Hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the awards celebrated the developers and studios that developed the most groundbreaking video games of the year. Nominees and finalists are determined by their 30,000+ membership composed of industry professionals. Awards were presented in 23 categories, celebrating achievements in technology, art, animation, story and audio.
Astro Bot from Team ASOBI took home five major awards during the evening, including the awards for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Family Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, as well as the prestigious Game Of The Year award.
Solo game developer LocalThunk also took home three major awards during the evening, including the awards for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game and Mobile Game of the Year for the roguelike deck-building game, Balatro.
Swedish game developer Arrowhead Game Studios was also highly lauded by members of the Academy for their work on HELLDIVERS 2, taking home four awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design, Action Game of the Year and Online Game of the Year.
MachineGames received three awards for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, taking home awards for Outstanding Achievement in Character, Outstanding Achievement in Story and Adventure Game of the Year.
GameScience was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction for Black Myth: Wukong, while Atlus’ Studio Zero took home Role-Playing Game of the Year for Metaphor: Refantazio.
The night not only celebrated games but also celebrated two incredible industry leaders.
Don James, a leader and cornerstone of Nintendo of America’s legacy, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the games industry, from his foundational work at Nintendo to his passions at the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
The AIAS also honored Ted Price, president and founder of Insomniac Games, with the Hall of Fame award for his contributions to game development, including leading Insomniac Games for three decades and advocating for video game creators’ First Amendment rights.
Attended by game developers and industry professionals from around the world, the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony was held on February 13th at the Aria Resort & Casino. The event was live-streamed by media partner IGN and hosted by returning co-hosts Greg Miller of Kinda Funny and Stella Chung, bringing together the gaming community for an evening of celebration.
The complete list of winners from the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards is available below and on the official AIAS website.
- Outstanding Achievement in Animation - Astro Bot
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction - Black Myth: Wukong
- Outstanding Achievement in Character - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones
- Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition - HELLDIVERS 2
- Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design - HELLDIVERS 2
- Outstanding Achievement in Story - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Outstanding Technical Achievement - Astro Bot
- Action Game of the Year - HELLDIVERS 2
- Adventure Game of the Year - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Family Game of the Year - Astro Bot
- Fighting Game of the Year - TEKKEN 8
- Racing Game of the Year - F1 24
- Role-Playing Game of the Year - Metaphor: Refantazio
- Sports Game of the Year - MLB The Show 24
- Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year - Balatro
- Online Game of the Year - HELLDIVERS 2
- Immersive Reality Technical Achievement - Starship Home
- Immersive Reality Game of the Year - Batman: Arkham Shadow
- Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game - Balatro
- Mobile Game of the Year - Balatro
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Design - Astro Bot
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction - Animal Well
- Game of the Year - Astro Bot