Atlus/Sega
Best Fighting Game
WINNER: Guilty Gear Strive – Arc System Works
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles – CyberConnect2/Sega
Melty Blood: Type Lumina – French Bread/Delightworks
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl – Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown – Sega
Best Family Game
WINNER: It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Mario Party Superstars – NDcube/Nintendo
New Pokémon Snap – Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokémon Company
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Nintendo
WarioWare: Get It Together! – Nintendo
Best Sports/Racing Game
WINNER: Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
F1 2021 – Codemasters/EA Sports
FIFA 22 – EA Vancouver/EA Sports
Hot Wheels Unleashed – Milestone
Riders Republic – Ubisoft
Best Sim/Strategy Game
WINNER: Age of Empires IV – Relic Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios
Evil Genius 2: World Domination – Rebellion Developments
Humankind – Amplitude Studios/Sega
Inscryption – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
Microsoft Flight Simulator – Asobo Studio/Xbox Game Studios
Best Multiplayer Game
WINNER: It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Back 4 Blood – Turtle Rock Studios/WB Games
Knockout City – Velan Studios/Electronic Arts
Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom
New World – Amazon Games
Valheim – Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain Studios”
Best Debut Indie Game
WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Ember Lab
Sable – Shedworks/Raw Fury
The Artful Escape – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
The Forgotten City – Modern Storyteller/Dear Villager
Valheim – Iron Gate Studio/Coffee Stain Studios
Most Anticipated Game
WINNER: Elden Ring – FromSoftware/Bandai Namco
God of War Ragnarök – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Horizon Forbidden West – Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel – Nintendo
Starfield – Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Players’ Voice
WINNER: Halo Infinite – 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
Forza Horizon 5 – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
It Takes Two – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
Metroid Dread – MercurySteam/Nintendo
Resident Evil Village – Capcom
Global Gaming Citizens
WINNER: The Drag Stream Community
Deere
Samira Close
Kahlief Adams (Spawn on Me)
Anisa Sanusi (Limit Break)
Best Esports Game
WINNER: League of Legends – Riot Games
Call of Duty – Activision
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – Valve
Dota 2 – Valve
Valorant – Riot Games
Best Esports Player
WINNER: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
Chris “Simp” Lehr
Heo “ShowMaker” Su
Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
Tyson “TenZ” Ngo
Best Esports Team
WINNER: Natus Vincere (Counter Strike: Global Offensive)
DAMWON KIA (League of Legends)
Atlanta FaZe (Call of Duty)
Sentinels (Valorant)
Team Spirit (Dota 2)
Best Esports Coach
WINNER: Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Airat “Silent” Gaziev
Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov
Andrei “B1ad3” Horodenskyi
James “Crowder” Crowder
Best Esports Event
WINNER: 2021 League of Legends World Championship
The International 10
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2020
2021 Valorant Champions Tour: Stage 2
Content Creator of the Year
WINNER: Dream
Leslie “Fuslie” Fu
Alexandre “Gaules” Borba
Ibai Llanos
David “TheGrefg” Cánovas
So that’s it for another year. Overall, the show had a good mix of new titles, updates from big games and, of course, awards. With high production values, the show had a steady pace for a 3 hour show. While peppered with some ads, it was, at its core, about games and the creators.
So what did you think of The Game Awards 2021 and what title is your Game of the Year? Let us know in the comments.
