The critically acclaimed God of War was the big winner at the recent 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, taking home nine awards including the award ceremonies most prestigious achievement, the Game of the Year. The Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Awards are hosted annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts and serve as a pillar of recognition in the industry. Awards are voted on by the Academy and seek to celebrate the achievements of developers who strive for the advancement of the medium.
The single-player action title from Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studios was nominated for 12 awards but ended the night with an impressive 9, which was an unmatched achievement among the other nominees. God of War swept through with achievements in game direction, design, story, character, music, and even managed to score an award for being the Adventure Game of the Year. On top of these, the game was also awarded the overall Game of the Year award as voted on by the Academy’s 30,000 members.
The indie platformer Celeste was the only other nominated game that achieved a multi-award victory, which walked away with awards for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Games and Action Game of the Year.
Other notable victories went to Fortnite for Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, the Australian mobile title Florence won Portable Game of the Year and Marvel’s Spider-Man, another PlayStation 4 exclusive, took out the award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation.
The surprise of the evening came from the lack of awards for Rockstar’s epic Western, Red Dead Redemption 2, which took home only one award in Outstanding Technical Achievement.
The awards ceremony also honored industry veteran Bonnie Ross who was welcomed into the Academy’s Hall of Fame for 2019. Ross was celebrated for her contributions to the gaming market through her time at Microsoft and 343 Industries. Her strong support of diversity in development and STEM fields was also applauded by the Academy and her peers.
The full list of winners is available below, courtesy of Game Informer.
Game of the Year: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: God of War
Portable Game of the Year: Florence
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game: Celeste
Immersive Reality Game of the Year: Beat Saber
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement: Tónandi
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay: Fortnite
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year: Into the Breach
Sports Game of the Year: Mario Tennis Aces
Role-Playing Game of the Year: Monster Hunter: World
Racing Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4
Fighting Game of the Year: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Family Game of the Year: Unravel Two
Adventure Game of the Year: God of War
Action Game of the Year: Celeste
Outstanding Technical Achievement: Red Dead Redemption 2
Outstanding Achievement in Story: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Character: God of War — Kratos
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: God of War
Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Spider-Man
