A new player got dealt into the game at this year’s Game Developers Conference. Just an hour after claiming the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” at the Independent Games Festival, Daniel Mullins Games’s Inscrpytion also took home “Game of the Year” honors at the 2021-2022 Game Developers Choice Awards.
Even though we’re more than a decade removed from the rise of the indie movement, this is the first time a game has won both awards in the same year.
While Inscrpytion made history, Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart continued to do what it’s done at nearly every ceremony this year, collecting statuettes for “Best Visual Art” and “Best Technology.”
But the GDC Awards usually gives the spotlight over to a lot of unique games, and that certainly happened this year. Other winners from last night’s ceremony include Iron Gate’s Valheim (“Best Debut” and the “Audience Award”), Witch Beam’s Unpacking (“Best Audio” and the “Innovation Award”), Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2 (“Best Narrative”), Kitfox’s Boyfriend Dungeon (the “Social Impact Award”), and Hazelight’s It Takes Two (“Best Design”).
A full list of all the nominees at the 2021-2022 GDC Awards can be found after the break, along with a replay of the ceremony.
Game of the Year
- WINNER: Inscryption
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- It Takes Two
- Resident Evil Village
Honorable Mentions
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Death’s Door, Guardians of the Galaxy, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2Best Design
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Deathloop
- Halo Infinite
- Inscryption
- Psychonauts 2
Honorable Mentions
Death’s Door, Loop Hero, Resident Evil Village, UnpackingBest Visual Art
- WINNER: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Psychonauts 2
Honorable Mentions
The Artful Escape, Genesis Noir, Resident Evil Village, Returnal, SableBest Narrative
- WINNER: Psychonauts 2
- Deathloop
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- It Takes Two
- Unpacking
Honorable Mentions
The Forgotten City, Inscryption, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Life Is Strange: True Colors, WildermythBest Audio
- WINNER: Unpacking
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Returnal
Honorable Mentions
Genesis Noir, Halo Infinite, It Takes Two, Kid A Mnesia: Exhibition, Resident Evil VillageBest Technology
- WINNER: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hitman 3
- Returnal
Honorable Mentions
Battlefield 2042, Resident Evil VillageInnovation Award
- WINNER: Unpacking
- Deathloop
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Wildermyth
Honorable Mentions
Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Loop Hero, ReturnalSocial Impact Award
- WINNER: Boyfriend Dungeon
- Before Your Eyes
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- It Takes Two
- Life Is Strange: True Colors
Honorable Mentions
Forza Horizon 5Best Debut
- WINNER: Valheim
- The Artful Escape
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Sable
- Wildermyth
Honorable Mentions
ElecHead, Genesis Noir, UnsightedAudience Award
- WINNER: Valheim
Ambassador Award
- WINNER: Steven Spohn
Lifetime Achievement Award
- WINNER: Yuji Horii