Hades Wins Five DICE Awards, including Game of the Year

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) hosted the 24th DICE Awards. Hades was named the best game of the year. Roguelike Supergiant Games won a total of five of the eight prizes it claimed. One less went to the action-adventure Ghost of Tsushima.

This is not the first big victory for Hades: she was previously presented with the main award of the BAFTA Games Awards 2021 and the SXSW Gaming Awards 2021. Also, she is nominated for the Game Developers Choice Awards 2021 in six categories (ceremony to be held on July 21).

Hades is also the best indie game, best action game, and the game with the most outstanding game design and direction. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us Part II (she is mentioned in 11 categories), and Ghost of Tsushima fought for this title. The latter is the second in both the number of nominations (ten) and the number of prizes (four): Sucker Punch Productions received the title of best adventure and awards for sound, original soundtrack, and work artists.

Half-Life was given two awards each: Alyx (Outstanding Achievement in Virtual Reality and Best VR Game) and The Last of Us Part II (Outstanding Achievement in Animation and Outstanding Achievement in Story).

The best RPG was a remake of Final Fantasy VII, an online game – Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, a mobile game – Legends of Runeterra, a family game – Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and a fighting game – Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. Mario Kart Live took the lead among the races and sports games – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. In the Best Strategy / Simulator category, the honorary title was given to  Microsoft Flight Simulator. The Dreams constructor was awarded for technical achievements.

Characters chosen were Miles Morales ( Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ) – opposed by Eivor Varinsdottir from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Zagreus from Hades, and Abby and Ellie from The Last of Us Part II.

The 24th DICE Awards took place digitally. The winners, as before, were determined by AIAS participants – more than 33 thousand experts from the gaming industry.

Full list of nominees and laureates:

Game of the Year :

• Hades ;
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons;
• Final Fantasy VII Remake;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• The Last of Us Part II.

Best shooter :

• Hades ;
• DOOM Eternal ;
• Half-Life: Alyx;
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales;
• Nioh 2.

Best Adventure :

• Ghost of Tsushima ;
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla;
• Kentucky Route Zero ;
• The Last of Us Part II;
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Best family game :

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons ;
• Astro’s Playroom;
• Dreams;
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout;
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

Best fighting game :

• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate ;
• UFC 4;
• Granblue Fantasy Versus;
• Them’s Fightin ‘Herds.

Best racing game :

• Mario Kart Live ;
• DiRT 5 ;
• F1 2020.

Best Role-Playing Game :

• Final Fantasy VII Remake ;
• Cyberpunk 2077 ;
• Persona 5 Royal ;
• Wasteland 3;
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Best sports game :

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 ;
• FIFA 21;
• MLB The Show 20;
• NBA 2K21;
• PGA TOUR 2K21.

Best Strategy or Simulator Game :

• Microsoft Flight Simulator ;
• Crusader Kings III;
• Desperados III ;
• Monster Train;
• Per Aspera.

Technical advancement in virtual reality :

• Half-Life: Alyx ;
• Mario Kart Live;
• Museum of Other Realities;
• Paper Beast;
• Tempest.

Best VR-game :

• Half-Life: Alyx ;
• Down the Rabbit Hole;
• Paper Beast;
• The Room VR: A Dark Matter;
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.

Outstanding Achievement in Indie Games :

• Hades ;
• Coffee Talk;
• If Found …
• Kentucky Route Zero;
• No.

Best mobile game :

• Legends of Runeterra ;
• HoloVista;
• Little Orpheus;
• Song of Bloom;
• South of the Circle.

Best Online Game :

• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout ;
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons;
• Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War ;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• Tetris Effect: Connected.

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design :

• Hades ;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• Half-Life: Alyx;
• The Last of Us Part II;
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Outstanding Achievement in Game Directing :

• Hades ;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• Half-Life: Alyx;
• Kentucky Route Zero;
• The Last of Us Part II.

Outstanding Achievement in Animation :

• The Last of Us Part II ;
• Final Fantasy VII Remake;
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales;
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps;
• Spiritfarer.

Outstanding Achievement in Artistic Production :

• Ghost of Tsushima ;
• Hades;
• The Last of Us Part II;
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales;
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Outstanding Character Creation Achievement :

• Miles Morales – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ;
• Eivor Varinsdottir – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Zagreus – Hades;
• Abby – The Last of Us Part II;
• Ellie – The Last of Us Part II.

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music :

• Ghost of Tsushima ;
• Carrion;
• Little Orpheus;
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps;
• The Pathless.

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design :

• Ghost of Tsushima ;
• Dreams;
• The Last of Us Part II;
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps;
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

Outstanding Story Achievement :

• The Last of Us Part II ;
• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• Hades;
• Kentucky Route Zero.

Outstanding Technical Achievement :

• Dreams ;
• Ghost of Tsushima;
• The Last of Us Part II;
• Mario Kart Live;
• Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Last year, the main prize of the DICE Awards went to  Untitled Goose Game.