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SXSW Gaming Awards Emcees and Nominees Announced

SXSW Gaming Awards Emcees and Nominees Announced

OMGitsfirefoxx & WWE Superstar Xavier Woods Announced as Hosts, Awards Voting now Live on IGN

Austin, TX – January 25, 2017 – SXSW Gaming Conference and Festival has announced WWE Superstar Xavier Woods and popular gaming broadcaster OMGitsfirefoxx as hosts for the fourth annual 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards sponsored by IGN and Imaginary Forces, which will take place Saturday, March 18, at 8pm at the Hilton in downtown Austin.

OMGitsfirefoxx aka Sonja Reid, the self-proclaimed “full-time dragon slayer, part-time sniper,” holds the Guinness World Record as the most popular female broadcaster, boasting just under 800,000 followers on Twitch.

WWE Superstar Xavier Woods is a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion alongside fellow New Day members Big E and Kofi Kingston. An avid gamer, Woods is also the host of his own YouTube gaming channel, UpUpDownDown, where he’s known by his gamer tag Austin Creed. The channel, which has secured nearly 1 million subscribers since launching last June, is the home to popular shows like Gamer Gauntlet and Superstar Savepoint, and continues to be a must-watch channel for gamers around the world.

The 2017 SXSW Gaming Award Nominees:

Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.

  • Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
  • DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Titanfall 2 – Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Mobile Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a unique gaming experience on any handheld device.

  • Clash Royale – Supercell
  • Pokémon GO – Niantic
  • Pokémon Sun and Moon – The Pokémon Company / Game Freak
  • Reigns – Devolver Digital / Nerial
  • Severed – DrinkBox Studios

Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.

  • Arkham Horror: The Card Game – Fantasy Flight Games
  • Captain Sonar – Asmodee North America
  • Inis – Asmodee North America
  • Mechs vs Minions – Riot Games
  • The Others – CMON Inc.

eSports Game of the Year
Awarded to the online game with the best competitive scene, growth, and entertainment value.

  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – Activision / Infinity Ward
  • Gears of War 4 – Microsoft Studios / The Coalition
  • Killer Instinct: Season 3 – Microsoft Studios / Iron Galaxy Studios
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Street Fighter V – Capcom

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.

  • Dead by Daylight – Starbreeze Studios / Behaviour Digital Inc.
  • Job Simulator – Owlchemy Labs
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • SUPERHOT – SUPERHOT Team
  • Who’s Your Daddy – Evil Tortilla Games

Fan Creation of the Year
Awarded to the most compelling fan-made piece of work across all games and platforms. This includes, but isn’t limited to, artwork, writing, videography, special effects, and more.

  • Brutal Doom 64 – Sergeant_Mark_IV
  • Enderal – The Shards of Order – SureAI Team
  • Fallout 1.5: Resurrection – Resurrection Team
  • Fallout: Revelation – MechanicalCakeTV
  • Jack – A Stanley Parable Short Film – Vesio Productions

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation
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.

  • 1979 Revolution: Black Friday – INK Stories
  • Fragments of Him – Sassybot
  • Orwell – Surprise Attack / Osmotic Studios
  • Quadrilateral Cowboy – Blendo Games
  • That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games

Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.

  • Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
  • The Last Guardian – Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
  • Oxenfree – Night School Studio
  • That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Excellence in Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept and best execution.

  • Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
  • INSIDE – Playdead
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
  • The Witness – Thekla, Inc.

Excellence in Gameplay
Awarded to the game with the best gameplay mechanics.

  • Dark Souls III – BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment / FromSoftware, Inc.
  • Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
  • DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
  • Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
  • I Expect You To Die – Schell Games

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.

  • Darkest Dungeon – Red Hook Studios
  • Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
  • Starbound – Chucklefish Games
  • SUPERHOT – SUPERHOT Team
  • That Dragon, Cancer – Numinous Games

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.

  • Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Stardew Valley – Chucklefish Games / ConcernedApe
  • SUPERHOT – SUPERHOT Team
  • Tom Clancy’s The Division – Ubisoft / Ubisoft Massive

Most Memorable Character
Awarded to the best game character that left an overwhelming impression.

  • Firewatch – Henry & Delilah
  • The Last Guardian – Trico
  • Overwatch – Tracer
  • Titanfall 2 – BT-7274
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Nathan Drake

Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.

  • Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
  • Gears of War 4 – Microsoft Studios / The Coalition
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • SpeedRunners – tinyBuild / DoubleDutch Games
  • Titanfall 2 – Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment

Excellence in Convergence
Awarded to the game that excels in crossover to other entertainment mediums such as film, music, toys, animation, sports and more.

  • Batman: Arkham VR – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios
  • Batman: The Telltale Series – Telltale Games
  • FIFA 17 – EA Sports / EA Canada
  • NBA 2K17 – 2K Sports / Visual Concepts
  • Total War: WARHAMMER – SEGA / Creative Assembly

Excellence in Art
Awarded to the game with the most expressive and creative artistic style.

  • ABZÛ – 505 Games / Giant Squid
  • Firewatch – Panic Inc. / Campo Santo
  • INSIDE – Playdead
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • The Witness – Thekla, Inc.

Excellence in Animation
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding animation effects and graphics.

  • DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
  • INSIDE – Playdead
  • The Last Guardian – Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Excellence in Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals.

  • Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
  • DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
  • Final Fantasy XV – Square Enix
  • Titanfall 2 – Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming.

  • Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
  • No Man’s Sky – Sony Interactive Entertainment / Hello Games
  • Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment
  • Pokémon GO – Niantic
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

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.

  • DOOM – Bethesda Softworks / id Software
  • Final Fantasy XV – Square Enix
  • Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
  • The Last Guardian – Sony Interactive Entertainment / SIE Japan Studio
  • Thumper – Drool

Excellence in SFX
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.

  • Battlefield 1 – Electronic Arts / EA DICE
  • Dishonored 2 – Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
  • INSIDE – Playdead
  • Titanfall 2 – Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog

Gamer’s Voice: Single Player and Multiplayer Awards
Awarded to the top fan-favorite indie games found in the Indie Corner, as chosen by Gaming Expo attendees.

  • Gamer’s Voice Single Player
  • Ape Out – Gabe Cuzzillo
  • Asura – Ogre Head Studio
  • Bootleg Systems – NEONABLE
  • CHKN – Katapult
  • Circles – Illusive Games
  • Code 7 – Episode 0: Allocation – Goodwolf Studio
  • Cryptark – Alientrap
  • Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor – Sundae Month
  • Event [0] – Ocelot Society
  • Far From Noise – George Batchelor
  • Haimrik – Below the Game
  • Hollow Knight – Team Cherry
  • Katana Zero – Askiisoft
  • MachiaVillain – Wild Factor
  • Mages of Mystralia – Borealys Games
  • Night in the Woods – Infinite Fall
  • No Truce With The Furies – ZAUM STUDIO OÜ
  • Obduction – Cyan
  • Owlboy – D-Pad Studio
  • Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Mimimi Productions
  • She Remembered Caterpillars – jumpsuit entertainment
  • Sundered – Thunder Lotus Games
  • The Hex – Daniel Mullins Games
  • The Metronomicon – Puuba
  • The Pedestrian – Skookum Arts
  • The Shrouded Isle – Kitfox Games
  • Tumbleseed – AEIOWU
  • Where the Water Tastes Like Wine – Dim Bulb Games

Gamer’s Voice Multiplayer

  • Akuto: Mad World – Hut 90
  • Antihero – Tim Conkling
  • ARENA GODS – Supertype
  • Beasts of Balance – Sensible Object
  • Flat Heroes – Parallel Circles
  • Friday Night Bullet Arena – Red Nexus Games
  • Human: Fall Flat – No Brakes Games
  • Invisigun Heroes – Sombr StudioOverc
  • ooked – Ghost Town Games
  • Schlicht – Team Schlicht
  • Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind – Yonder
  • Saltlands – Antler Games
  • Sky Noon – Lunar Rooster
  • Strikers Edge – Fun Punch Games
  • Tooth and Tail – Pocketwatch Games
  • Vast: The Crystal Caverns – Leder Games

The 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards will celebrate 100 nominees in 23 different categories. In addition to old favorites Video Game of the Year, Tabletop Game of the Year, and Mobile Game of the Year, new categories this year include Trending Game of the Year, Fan Creation of the Year, and eSports Game of the Year.

The Gamer’s Voice award categories are dedicated to independent video, mobile, and tabletop games. With 44 nominees in total, these categories are voted on exclusively by SXSW Gaming Expo attendees, with the winners revealed during the Gaming Awards ceremony.

The SXSW Gaming Awards are open to 3-day and Saturday SXSW Gaming wristbands, with complimentary access extended to all SXSW badgeholders. Voting results will be broadcast on IGN and livestreamed on Twitch, where over 135,000 gaming fans watched last year. Video entertainment during the show includes content from SMOSH Games, Corridor Digital, and Brotherhood Workshop.

The SXSW Gaming Conference & Festival is a unique combination of geek and gaming culture featuring Expos, Awards, and Programming over three days. New for 2017 we are pleased to present the Pitch Competition, which pairs new game ideas with industry veterans; the Student Showcase, with 10 innovative student projects on show; and the Nintendo Switch exhibition featuring the latest launch titles and accessories for Nintendo’s next generation console.

Online voting takes place from Wednesday, Jan. 25 through Friday, Feb. 10. To vote, please visit studios.ign.com/sxswgamingawards/. Winners are determined by an equal combination of public vote and the SXSW Gaming Advisory Board.

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I have always enjoyed playing video games and am a programming team lead for a video game company. I co-founded Gaming Cypher because I enjoy the gaming community and would like to provide the best news service around. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will make sure to get back to you quickly.