2022 SXSW Gaming Award Winners Announced
The 2022 SXSW Gaming Award Winners have been announced! Did your favorite win Game of the Year?
Each year (usually) thousands of people gather here in Austin, Texas to jam out to their favorite bands, catch the latest in cool tech stuff, and nerd out over games. This year’s SXSW Gaming Award Winners have been announced, so let’s take a look.
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
Nominated:
Before Your Eyes — GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games
Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Hell Let Loose — Black Matter / Team17
Returnal — Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Winner:
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Audio Design
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
Nominated:
Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Hell Let Loose — Black Matter / Team17
Inscryption — Four Quarters / Devolver Digital
Twelve Minutes — Luis Antonio / Annapurna Interactive
Winner:
Resident Evil Village — Capcom
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
Nominated:
Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
Lost in Random — Zoink Games / Electronic Arts
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy — Eidos-Montréal / Square Enix
Winner:
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
Nominated:
Back 4 Blood — Turtle Rock Studios / Warner Bros. Games
Halo Infinite — 343 Industries / Xbox Game Studios
Riders Republic — Ubisoft Annecy / Ubisoft
Valheim — Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing
Winner:
It Takes Two — Hazelight / Electronic Arts
Excellence in Original Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in its original musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
Nominated:
The Artful Escape — Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
The Medium — Bloober Team
Wytchwood — Alientrap Games / Whitethorn Games
Winner:
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
Excellence in Game Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
Nominated:
Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Loop Hero — Four Quarters / Devolver Digital
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal — Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Winner:
Inscryption — Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital
Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
Nominated:
Deathloop — Arkane Lyon / Bethesda Softworks
Exo One — Exbleative / Future Friends Games
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
The Wild At Heart — Moonlight Kids / Humble Games
Winner:
Forza Horizon 5 — Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
Nominated:
Chicory: A Colorful Tale — Greg Lobanov / Finji
Before Your Eyes — GoodbyeWorld Games / Skybound Games
Life is Strange: True Colors — Deck Nine Games / Square Enix
Lost Words: Beyond the Page — Sketchbook Games / Modus Games
Winner:
Unpacking — Witch Beam / Humble Games
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
Nominated:
After The Fall — Vertigo Games
Demeo — Resolution Games
Lone Echo II — Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios
Song in the Smoke — 17-BIT
Winner:
Resident Evil 4 VR — Armature Studio / Oculus Studios
Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the independently-developed game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Nominated:
Chicory: A Colorful Tale — Greg Lobanov / Finji
Death’s Door — Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital
Inscryption — Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital
Loop Hero — Four Quarters / Devolver Digital
Lost Words: Beyond the Page — Sketchbook Games / Modus Games
The Medium — Bloober Team
Unpacking — Witch Beam / Humble Games
Valheim — Iron Gate Studio / Coffee Stain Publishing
The Wild At Heart — Moonlight Kids / Humble Games
Winner:
Kena: Bridge of Spirits — Ember Lab
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Nominated:
It Takes Two — Hazelight / Electronic Arts
Psychonauts 2 — Double Fine Productions / Xbox Game Studios
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Resident Evil Village — Capcom
Winner:
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker — SQUARE ENIX
Congratulations to all the winners!
