The Game Awards 2015 presents its nominees
December 3, Los Angeles: The Game Awards 2015 — the show that carried the torch from the old Video Game Awards — would settle, once and for all, the year’s best game. The full nominee list arrived in mid-November, and it read like a bar fight between masterpieces.
The structure split the voting in two: a jury of 32 international media members decided the major craft categories, while the player community chose the industry and eSports honors — including the most anticipated game of the year ahead.
Surprises and absences everywhere, but the top line was set: Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Super Mario Maker, and The Witcher 3 would fight for Game of the Year. The complete ballot, preserved:
Game of the Year
- Bloodborne (Sony Computer Entertainment, From Software)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami, Kojima Productions)
- Super Mario Maker (Nintendo, Nintendo EAD Group No. 4)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Warner Bros., CD Projekt RED)
Developer of the Year
- Bethesda Game Studios
- CD Projekt RED
- From Software
- Kojima Productions
- Nintendo
Best Independent Game
- Axiom Verge (Tom Happ)
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios)
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
- Undertale (Toby Fox)
Best Mobile/Handheld Game
- Downwell (Devolver Digital, Moppin)
- Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios / Behaviour Interactive)
- Lara Croft GO (Square Enix, Square Enix Montréal)
- Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Capcom)
- Pac-Man 256 (Namco Bandai, Hipster Whale)
Best Narrative
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- Life is Strange (Square Enix, Dontnod Entertainment)
- Tales from the Borderlands (Telltale Games)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Warner Bros., CD Projekt RED)
- Until Dawn (Sony Computer Entertainment, Supermassive Games)
Best Score/Soundtrack
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios)
- Halo 5: Guardians (Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami, Kojima Productions)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft Studios, Moon Studios)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Warner Bros., CD Projekt RED)
Best Performance
- Ashly Burch as Chloe Price (Life is Strange)
- Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft (Rise of the Tomb Raider)
- Doug Cockle as Geralt (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)
- Mark Hamill as The Joker (Batman: Arkham Knight)
- Viva Seifert (Her Story)
Games for Change
- Cibele (Nina Freeman)
- Her Story (Sam Barlow)
- Life is Strange (Square Enix, Dontnod Entertainment)
- Sunset (Tale of Tales)
- Undertale (Toby Fox)
Best Shooter
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Activision, Treyarch)
- Destiny: The Taken King (Activision, Bungie)
- Halo 5: Guardians (Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries)
- Splatoon (Nintendo, Nintendo EAD Group No. 2)
- Star Wars Battlefront (EA DICE)
Best Action/Adventure
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Ubisoft, Ubisoft Quebec)
- Batman: Arkham Knight (Warner Bros., Rocksteady Studios)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami, Kojima Productions)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft Studios, Moon Studios)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (Microsoft Studios, Crystal Dynamics)
Best RPG
- Bloodborne (Sony Computer Entertainment, From Software)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios)
- Pillars of Eternity (Paradox Interactive, Obsidian Entertainment)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Warner Bros., CD Projekt RED)
- Undertale (Toby Fox)
Best Fighting Game
- Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign (Aksys Games, Arc System Works)
- Mortal Kombat X (Warner Bros., NetherRealm Studios)
- Rise of Incarnates (Bandai Namco)
- Rising Thunder (Radiant Entertainment)
Best Family Game
- Disney Infinity 3.0 (Disney Interactive Studios, Avalanche Studios)
- LEGO Dimensions (Warner Bros., Traveller’s Tales)
- Skylanders: SuperChargers (Activision, Beenox Studios, Vicarious Visions)
- Splatoon (Nintendo, Nintendo EAD Group No. 2)
- Super Mario Maker (Nintendo, Nintendo EAD Group No. 4)
Best Sports/Racing Game
- FIFA 16 (EA, EA Canada)
- Forza Motorsport 6 (Microsoft Studios, Turn 10 Studios)
- NBA 2K16 (2K Sports, Visual Concepts)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (Konami, PES Productions)
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
Best Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Activision, Treyarch)
- Destiny: The Taken King (Activision, Bungie)
- Halo 5: Guardians (Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries)
- Rocket League (Psyonix)
- Splatoon (Nintendo, Nintendo EAD Group No. 2)
Best Art Direction
- Batman: Arkham Knight (Warner Bros., Rocksteady Studios)
- Bloodborne (Sony Computer Entertainment, From Software)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami, Kojima Productions)
- Ori and the Blind Forest (Microsoft Studios, Moon Studios)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Warner Bros., CD Projekt RED)
Community-voted categories:
Best eSports Game
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- Hearthstone (Blizzard Entertainment)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
Best Fan Creation
- Grand Theft Auto V — Targets (Hoodoo Operator)
- Stories Portal: Mel (Prism Studios)
- Real GTA (Corridor Digital)
- Twitch Plays Dark Souls (Twitch Community)
Trending Gamer
- Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles
- Greg Miller
- Markiplier
- PewDiePie
- TotalBiscuit
Best eSports Team
- Evil Geniuses
- Fnatic
- OpTic Gaming
- SK Telecom T1
- Team SoloMid
Best eSports Player
- Kenny “kennyS” Schrub (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team EnVyUs)
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends, SK Telecom T1)
- Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fnatic)
- Peter “ppd” Dager (Dota 2, Evil Geniuses)
- Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan (Dota 2, Evil Geniuses)
Most Anticipated Game
- Horizon: Zero Dawn (Sony Computer Entertainment, Guerrilla Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
- Quantum Break (Microsoft, Remedy Entertainment)
- The Last Guardian (Sony Computer Entertainment, genDesign)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Sony Computer Entertainment, Naughty Dog)
The night itself crowned The Witcher 3 — and the most-anticipated list became its own prophecy, with Uncharted 4, Horizon, and The Last Guardian all delivering on it. The ballot doubles as a shopping list a decade later; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains the crown jewel at a bargain price.
Via: The Game Awards