The D.I.C.E. Summit is set to launch next month in Las Vegas, bringing together thousands of talented and up-and-coming developers to host workshops and take part in presentations for attendees to see to their heart’s content. However, it’s also the home of the yearly D.I.C.E. Awards, which recognizes the best in video game development. This year’s nominees have just been announced, and there are plenty of surprises on the list.
The nominees, which were revealed here, include a number of favorites, including newcomer Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which managed to walk away with nine nominations, including game of the year. Other nominees in that category include Activision’s Destiny, Electronic Arts’ Dragon Age: Inqusition, Ubisoft’s Far Cry 4 and Blizzard’s addictive mobile title Hearthstone: World of Warcraft.
Pete Holmes will host the event when the awards are given out on February 5th, live from The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The event will also be live streamed through Twitch. In addition to the yearly awards, Al Alcorn, the creator of Leisure Suit Larry, and the late innovator Ralph Baer will be given Pioneer Awards.
“Each year there are so many great games to celebrate, and 2014 was no different – with rich and enveloping experiences to satisfy any demographic and across all platforms,” said Martin Rae, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “Congratulations to all of our nominees, whose integral work has made a deep impression on our peer panelists.”
The full list of nominees is below:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- Monument Valley
- Sunset Overdrive
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Character
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Jonathan Irons)
- Far Cry 4 (Pagan Min)
- inFAMOUS First Light (Abigail “Fetch” Walker)
- inFAMOUS Second Son (Delsin Rowe)
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Talion)
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Transistor
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- This War of Mine
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Wolf Among Us
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Far Cry 4
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Titanfall
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Adventure Game of the Year
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- The Wolf Among Us
Family Game of the Year
- Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)
- LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
- LittleBigPlanet 3
- Project Spark
- Skylanders Trap Team
Fighting Game of the Year
- Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
- Nidhogg
- Super Smash Bros. Wii U
- Ultra Street Fighter IV
Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Horizon 2
- Mario Kart 8
- The Crew
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
- The Banner Saga
- Bravely Default
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Sports Game of the Year
- FIFA 15
- Madden NFL 15
- MLB 14: The Show
- NBA 2K15
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Boom Beach
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Endless Legend
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
- The Banner Saga
- Hohokum
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
- Transistor
Handheld Game of the Year
- Bravely Default
- Child of Light
- Shovel Knight
- Super Smash Bros. 3DS
- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
Mobile Game of the Year
- 80 Days
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Kingdom Rush Origins
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Elite: Dangerous
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- World of Tanks: XBox 360 Edition
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
- Destiny
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Monument Valley
- Project Spark
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Lumino City
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Monument Valley
- Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Game of the Year
- Destiny
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor