Warners’ hobbity spin-off game Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor has picked up a handful of nominations, including the headline Game of the Year category at SXSW.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
SXSW added the gaming awards to its interactive programme last year. The programme’s Accelerator programme also announced 2015 finalsists.
The winners will be announced at SXSW on Sunday 15 March (NZ time). The 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards finalists are:
Video Game of the Year
Bayonetta 2 – Nintendo/Platinum Games
Dark Souls II – Bandai Namco Games/From Software
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Electronic Arts/BioWare
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros. Interactive/Monolith Productions
Shovel Knight – Yacht Club Games
Mobile Game of the Year
Bravely Default – Nintendo/Square Enix
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – Blizzard Entertainment
Monument Valley – ustwo
Super Smash Bros. 3DS – Nintendo
Threes – Sirvo
Table Top Game of the Year
Dead of Winter – Plaid Hat Games
Five Tribes – Days of Wonder
King of New York – IELLO
Sheriff of Nottingham – Arcane Wonders
Star Realms – White Wizard Games
Excellence in Gameplay
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Electronic Arts
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros. Interactive/Monolith Productions
Nidhogg – Messhof
Super Smash Bros. Wii U – Nintendo
Titanfall – Electronic Arts/Respawn Entertainment
Excellence in Art
The Banner Saga – Versus Evil/Stoic Studio
Child of Light – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
Monument Valley – ustwo
Transistor – Supergiant Games
The Wolf Among Us – Telltale Games
Excellence in Animation
Assassin’s Creed Unity – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
inFAMOUS: Second Son – Sony Computer Entertainment/Sucker Punch Productions
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros. Interactive/Monolith Productions
Super Smash Bros. Wii U – Nintendo
Titanfall – Electronic Arts/Respawn Entertainment
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Alien: Isolation – Sega/The Creative Assembly
Destiny – Activision/Bungie
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Electronic Arts/BioWare
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros. Interactive/Monolith Productions
Sunset Overdrive – Microsoft Studios/Insomniac Games
Excellence in Visual Achievement
Alien: Isolation – Sega/The Creative Assembly
Far Cry 4 – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
Monument Valley – ustwo
Transistor – Supergiant Games
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter – The Astronauts
Excellence in Narrative
The Banner Saga – Versus Evil/Stoic Studio
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Electronic Arts/BioWare
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montpellier
The Wolf Among Us – Telltale Games
Wolfenstein: The New Order – Bethesda Softworks/MachineGames
Excellence in Design and Direction
Dark Souls II – Bandai Namco Games/From Software
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Electronic Arts/BioWare
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros. Interactive/Monolith Productions
Sunset Overdrive – Microsoft Studios/Insomniac Games
The Talos Principle – Devolver Digital/Croteam
Excellence in SFX
Alien: Isolation – Sega/The Creative Assembly
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Activision/Sledgehammer Games
The Evil Within – Bethesda Softworks/Tango Gameworks
Far Cry 4 – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
Titanfall – Electronic Arts/Respawn Entertainment
Excellence in Musical Score
The Banner Saga – Versus Evil/Stoic Studio
Destiny – Activision/Bungie
Child of Light – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal
Transistor – Supergiant Games
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montpellier
Excellence in Multiplayer
Destiny – Activision/Bungie
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Activision/Sledgehammer Games
Super Smash Bros. Wii U – Nintendo
Titanfall – Electronic Arts/Respawn Entertainment
Towerfall Ascension – Matt Makes Games
Excellence in Convergence
Alien: Isolation – Sega/The Creative Assembly
Disney Infinity 2.0 – Disney Interactive Studios/Avalanche Software
FIFA 15 – EA Sports/EA Canada
South Park: The Stick of Truth – Ubisoft/Obsidian Entertainment
The Wolf Among Us – Telltale Games
Most Valuable Character
Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us) – Telltale Games
Ellie (The Last of Us: Left Behind) – Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog
The Goat (Goat Simulator) – Coffee Stain Studios
Octodad (Octodad: Dadliest Catch) – Young Horses
Red (Transistor) – Supergiant Games
Most Valuable Esports Team
Alliance
Cloud9
Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
SK Gaming
Most Valuable Online Channel
Cynical Brit
Rooster Teeth
SMOSH Games
TheSyndicateProject
VanossGaming
Most Valuable Add-On Content
Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Series – 2K Games/Irrational Games
Dark Souls II: Crown of the King Series – Bandai Namco Games/From Software
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Blizzard Entertainment
The Last of Us: Left Behind – Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor – Blizzard Entertainment
Most Anticipated Crowdfunded Game
The Banner Saga – Versus Evil
Divinity: Original Sin – Larian Studios
Shovel Knight – Yacht Club Games
Star Citizen – Cloud Imperium Games
Wasteland 2 – inXile Entertainment
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Goat Simulator – Coffee Stain Studios
The Last of Us: Left Behind – Sony Computer Entertainment/Naughty Dog
Never Alone – E-Line Media/Upper One Games
This War of Mine – 11 bit studios
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montpellier
Gamer’s Voice
Decided exclusively by gamers on the SXSW Gaming Expo floor
Apotheon – Alientrap Games
Armikrog – Pencil Test Studios
Assault Android Cactus – Witch Beam
Cadence – Made With Monster Love
Children of Morta – Dead Mage
Chroma Squad – Behold Studios
Darkest Dungeon – Red Hook Studios
Extreme Exorcism – Golden Ruby Games
Gemini – Echostone Games
Grow – CriKeT Games
Hyper Light Drifter – Heart Machine
Ice-Bound – Down to the Wire
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes – Steel Crate Games
Lurking – DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore
Noct- c3sk
Nom Nom Galaxy – Q-Games
Nova-111 – Funktronic Labs
Push Me Pull You – House House
ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS – Radial Games
Salt and Sanctuary – Ska Studios
SoundSelf – Robin Arnott
SpeedRunners – tinyBuild Games
Stardust Vanguards – Zanrai Interactive
That Dragon, Cancer – Nominous Games
The Escapists – Team17 Digital
The Flame in the Flood – The Molasses Flood
White Night – Osome Studio
XING: The Land Beyond – White Lotus Interactive
Yomi’s Gate – Spriteborne
Zombie Night Terror – Jerome Levet
