Archive

3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Congratulations to all recipients and nominees! The recipients were announced at a ceremony during the 2003 Game Developers Conference.

 

"All the recognition we've received so far pales compared to this. Recognition from fans and the media tells us we've done something successful and valuable. Recognition from other game developers and from the industry tells us we've done something important, something that will be remembered, and something that helps advance the genre and the art form." - The Splinter Cell team, Ubi Soft Montreal

 

Nominees & Awards Recipients

Each award recipient is highlighted in yellow.

 

Three special honors, selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards advisory board, were also presented at the ceremony.

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Gunpei Yokoi - creator, Gameboy

 

First Penguin Award

• David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Jim Levy, Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead - founders, Activision

 

IGDA Award for Community Contribution

• Doug Church - technical director, Eidos

 

	Game of the Year METROID PRIME (Retro Studios) BATTLEFIELD 1942 (Digital Illusions) GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY (Rockstar North) NEVERWINTER NIGHTS (BioWare Corp.) TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL (Ubi Soft Montreal)

 

 

	Original Game Character of the Year Sly Cooper from SLY COOPER AND THE THIEVIUS RACCOONUS Blinx from BLINX THE TIME SWEEPER Ratchet from RATCHET AND CLANK Rau from THE MARK OF KRI Sam Fisher from TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL

 

 

	Rookie Studio of the Year Retro Studios for METROID PRIME Arkane Studios for ARX FATALIS Day 1 Studios for MECHASSAULT Gas Powered Games for DUNGEON SIEGE Pipeworks Software for GODZILLA: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS MELEE

 

 

 

Excellence in Audio Jack Grillo, Rebecca Hanck, Erik Kraber and Yuan Liu for sound effects in MEDAL OF HONOR: ALLIED ASSAULT GTA Team for sound design in GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY Takayuki Kawagoe, Hideki Naganuma and Fumitaka Shibata for sound design in JET SET RADIO FUTURE Metroid Team for sound effects in METROID PRIME Andrew Boyd, Chris Hegstrom, Robb Mills and Howard Shore for composition in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

 

 

	Excellence in Game Design Romain de Waubert de Genlis and Team for game design in BATTLEFIELD 1942 GTA Team for game design in GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY Metroid Team for game design in METROID PRIME Satoru Iwata, Yoshiaki Koizumi, Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka and Kenta Usui for game design in SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE Splinter Cell Team Leaders for game design in TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL

 

 

Excellence in Level Design Metroid Team for level design in METROID PRIME Brian Allgeier, Mark Cerny, Lesley Mathieson and Colin Munson for level design in RATCHET & CLANK Brendan McNamara, Chun Wah Kong and the SCEE Design Team for level design in THE GETAWAY Franois Pelland and Team for level design in TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL Pancho Eekels, Dave Ewing and James Schmalz for level design in UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2003

 

 

Excellence in Programming Mark Brockington, Scott Greig, Jason Knipe, Don Moar and Don Yakielashek for network programming in NEVERWINTER NIGHTS Mike Biddlecombe, Scott Bilas, Bartosz Kijanka, James Loe, Eric Tams and Chad Queen for programming in DUNGEON SIEGE Metroid Team for programming in METROID PRIME Antoine Dodens and Team for graphics programming in TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL Warcraft III Team for programming in WARCRAFT III: REIGN OF CHAOS

 

 

Excellence in Visual Arts Tetsuya Nomura for art direction in KINGDOM HEARTS Jonathan Chey, Ken Levine and Team for art direction in FREEDOM FORCE Hokyo Lim, Suzanne Kaufman, Dev Madan, Augie Pagan and Karin Yamagiwa for art direction in SLY COOPER AND THE THIEVIUS RACCOONUS Nicolas Cantin, Frdrick Gagn and Benoit Sokal for art direction in SYBERIA Jay Beard, Erik Medina, Jeff Merghart , Dan Mueller and Tim Neveu for animation in THE MARK OF KRI

 

 

	Excellence in Writing Clint Hocking and JT Petty for writing in TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL Denis Dyack and Ken McCulloch for writing in ETERNAL DARKNESS: SANITY'S REQUIEM GTA Team for writing in GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY Daniel Vavra for writing in MAFIA: THE CITY OF LOST HEAVEN Craig Hubbard and Team for writing in NO ONE LIVES FOREVER 2: A SPY IN H.A.R.M.S. WAY

 

 

	Game Innovation Spotlights ANIMAL CROSSING by Nintendo BATTLEFIELD 1942 by Digital Illusions MEDAL OF HONOR: ALLIED ASSAULT by 2015, Inc. THE THING by Computer Artworks

 

 

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Photos

Pictures are available in the Photos page.

 

Press Releases

• IGDA Presents Game Developers Choice Awards; Metroid Prime Takes Game of the Year (March 7, 2003)
• G4 Media and GameSpot Support Game Developers Choice Awards, Honoring Excellence in Game Development (March 5, 2003)
• IGDA Names the Recipients of First Penguin Award, Community Contribution Award (February 25, 2003)
• Game Boy Creator Gunpei Yokoi to Receive IGDA'S Lifetime Achievement Award At The 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (February 20, 2003)
• Nominees Named for Game Developers Choice Awards (February 11, 2003)
• 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Nominations Open (January 7, 2003)
• 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Board Named (November 12, 2002)