SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Announced: Full List

South by Southwest (SXSW) announced its nominees for this year's SXSW Gaming Awards via press release on Monday. March 15 will mark the seventh annual return of the event.

Control was a front-runner among nominees, with the 505 Games' title snagging 14 nominations including Video Game of the Year, Excellence in Narrative, and Most Promising New Intellectual Property.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Devil May 5 were also top nominees. All three aforementioned games will face off against Disco Elysium, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for the Video Game of the Year.

In addition to the nominations, SXSW also announced two special recognition awards. Steven Spohn, activist with Able Gamers will receive the Game Industry Champion of Change Award. Cecilia D'Anastacio, the journalist formerly of Kotaku known for her influential expose on Riot Games, will receive the Journalist of the Year Award.

The SXSW Gaming Awards will be hosted this year by Wil Wheaton and filmmaker Janina Gavankar. The event kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET at the JW Marriott in Austin.

"Like film, television, and music, gaming is an art form that inspires, entertains, and challenges. Transcending language and culture, genre and platform, tens of millions of gamers across the globe play games, alone and together, every day,” said Wheaton. “It is such an honor and privilege to celebrate and recognize all the amazing humans who work so hard, for so long, to create and support the games we all love."

Those interested can begin to vote Monday for SXSW Gaming Award winners until Feb. 23 via the official voting page.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Full List

Video Game of the Year

Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Mobile Game of the Year

Call of Duty Mobile — TiMi Studios / Activision
Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
Sky: Children of the Light — thatgamecompany
Where Cards Fall — Snowman
Whispers of a Machine — Clifftop Games / Raw Fury

Tabletop Game of the Year

Paladins of the West Kingdom — Renegade Game Studios
Parks — Keymaster Games
Pax Pamir — Wehrlegig Games
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon — Awaken Realms
Taverns of Tiefenthal — North Star Games

XR Game of the Year

Blood & Truth — Sony Interactive Entertainment
No Man's Sky BEYOND VR — Hello Games
Pistol Whip — Cloudhead Games
The Under Presents — Tender Claws
tori — BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.

Trending Game of the Year

Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Borderlands 3 — Gearbox Software / 2K Games
Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Pokemon Sword and Shield — Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
Super Mario Maker 2 — Nintendo

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
Knights and Bikes — Foam Sword / Double Fine Productions
Overland — Finji
Sea of Solitude — Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts

Most Promising New Intellectual Property

Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — ArtPlay / 505 Games
Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Katana ZERO — Askiisoft / Devolver Digital
The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division

Excellence in Animation

Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
KINGDOM HEARTS III — Square Enix
Luigi's Mansion 3 — Nintendo
Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Art

Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening — Nintendo
Luigi's Mansion 3 — Nintendo
Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Design

Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
Luigi's Mansion 3 — Nintendo
Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Gameplay

Astral Chain — PlatinumGames / Nintendo
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Excellence in Multiplayer

Apex Legends — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers — Square Enix
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne — Capcom
Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Musical Score

Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
Sayonara Wild Hearts — Simogo / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Narrative

Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Disco Elysium — ZA/UM
Outer Wilds — Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
A Plague Tale: Innocence — Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive

Excellence in SFX

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — Infinity Ward / Activision
Luigi's Mansion 3 — Nintendo
Mortal Kombat 11 — NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil 2 — Capcom
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Concrete Genie — Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Devil May Cry 5 — Capcom
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision

Excellence in Visual Achievement

Control — Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
Death Stranding — Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Outer Worlds — Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — FromSoftware / Activision