The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the title that most effectively combines interactive and non-interactive elements to create a cohesive gameplay experience. Outstanding design is exemplified by balanced system design, cohesive mechanics that relate to overall aesthetic direction, level layout, challenge flow, progression elements, interface design, and social game mechanics. This award recognizes the Lead Designer or Design Director in architecting all elements into a unified design".[1] Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award.[2]
| D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |
| First awarded | 1998 |
| Currently held by | Baldur's Gate 3 |
| Website | www |
The award's most recent winner is Baldur's Gate 3, developed and published by Larian Studios.
History
editIt was originally presented as Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design; it was later renamed Outstanding Achievement in Game Design at the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[3][4][5] A separate award category was offered at the 2010 awards ceremony for Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design, presented to the title that makes "the most compelling contribution to the unique opportunities and challenges of portable, mobile and networked game play".[6] This award would not be presented at the ceremonies between 2011 and 2014; however, the category would be offered again in 2015, and has been offered every year since.
- Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design (1998-1999)
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Design (2000-2010, 2015-present)
- Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design (2010)
Game Design and Game of the Year
editMore than half of the finalists for the Game Design category were also finalists for Game of the Year. However, only nine winners for Game Design ended up winning Game of the Year:
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Sims
- Overwatch
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- God of War (2018)
- Hades
- It Takes Two
- Elden Ring
- Baldur's Gate 3
The winners for Game Design that were not finalists for Game of the Year[a] were:
The Game of the Year winners that were not finalists for Game Design (excluding winners during years when the Game Design category was not offered) were:
2001 and 2008[b] were the only years that all finalists for Game Design were finalists for Game of the Year.
In 2009, the PlayStation Portable release of LittleBigPlanet and Scribblenauts were finalists for Portable Game of the Year in addition to Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design; Scribblenauts would be the winner for both awards. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design while also nominated for "Portable Game of the Year".
Two virtual reality games were nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: I Expect You to Die and Half-Life: Alyx.
Winners and nominees
edit1990s
edit| Indicates the winner |
2000s
edit2010s
editThe Outstanding Achievement in Game Design category was not offered at the awards ceremonies from 2011 to 2014.
2020s
editMultiple nominations and wins
editDevelopers and publishers
editNintendo is the most nominated developer in this category, and the only developer to have won more than once; Nintendo has also published the most winners, with Sony publishing the most nominees. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has published both winners in 2010 for Game Design and Portable Game Design. In addition, Warner Bros. technically has published back-to-back winners, but the 4-year gap has existed in which the award has not been offered between wins.
| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo EAD/SPD/EPD | 14 | 5 |
| Valve | 4 | 1 |
| Blizzard Entertainment | 3 | 1 |
| Harmonix | 3 | 1 |
| Santa Monica Studio | 3 | 1 |
| FromSoftware | 2 | 1 |
| DMA Design/Rockstar North | 2 | 1 |
| Ubisoft Montreal | 2 | 1 |
| Naughty Dog | 4 | 0 |
| Bethesda Game Studios | 3 | 0 |
| Japan Studio | 3 | 0 |
| Insomniac Games | 3 | 0 |
| BioWare | 2 | 0 |
| Double Fine Productions | 2 | 0 |
| Infinity Ward | 2 | 0 |
| Lionhead Studios | 2 | 0 |
| Neversoft | 2 | 0 |
| Ubi Pictures/Ubisoft Montpellier | 2 | 0 |
| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo | 19 | 6 |
| Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | 3 | 3 |
| Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment | 20 | 2 |
| Electronic Arts | 8 | 2 |
| Namco/Bandai Namco Entertainment | 2 | 2 |
| Ubisoft | 4 | 1 |
| Valve | 4 | 1 |
| Rockstar Games | 2 | 1 |
| Activision | 5 | 0 |
| Microsoft Game Studios | 5 | 0 |
| Bethesda Softworks | 4 | 0 |
| Annapurna Interactive | 3 | 0 |
| 2K Games | 2 | 0 |
| Devolver Digital | 2 | 0 |
| Sega | 2 | 0 |
| Vivendi Universal Games | 2 | 0 |
Franchises
editThe Legend of Zelda franchise is the most nominated franchise in this category, and is the only franchise to have won more than once.
| Franchises | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda | 6 | 3 |
| God of War | 3 | 1 |
| Grand Theft Auto | 2 | 1 |
| Mario | 4 | 0 |
| Half-Life | 3 | 0 |
| Marvel[d] | 3 | 0 |
| Call of Duty | 2 | 0 |
| Fable | 2 | 0 |
| Fallout | 2 | 0 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | 2 | 0 |
| Tony Hawk's | 2 | 0 |
| Uncharted | 2 | 0 |
| Warcraft | 2 | 0 |
Notes
edit- ^ Portal was released as part of The Orange Box, a Game of the Year nominee in 2008.
- ^ Portal was released as part of The Orange Box, a Game of the Year nominee in 2008.
- ^ a b Presented as Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design.
- ^ Includes Spider-Man titles.
References
edit- ^ a b "2017 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards Voting Rules & Procedures". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "The Award - Categories". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Second Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Procedures & Rules" (PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 1999. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ "Third Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Procedures & Rules" (PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2000. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "2010 Award Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "1998 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ "The Award - Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Interactive Achievement Awards - Finalists". interactive.org. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Interactive Achievement Awards - Recipients". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 9, 1999. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Third Interactive Achievement Awards - Craft Award". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on October 11, 2000. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Game Design". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ "GDC 2001: Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences 2001 Awards". IGN. March 24, 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR THE 5th ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. February 2, 2002. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF FIFTH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ "2001 Academy Awards for Games". IGN. February 7, 2002. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Varianini, Giancarlo (March 4, 2002). "Fifth annual AIAS awards announced". GameSpot. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Colayco, Bob. "2002 AIAS award winners announced". GameSpot. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Announces Finalists for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (PDF). interactive.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Announces Winners for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (PDF). interactive.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "AIAS Announces Finalists for Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". GameZone. GameZone. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "7th Annual Interactive Achievement Award Winners Announced". Writers Write. Writers Write, Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "2005 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Feldman, Curt (February 2, 2005). "Half-Life 2 named Game of the Year D.I.C.E. Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "2006 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (January 17, 2006). "God of War leads AIAS Award finalists". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "DICE 2006: Interactive Achievement Awards". IGN. February 10, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "2007 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Surette, Tim (February 12, 2007). "D.I.C.E. 07: Gears grabs gold". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "2008 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (February 8, 2008). "COD4, Orange Box, BioShock, Rock Band D.I.C.E. up Interactive Achievement Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "2009 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (February 23, 2009). "LittleBigPlanet cleans up at the AIAS awards". Eurogamer. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2010 Award Category Details Outstanding Achievement in Game Design". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Mattas, Jeff (January 21, 2010). "2009 Interactive Achievement Award Finalists Announced". Shacknews. Shacknews LTD. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Brice, Kath (February 19, 2010). "Uncharted 2 victorious at 13th AIAS Awards". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Mattas, Jeff (January 21, 2010). "2009 Interactive Achievement Award Finalists Announced". Shacknews. Shacknews LTD. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Brice, Kath (February 19, 2010). "Uncharted 2 victorious at 13th AIAS Awards". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "2015 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2015 D.I.C.E. Awards". BrutalGamer. February 6, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2016 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (February 19, 2016). "The 2016 DICE Award Winners [UPDATED]". GameSpot. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Albert, Weston (February 24, 2017). "Overwatch Wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2017". GameRant. gamerant.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2018 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Iyer, Karthik (February 23, 2018). "DICE Awards 2018: Here Are All the Games That Won". Beebom. Beebom Media Private Limited. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2019 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (February 13, 2019). "D.I.C.E. Awards: Full Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (April 22, 2021). "2020 DICE Awards: 'Untitled Goose Game' Takes Top Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (April 22, 2021). "D.I.C.E. Awards 2021: All the Winners". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (February 25, 2022). "DICE Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 26th Annual #DICEAwards Finalists". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Kim, Matt (January 12, 2023). "26th Annual DICE Awards Game of the Year Nominees Announced". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (February 24, 2023). "DICE Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 27th Annual #DICEAwards Finalist". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (February 15, 2024). "DICE Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Winners of 2023's Best Video Games at 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved February 15, 2024.