Best Audio

Best Debut

Best Game Design

Best Downloadable Game

Best Technology

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

Best Narrative

Best Visual Arts

Innovation

Game of the Year

Organizers have revealed the finalists for the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards , the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry's top games and developers.Winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, taking place on Wednesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm at the Moscone Convention Center during the 2013 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.Independent titles are heavily represented across multiple categories this year, with games from that segment of the industry being nominated alongside some of the year's biggest mainstream releases.Overall, Thatgamecompany's visually-and-aurally stunning emotional adventureleads with nods in six categories: Best Design, Best Downloadable Game, Best Audio, Best Visual, Innovation and Game of the Year. Bethesda Softworks' and Arkane Studios' historical revenge epicis recognized in four categories, Best Narrative, Best Visual, Best Design and Game of the Year.Another leading nominee is Telltale Games', a post-apocalyptic adventure title based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series of the same name, honored in three categories for this year's awards: Best Downloadable Game, Best Narrative and Game of the Year. Rounding out the Game of the Year finalists are BioWare and Electronic Arts' action role-playing game, also nominated in the Best Narrative category, and Firaxis Games' and 2K Games' tactical role-playing strategy title, also recognized in Best Design.Additional titles with multiple nominations include Ubisoft Montreal'sand Microsoft Studios' and 343 Industries', long-running franchises which are nominated alongside newcomers like Giant Sparrow'sand Subset Games'The 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards are open to any video game that was initially released and made publicly available to consumers during the 2012 calendar year, irrespective of platform or delivery medium. Industry professionals participate in open nominations for the selection of this year's finalists. Winners will be selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization comprised of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.The complete list of nominees for the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards is as follows:Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games/Devolver Digital)Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)Humble Hearts (Dust: An Elysian Tail)Polytron Corporation (Fez)Giant Sparrow (The Unfinished Swan)Subset Games (FTL: Faster Than Light)Fireproof Games (The Room)Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)Spelunky (Derek Yu & Andy Hull/Microsoft Studios)Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)Spelunky (Derek Yu & Andy Hull/Microsoft Studios)Trials: Evolution (RedLynx/Microsoft Studios)Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)PlanetSide 2 (Sony Online Entertainment)Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Treyarch/Activision)Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)Gravity Rush (SCE Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)Hero Academy (Robot Entertainment)Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)The Room (Fireproof Games)Kid Icarus: Uprising (Sora/Nintendo)Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Entertainment/2K Games)Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)Virtue's Last Reward (Chunsoft/Aksys Games)Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/2K Games)Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)Halo 4 (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios)Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment)ZombiU (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft)Dishonored (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games/2K Games)Journey (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)The Game Developers Choice Awards also recognizes three Special Award categories: the Pioneer, Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement awards, which will be announced in the near-future. In addition, the first-ever Audience Award for the Choice Awards - open to all finalists for this year - will open for online voting in mid-February.For more information about the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit its official website . For information about the 2013 GDC, visit its official website