Hades is the Game of the Year at the SXSW Awards: beaten The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima
Hades is the Game of the Year at the SXSW Awards
2021 has started a long time now, but the awards season isn't over yet. During the night, the awards ceremony of the SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 was held, prizes awarded by the South by Southwest jury to the best games of the last year.In contention for the most coveted award, that of Best Videogame of the Year, there were the usual suspects, but this time to prevail was Hades, the revelation game of 2020 that beat the fierce competition of The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, DOOM Eternal and Ori and the Will of the Wisps . Supergiant Games' work also won the Excellence in Game Design award, which takes into consideration the work done in the areas of gameplay mechanics and concept design. The Last of Us Part 2 won the award for the best fiction, while Ghost of Tsushima won the award for the best artistic sector. Deep Rock Galactic turned out to be the best indie and best multiplayer of the year, while Ori and the Will of the Wisps was rated as the title with the best soundtrack. Below you will find all the prizes:
Video Game of the Year- Hades (Supergiant Games) Indie Game of the Year - Deep Rock Galactic Tabletop Game of the Year - The Search for Planet X (Renegade Game Studios / Foxtrot Games) VR Game of the Year - Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Excellence in Narrative - The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment) Excellence in Game Design - Hades (Supergiant Games) Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award - Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment) Excellence in Score - Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios) Excellence in Multiplayer - Deep Rock Galactic (Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing) Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement - Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch / Sony Interactive Entertainment) Excellence in Audio Design - DOOM Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks) Excellence in Technical Achievement - Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios) Are you satisfied with the awards? Although Hades has added another figurine to his board, The Last of Us Part 2 remains the most awarded game of 2020, and by far as well: the most up-to-date counts speak of a total of 288 GOTY for the Naughty Dog adventure. , against 62 for Hades and 58 for Ghost of Tsushima.
SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 Winners Announced: Hades Awarded Video Game of the Year
The winners of the SXSW Gaming Awards have been announced, with Hades and Deep Rock Galactic leading proceedings with two awards apiece.
In partnership with IGN, SXSW presented its Gaming Awards trophies to category winners in a ceremony held on Saturday, March 20. Hades emerged as one of the frontrunners at the event, winning the prestigious Video Game of the Year award as well as an Excellence in Game Design accolade, which takes into consideration the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and execution.
Sci-fi co-op FPS Deep Rock Galactic also scored big at this year's ceremony, taking home awards in both categories in which it was nominated, which means that it picked up trophies for Indie Game of the Year and Excellence in Multiplayer. Both categories featured tough competition, with 9 other titles competing for the Indie Game of the Year accolade, including the likes of Bugsnax and Risk of Rain 2.
With 43 nominees across 12 categories, there were plenty of other winners announced at the event. Awards were presented to The Search for Planet X, Half-Life: Alyx, The Last of Us Part II, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Ghost of Tsushima, DOOM Eternal, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and Dreams, which won the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation award for its community focused creativity tools.
The full list of winners from the SXSW 2021 Gaming Awards follows:
Video Game of the YearAwarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
Awarded to the game that best challenges the 'norm' of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
If you'd like to know more about SXSW's Video Game of the Year, check out IGN's review of Hades, praising the game for being a 'one-of-a-kind rogue-lite that does a brilliant job of marrying its fast-paced action with its persistent, progressing story through a vividly reimagined Greek mythological underworld,' which ultimately delivers an experience that you 'never want to end.'
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
