Most of us covering the games industry have already announced our Game of the Year 2023 winners. This has as usual lead to many calling us out on our bad taste and ignorance of what a great game is. Fortunately, it seems like the people making these outstanding experiences mostly agree with us.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the nominees for the 27th D.I.C.E. Awards. This is, if you didn't know, the Game of the Year awards for members of the non-profit organisation that basically functions has the games industry's protector and common ground. Most of the big and small publishers and developers you know of are members, so the D.I.C.E Awards is a more appropriate comparison to the Academy Awards aka the Oscars than Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards show. That's why it's always interesting to see how their lists differ from ours. This includes giving Marvel's Spider-Man 2 far more credit, only including one remake and remembering how much praise Hogwarts Legacy got at the beginning of 2023.
Here are the nominees for the 27th D.I.C.E. Awards that takes place on the 15th of February American time:
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Final Fantasy XVI
Hi-Fi Rush
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Mortal Kombat 1
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Alan Wake 2
Hogwarts Legacy
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Starfield
Outstanding Achievement in Character
Alan Wake 2's Saga Anderson
Baldur's Gate III's Astarion
Baldur's Gate III's Karlach
Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Miles Morales
Thirsty Suitors' Jala
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Alan Wake 2
Diablo IV
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Planet of Lana
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Alan Wake 2
Cocoon
Hi-Fi Rush
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Outstanding Achievement in Story
Alan Wake 2
Baldur's Gate III
Dave the Diver
Thirsty Suitors
Venba
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Alan Wake 2
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Hogwarts Legacy
The Finals
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Action Game of the Year
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Dead Space Remake
Hi-Fi Rush
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Remnant II
Adventure Game of the Year
Alan Wake 2
Cocoon
Dave the Diver
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Family Game of the Year
Disney Illusion Island
Fae Farm
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Midnight Girl
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Fighting Game of the Year
Granblue Fantasy: Versus - Rising
Mortal Kombat 1
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Pocket Bravery
Street Fighter 6
Racing Game of the Year
F-Zero 99
Forza Motorsport
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
Lego 2K Drive
Role-Playing Game of the Year
Baldur's Gate III
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Diablo IV
Final Fantasy XVI
Starfield
Sports Game of the Year
EA Sports FC 24
MLB The Show 23
WWE 2K23
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Against the Storm
Cobalt Core
Dune: Spice Wars
The Last Spell
Wartales
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Asgard's Wrath 2
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Vertigo 2
We Are One
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
Asgard's Wrath 2
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Vampire: the Masquerade - Justice
Vertigo 2
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
Cocoon
Dredge
El Paso, Elsewhere
Thirsty Suitors
Venba
Mobile Game of the Year
Gubbins
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Honkai: Star Rail
Terra Nil
What the Car?
Online Game of the Year
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Diablo IV
Omega Strikers
Street Fighter 6
The Finals
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Baldur's Gate III
Cocoon
Dave the Diver
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Baldur's Gate III
Cocoon
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Game of the Year
Alan Wake 2
Baldur's Gate III
Cocoon
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Which games are getting the recognition they deserve, and which ones got snubbed?