12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Honoring the Best Games of 2011

For photos, please browse our albums.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Warren Spector

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole.

Pioneer Award

Dave Theurer

The Pioneer Award (formerly known as the First Penguin Award) celebrates those individuals who developed a breakthrough technology, game concept, or gameplay design at a crucial juncture video game history - paving the way for the myriads who followed them.

Ambassador Award

Ken Doroshow and Paul M. Smith

The Ambassador Award honors an individual or individuals who have helped the game industry advance to a better place, either through facilitating a better game community from within, or by reaching outside the industry to be an advocate for video games and help further our art.

Game of the Year

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)

Finalists:

• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
• Portal 2 (Valve)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montréal)
• Dark Souls (FromSoftware)

Best Narrative

Portal 2 (Valve)

Finalists:

• The Witcher 2 (CD Projekt RED)
• Bastion (Supergiant Games)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)
• Saints Row: The Third (Volition)

Best Design

Portal 2 (Valve)

Finalists:

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo)
• Batman: Arkham City (Rocksteady Studios)
• Dark Souls (FromSoftware)

Best Technology

Battlefield 3 (DICE)

Finalists:

• L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)
• Crysis 2 (Crytek Frankfurt / UK)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)

Best Visual Arts

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)

Finalists:

• Rayman Origins (Ubisoft Montpellier)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
• El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Ignition Japan)
• Battlefield 3 (DICE)

Best Debut

Bastion (Supergiant Games)

Finalists:

• L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)
• Terraria (Re-Logic)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic (Bioware Austin)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Eidos Montréal)

Innovation Award

Johann Sebastian Joust (Die Gute Fabrik)

Finalists:

• Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Toys For Bob)
• Portal 2 (Valve)
• Bastion (Supergiant Games)
• L.A. Noire (Team Bondi)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (Capy Games / Superbrothers)

Finalists:

• Tiny Tower (NimbleBit)
• Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo)
• Jetpack Joyride (Halfbrick)
• Infinity Blade II (Chair Entertainment)

Best Audio

Portal 2 (Valve)

Finalists:

• Bastion (Supergiant Games)
• LittleBigPlanet 2 (Media Molecule)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios)
• Dead Space 2 (Visceral Games)

Best Downloadable Game

Bastion (Supergiant Games)

Finalists:

• Stacking (Double Fine)
• From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier)
• Outland (Housemarque)
• Frozen Synapse (Mode 7)