13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards

Honoring the Best Games of 2012

For photos, please browse our albums.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk

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

Steve Russell

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

Chris Melissinos

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.

Audience Award

Dishonored (Arkane Studios)

Game of the Year

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Dishonored (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
• Mass Effect 3 (BioWare / Electronic Arts)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games / 2K Games)

Innovation Award

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Mark of the Ninja (Klei Entertainment / Microsoft Studios)
• FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)
• The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow / Sony Computer Entertainment)
• ZombiU (Ubisoft Montpellier / Ubisoft)

Best Audio

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games / Devolver Digital)
• Sound Shapes (Queasy Games / Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montréal / Ubisoft)
• Halo 4 (343 Industries / Microsoft Studios)

Best Debut

FTL: Faster Than Light (Subset Games)

Finalists:

• Dust: An Elysian Tail (Humble Hearts)
• Fez (Polytron Corporation)
• The Unfinished Swan (Giant Sparrow)
• The Room (Fireproof Games)

Best Downloadable Game

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)
• Spelunky (Derek Yu / Andy Hull)
• Trials: Evolution (RedLynx / Microsoft Studios)
• Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment / Microsoft Studios)

Best Design

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Dishonored (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Mark Of The Ninja (Klei Entertainment / Microsoft Studios)
• Spelunky (Derek Yu / Andy Hull)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Firaxis Games / 2K Games)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

The Room (Fireproof Games)

Finalists:

• Gravity Rush (SCE Japan Studio / Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Hero Academy (Robot Entertainment)
• Sound Shapes (Queasy Games / Sony Computer Entertainment)
• Kid Icarus: Uprising (Sora / Nintendo)

Best Narrative

The Walking Dead (Telltale Games)

Finalists:

• Spec Ops: The Line (Yager Entertainment / 2K Games)
• Mass Effect 3 (BioWare / Electronic Arts)
• Dishonored (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Virtue's Last Reward (Chunsoft / Aksys Games)

Best Technology

Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montréal / Ubisoft)

Finalists:

• PlanetSide 2 (Sony Online Entertainment)
• Halo 4 (343 Industries / Microsoft Studios)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Treyarch / Activision)
• Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft Montréal / Ubisoft)

Best Visual Arts

Journey (thatgamecompany / Sony Computer Entertainment)

Finalists:

• Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software / 2K Games)
• Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft Montréal / Ubisoft)
• Dishonored (Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
• Halo 4 (343 Industries / Microsoft Studios)