RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER AND THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT

LEAD THE 19TH ANNUAL D.I.C.E. AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Comedian Pete Holmes Returns to Host the Video Game Awards Show

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is proud to honor the year’s finest achievements in video games with the 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards (#DICEAwards), hosted by comedian, podcaster, voice actor and cartoonist Pete Holmes. Academy members begin voting for the video game industry’s premier peer-based awards show Thursday, January 14th at 3 PM PST; the winners will be revealed at the Awards ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 18, at The Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas at the conclusion of the 2016 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit (#DICE2016).

This year, the D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony will honor Satoru Iwata as its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Also being honored this year as the Hall of Fame recipient is Hideo Kojima, world-renowned game creator and auteur recognized for the best-selling Metal Gear series.

“Looking at the nominees for the 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, I am especially impressed by the broad range of titles cateringg to gamers' increasingly sophisticated and diverse tastes,” said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “It is always gratifying to watch our industry and its many artists and craftsmen grow and continue to challenge and thrill audiences. February 18th will be another memorable celebration of the best in interactive entertainment bolstered by the playful humor of host Pete Holmes.”

Fifty-three games received a D.I.C.E. nomination, representing a range of different platforms from teams of developers both large and small. Leading the count is Rise of the Tomb Raider with 9 nominations and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with 8. Game of the Year finalists include: Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Several games received multiple nods, including: Ori and the Blind Forest with six nominations; Fallout 4 receiving five nominations; Her Story, The Order: 1886 and Stars Wars Battlefront each with four nominations; Batman: Arkham Knight, Destiny: The Taken King, Rocket League, Lara Croft GO, Life is Strange, and Undertale with 3 each.

The D.I.C.E. Award Nominees:

The following is a partial list of nominees; the complete list of Awards categories, finalists, and game maker credits is available here.

Game of the Year

Bloodborne

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Developer: FromSoftware, Inc.

Fallout 4

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Ori and the Blind Forest

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Developer: Moon Studios

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: Crystal Dynamics

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Publisher: CD PROJEKT RED

Developer: CD PROJEKT RED

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

Fallout 4

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Life is Strange

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: Crystal Dynamics

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Publisher: CD PROJEKT RED

Developer: CD PROJEKT RED

Undertale

Publisher: Toby Fox

Developer: Toby Fox

Adventure Game of the Year

Batman: Arkham Knight

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Life is Strange

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment

METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Kojima Productions

Ori and the Blind Forest

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Developer: Moon Studios

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: Crystal Dynamics

Action Game of the Year

Destiny: The Taken King

Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.

Developer: Bungie, Inc.

HELLDIVERS™

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios

Just Cause 3

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: Avalanche Studios

Star Wars™ Battlefront

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: DICE

Splatoon

Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc.

Developer: Nintendo EAD Group No. 2

Mobile Game of the Year

DomiNations

Publisher: Nexon M

Developer: Big Huge Games

Fallout Shelter

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Lara Croft GO

Publisher: SQUARE ENIX Inc.

Developer: Square Enix Montréal

PAC-MAN 256

Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.

Developer: Hipster Whale Pty Ltd

The Room Three

Publisher: Fireproof Studios

Developer: Fireproof Games

D.I.C.E. Sprite Award

Her Story

Publisher: Sam Barlow

Developer: Sam Barlow

GALAK-Z

Publisher: 17-BIT

Developer: 17-BIT

Kerbal Space Program

Publisher: Squad

Developer: Squad

Rocket League

Publisher: Psyonix

Developer: Psyonix

Undertale

Publisher: Toby Fox

Developer: Toby Fox

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to view last year's Awards show.

Click here to purchase tickets to the 19th D.I.C.E. Awards.