It's almost time to start thinking about Game of the Year awards for 2021, but one organization is still highlighting the best in gaming from last year, 2020.
The International Game Developers Association has revealed its winners for the inaugural Global Game Industry Awards. The categories included art, writing, engineering and technology, audio, and more.
The big winner was Supergiant Games’ Hades, which took home nine awards, including voice acting, 2D animation, and representation. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ghost of Tsushima, Half-Life: Alyx, and The Last of Us Part II also won multiple awards.
You can check out a full list of the winners below:
Art
- 2D Animation – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- 2D Character Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- 2D Environment Art – Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- 3D Animation – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- 3D Character Art – CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077
- 3D Environment Art – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Cinematography – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- UI Art – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Visual Effects – Nolla Games’ Noita
Audio
- Music Composition – iD Software’s DOOM Eternal
- Sound Design – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Voice Acting – Supergiant Games’ Hades
Design
- Accessibility Innovation – Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Gameplay Design – Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Level Design – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Serious Game Design – Dry Cactus’ Polybridge 2
- Systems Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- UI/UX – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Engineering and Technology
- Achievements in New Technology – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Artificial Intelligence – Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Audio Technology – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
- Engine Technology – Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4
- Gameplay Technology – Valve Corporation’s Half-Life: Alyx
- Graphics Technology – Nolla Games’ Noita
- Networking Technology – Asobo Studios’ Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Systems Technology – Ubisoft Toronto’s Watch Dogs: Legion
Support
- Community Management – Innersloth’s Among Us
- Customer Support – Mediatonic’s Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Marketing – Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass
- Production/Management – Insomniac
- Quality Assurance – iD Software’s DOOM Eternal
- Research & Analytics – Asobo Studios’ Microsoft Flight Simulator
Writing and Narrative
- Dialogue – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Narrative Design – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Story – Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II
- World Building – Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima
Miscellaneous
- Representation – Supergiant Games’ Hades
- Upcoming Indie – Kinetic Games
- Diversity and Inclusivity – Microsoft
Last year, Hades won IGN's Game of the Year award. The roguelike was widely recognized as one of the best games of 2020, taking home the top prize at multiple shows, including the Game Developer Choice Awards, and the SXSW Gaming Awards.
If you still haven't tried it out, Hades came to Xbox Game Pass this month, as well as PS4 and PS5.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.