RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER AND THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT
LEAD THE 19^TH 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 19^th 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 14^th 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 18^th 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.