Another day, another round of accolades for Witch Beam’s excellent Unpacking, the Australian-made game making waves around the world. This time, it’s the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards heaping praise on the title, with three fresh award nominations for game audio, innovation and narrative announced on Wednesday.
Unpacking is one of the most-nominated games in this year’s cohort, alongside AAA titles like Deathloop, It Takes Two and Forza Horizon 5.
Fellow Australian-made games The Artful Escape and The Forgotten City also earned honourable mentions in the Best Visual Art and Best Narrative categories, respectively.
The Game Developers Choice Awards are currently in their 22nd year, and spotlight an all-star list of 2021’s absolute best titles. It’s rare for Australian games to get a shout out – and it’s fantastic to see our local scene so well represented.
Here’s the full list of nominations for the Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be held in-person and virtually as part of GDC 2022.
Game Developers Choice Awards 2022 Nominations
Best Audio
- Returnal
- Unpacking
- Deathloop
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Forza Horizon 5
Honourable Mentions: Halo Infinite, It Takes Two, Genesis Noir, Kid A Mensia: Exhibition, Resident Evil Village
Best Debut
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Valheim
- Wildermyth
- The Artful Escape
- Sable
Honourable Mentions: Genesis Noir, ElecHead, Unsighted
Best Design
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Halo Infinite
- Deathloop
- Inscryption
Honourable Mentions: Resident Evil Village, Unpacking, Death’s Door, Loop Hero
Innovation Award
- It Takes Two
- Wildermyth
- Unpacking
- Inscryption
- Deathloop
Honourable Mentions: Returnal, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Loop Hero
Best Narrative
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Unpacking
Honourable Mentions: Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Life is Strange: True Colors, The Forgotten City, Inscryption, Wildermyth
Social Impact Award
- Before Your Eyes
- It Takes Two
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Boyfriend Dungeon
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Honourable Mentions: Forza Horizon 5
Best Technology
- Halo Infinite
- Forza Horizon 5
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
- Hitman 3
Honourable Mentions: Battlefield 2042, Resident Evil Village
Best Visual Art
- Forza Horizon 5
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Deathloop
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Psychonauts 2
Honourable Mentions: The Artful Escape, Genesis Noir, Returnal, Sable
Game of the Year
- Inscryption
- Forza Horizon 5
- Resident Evil Village
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
Honourable Mentions: Halo Infinite, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Psychonauts 2, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Death’s Door
The 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards will air on the GDC Twitch on Thursday, 24 March 2022 – likely in the early hours of the morning for Australians. Stay tuned for more details about how to tune in.
