The evening’s top honor - Game of the Year - was awarded to Bethesda Software’s Fallout 4, the action RPG set in post-apocalyptic Boston.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ membership also honored a variety of games, with four different games receiving three awards each: Fallout 4, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rocket League and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Other top honorees include Star Wars Battlefront for Action Game of the Year, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain for Adventure Game of the Year, Super Mario Maker for Family Game of the Year, Mortal Kombat X for Fighting Game of the Year, Fallout 4 for RPG/MMO and Fallout Shelter for Mobile of the Year. This year’s D.I.C.E. Sprite Award, honoring a game having disproportionate resources for development and exposure (as compared to AAA titles), was given to Rocket League.
“The 19th D.I.C.E. Awards winners truly embody the diverse set of games and platforms that have come to represent the changing face of our industry,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “This year the Academy membership responded to a variety of games covering smaller footprint to AAA blockbuster hits. Thank you to our distinguished guests and all the gamers watching to celebrate the many great games of 2015!”
In addition to recognizing the industry’s best games and creators from the previous year, the D.I.C.E. Awards also recognized its history with several Academy Special Awards that highlight contributions in advancing this interactive entertainment industry forward. During the ceremony the AIAS inducted video game luminary Hideo Kojima as its 21st Hall of Fame recipient, which honors individuals who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games. Honored posthumously was Satoru Iwata, the fifth recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award which honors recipients distinguished for their business leadership. In addition, Microsoft’s Visual Basic was recognized with the second ever Technical Impact Award, which celebrates unique innovations and technical achievements that are expanding and redefining the video game industry.
Hosted by comedian and avid gamer Pete Holmes, the ceremony took place in front of industry professionals at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas and was widely live streamed to share the experience with gamers near and far. The show was the culmination of the annual three day D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit (#DICE2016), drawing some of the brightest and most influential interactive entertainment industry leaders, decision makers and visionaries.
The complete list of winners as decided by an all-peer-based voting system includes:
Game of the Year
Fallout 4
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Fallout 4
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Publisher: CD PROJEKT RED
- Developer: CD PROJEKT RED
Action Game of the Year
Star Wars Battlefront
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: DICE
Adventure Game of the Year
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Publisher: Konami
- Developer: Kojima Productions
Family Game of the Year
Super Mario Maker
- Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc.
- Developer: Nintendo EAD Group No. 4
Fighting Game of the Year
Mortal Kombat X
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Racing Game of the Year
Forza Motorsport 6
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
- Developer: Turn 10
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Fallout 4
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Sports Game of the Year
Rocket League
- Publisher: Psyonix
- Developer: Psyonix
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Heroes of the Storm
- Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
- Developer: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
Rocket League
- Publisher: Psyonix
- Developer: Psyonix
Handheld Game of the Year
HELLDIVERS
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
- Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios
Mobile Game of the Year
Fallout Shelter
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
Rocket League
- Publisher: Psyonix
- Developer: Psyonix
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Ori and the Blind Forest
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
- Developer: Moon Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Ori and the Blind Forest
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
- Developer: Moon Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Character
Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.
- Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Ori and the Blind Forest
- Publisher: Microsoft Studios
- Developer: Moon Studios
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Star Wars Battlefront
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Developer: DICE
Outstanding Achievement in Story
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Publisher: CD PROJEKT RED
- Developer: CD PROJEKT RED
Outstanding Technical Achievement
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Publisher: CD PROJEKT RED
- Developer: CD PROJEKT RED