| D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |
| First awarded | 1998 |
| Currently held by | Vampire Survivors |
| Website | www |
The D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes titles that "follow the gameplay from the prospective of the character that the player is controlling. These games feature heavy weapons use and/or involve characters engaged in combat while moving through a linear or open environment. The opponent can either be controlled by another player or by the game".[1] All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.[2] The award initially had separate awards for console games and computer games at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 1998, with the first winners being GoldenEye 007 for console and Quake II for computer. There have been numerous mergers and additions of action-related games throughout the awards ceremony's history. The current version was officially introduced at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008, which was awarded to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
The most recent winner of the award is Vampire Survivors, developed and published by indie developer, poncle.
History
Initially, the Interactive Achievement Awards had separate awards for Console Action Game of the Year and Computer Action Game of the Year.[3] In 2001, the awards for action games and adventure games were consolidated to Action/Adventure awards, recognizing titles in which players are challenged with real-time action activities and combat where possibly skill, accuracy and puzzle-solving are required.[4][5] Additional categories for console and computer first person action games were added for the 6th awards ceremony.[6] This was probably because both winners for console and PC Action/Adventure in 2002 were first-person shooters, being Halo: Combat Evolved for console and Return to Castle Wolfenstein for PC.[7][8] A category for Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year was also introduced in 2003.[6] Starting in 2005, genre-specific awards would no longer have separate awards for console and computer games. So there would be just one Action/Adventure Game of the Year award, which included platform games going forward, and one First Person Action Game of the Year award.[9] These would ultimately be replaced by Action Game of the Year and Adventure Game of the Year in 2008.[1][10]
- Console Action Game of the Year (1998–2000)
- Computer Action Game of the Year (1998–2000)
- Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2001–2005)
- Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2001–2005)
- Console First Person Action Game of the Year (2003–2005)
- Computer First Person Action Game of the Year (2003–2005)
- Console Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2003–2005)
- Action/Adventure Game of the Year (2006–2007)
- First Person Action Game of the Year (2006–2007)
- Action Game of the Year (2008–present)
Winners and nominees
1990s
| Indicates the winner |
2000s
2010s
2020s
Multiple nominations and wins
Developers and publishers
Electronic Arts has published the most nominees for action-related Game of the Year awards, while Activision and Ubisoft are tied with publishing the most winners for action-related Game of the Year awards. Ubisoft Montreal has developed the most nominees and the most award winners. Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft are the only developer and publisher, respectively, to win more than one award for the same game in the same year with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Rockstar North and Rockstar Games also won multiple awards in the same year, but for different games. There have also been numerous back-to-back winners for the same award: Rare and Nintendo won Console Action Game of the Year in 1998 and 1999, Valve Corporation and Sierra On-Line for Computer Action Game of the Year in 1999 and 2000, and Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft for Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004 and 2005. 2K Games is the only publisher to have back-to-back wins with different developers, being Gearbox Software in 2013 and Irrational Games in 2014.
| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Ubisoft Montreal | 14 | 6 |
| Infinity Ward | 6 | 4 |
| Bungie | 8 | 3 |
| DICE | 7 | 3 |
| Rockstar North/DMA Design | 7 | 3 |
| Valve | 7 | 3 |
| Rare | 4 | 2 |
| Ubisoft Milan | 4 | 2 |
| Insomniac Games | 8 | 1 |
| Epic Games | 6 | 1 |
| Nintendo EAD | 6 | 1 |
| id Software | 5 | 1 |
| Red Storm Entertainment | 4 | 1 |
| EA Redwood Shores/Visceral Games | 3 | 1 |
| Remedy Entertainment | 3 | 1 |
| Ubisoft Shanghai | 3 | 1 |
| 343 Industries | 2 | 1 |
| Gearbox Software | 2 | 1 |
| Ion Storm | 2 | 1 |
| Irrational Games/2K Boston | 2 | 1 |
| Retro Studios | 2 | 1 |
| Santa Monica Studio | 2 | 1 |
| Monolith Productions | 6 | 0 |
| EA Los Angeles | 4 | 0 |
| Naughty Dog | 4 | 0 |
| Treyarch | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | 3 | 0 |
| Digital Extremes | 3 | 0 |
| Radical Entertainment | 3 | 0 |
| Volition | 3 | 0 |
| The Coalition | 2 | 0 |
| FromSoftware | 2 | 0 |
| Housemarque | 2 | 0 |
| IO Interactive | 2 | 0 |
| Konami | 2 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 2 | 0 |
| MachineGames | 2 | 0 |
| Midway Games | 2 | 0 |
| Pandemic Studios | 2 | 0 |
| Raven Software | 2 | 0 |
| Respawn Entertainment | 2 | 0 |
| Sledgehammer Games | 2 | 0 |
| SquareSoft | 2 | 0 |
| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Activision | 22 | 6 |
| Ubisoft | 20 | 6 |
| Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios | 16 | 5 |
| Electronic Arts | 25 | 4 |
| Nintendo | 14 | 4 |
| Rockstar Games | 10 | 4 |
| Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment | 23 | 2 |
| Sierra On-Line/Entertainment | 5 | 2 |
| 2K Games | 4 | 2 |
| Eidos Interactive/Square Enix Europe | 8 | 1 |
| Vivendi Universal Games | 6 | 1 |
| Sega | 4 | 1 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix | 6 | 0 |
| Bethesda Softworks | 6 | 0 |
| THQ | 5 | 0 |
| Capcom | 4 | 0 |
| Midway Games | 4 | 0 |
| Valve | 4 | 0 |
| GT Interactive | 3 | 0 |
| Interplay Productions | 3 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 3 | 0 |
| Japan Studio | 2 | 0 |
| Konami | 2 | 0 |
| Red Storm Entertainment | 2 | 0 |
Franchises
The Call of Duty franchise has received the most nominations and won the most awards. The Tom Clancy's franchise is second in nominations and tied for second most wins with Grand Theft Auto, Half-Life, Halo, and the Prince of Persia franchises. In the early years of the Interactive Achievement Awards when there were multiple awards for action-related genres, some franchises had multiple nominations in the same year. The 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2003 had three franchises received multiple nominations/awards with more than one game in action-related categories:
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell was nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon was nominated for Console First-Person Action Game of the Year.
- Medal of Honor: Frontline was nominated for Console First-Person Action Game of the Year, and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault won Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year, and Grand Theft Auto III won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
Some games received more than one nomination in the same year for action-related awards:
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2004): Won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
- Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2004): Nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
- Full Spectrum Warrior (2005): Nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year and Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year.
Some games received multiple nominations spread across multiple years, mostly for expansion packs.
- Half-Life won Computer Action Game of the Year in 1999, and the expansion pack Opposing Force won the same award in 2000.
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six was nominated Computer Action Game of the Year in 1999 and 2000. The first was for the release on Microsoft Windows; the second was the release on Mac OS X.
- Grand Theft Auto III was nominated for Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2002, and won Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2003.
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won Console Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2003, and was nominated for Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004.
- Half-Life 2 won Computer First-Person Action Game of the Year in 2005, the Episode One expansion was nominated for First-Person Action Game of the Year in 2007, and the Episode Two expansion, as part of The Orange Box compilation, was nominated for Action Game of the Year in 2008.
- Destiny won in 2015, and the expansion pack The Taken King was nominated in 2016.
- Destiny 2 was nominated in 2018, and the expansion pack Forsaken was nominated in 2019.
There are currently only two franchises that have back-to-back wins for the same action-related award. The first was Half-Life for Computer Action Game of the Year in 1999 and 2000, and the second was Prince of Persia for Platform Action/Adventure Game of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
| Franchise | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty | 11 | 4 |
| Tom Clancy's | 9 | 3 |
| Grand Theft Auto | 6 | 3 |
| Half-Life[lower-alpha 3] | 6 | 3 |
| Halo | 6 | 3 |
| Prince of Persia | 4 | 3 |
| Battlefield | 6 | 1 |
| Gears of War | 5 | 1 |
| Destiny | 4 | 1 |
| Dead Space | 3 | 1 |
| James Bond 007 | 3 | 1 |
| Medal of Honor | 3 | 1 |
| Metroid | 3 | 1 |
| Ratchet & Clank | 3 | 1 |
| Star Wars | 3 | 1 |
| The Legend of Zelda | 3 | 1 |
| Wolfenstein | 3 | 1 |
| Banjo-Kazooie | 2 | 1 |
| Crimson Skies | 2 | 1 |
| Deus Ex | 2 | 1 |
| God of War | 2 | 1 |
| Quake | 2 | 1 |
| Far Cry | 4 | 0 |
| Doom | 3 | 0 |
| Jak & Daxter | 3 | 0 |
| Myst | 3 | 0 |
| Unreal | 3 | 0 |
| BioShock | 2 | 0 |
| Devil May Cry | 2 | 0 |
| Full Spectrum Warrior | 2 | 0 |
| Hitman | 2 | 0 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | 2 | 0 |
| Max Payne | 2 | 0 |
| Metal Gear | 2 | 0 |
| No One Lives Forever | 2 | 0 |
| Saints Row | 2 | 0 |
| Spyro | 2 | 0 |
| Titanfall | 2 | 0 |
Notes
- ↑ The second time may have been for the release for Classic Mac OS.
- ↑ Website says Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but it was never released on PC at the time of the awards.
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Episode Two is included in The Orange Box.
References
- 1 2 3 "2008 Award Category Details Action Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards Voting Rules & Procedures". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ↑ "The Award - Categories". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ↑ "2001 Awards Category Details Console Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ↑ "2001 Awards Category Details PC Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- 1 2 "6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on October 24, 2002. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ↑ "2002 Awards Category Details Console Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ↑ "2002 Awards Category Details PC Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ↑ "And the Nominees Are... - Accepting Submissions for the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards" (PDF). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ↑ "2008 Award Category Details Adventure Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ "The Award - Updates". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ↑ "The Award - Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ↑ "And the Winners Are..." GameSpot. GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Interactive Achievement Awards - Finalists". interactive.org. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Interactive Achievement Awards - Recipients". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on January 17, 2000. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Third Interactive Achievement Awards - Console". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on October 11, 2000. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Third Interactive Achievement Awards - Personal Computer". Interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on October 11, 2000. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Console Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- 1 2 "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Announces Recipients of Fourth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 6, 2001. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- 1 2 "GDC 2001: Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences 2001 Awards". IGN. March 24, 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ↑ "PC Action/Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Finalists For The 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ↑ "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Announces Recipients of Fifth Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ↑ "2001 Academy Awards for Games". IGN. February 7, 2002. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ↑ Varianini, Giancarlo (March 4, 2002). "Fifth annual AIAS awards announced". GameSpot. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ↑ "6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Winners". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ↑ Colayco, Bob. "2002 AIAS award winners announced". GameSpot. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ↑ "2002 AIAS award winners announced". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ↑ "7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ↑ "AIAS Announces Finalists for Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". GameZone. May 4, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ↑ "7th Annual Interactive Achievement Award Winners Announced". Writers Write. Writers Write, Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ↑ "8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Finalists". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on March 2, 2005. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ↑ Feldman, Curt (February 2, 2005). "Half-Life 2 named Game of the Year D.I.C.E. Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ "2006 Award Category Details Action/Adventure Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- 1 2 Thorsen, Tor (January 17, 2006). "God of War leads AIAS Award finalists". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- 1 2 "DICE 2006: Interactive Achievement Awards". IGN. February 10, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ "2006 Award Category Details First-Person Action Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ "2007 Award Category Details Action/Adventure Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- 1 2 Surette, Tim (February 12, 2007). "D.I.C.E. 07: Gears grabs gold". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ "2007 Award Category Details First Person Action Game of the Year". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Thorsen, Tor (February 8, 2008). "COD4, Orange Box, BioShock, Rock Band D.I.C.E. up Interactive Achievement Awards". GameSpot. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ "2009 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (February 23, 2009). "LittleBigPlanet cleans up at the AIAS awards". Eurogamer. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2010 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Mattas, Jeff (January 21, 2010). "2009 Interactive Achievement Award Finalists Announced". Shacknews. Shacknews LTD. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ Brice, Kath (February 19, 2010). "Uncharted 2 victorious at 13th AIAS Awards". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ↑ "2011 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ "Mass Effect 2 Takes 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards' Game of the Year". IGN. February 11, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (January 20, 2011). "Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved, God of War lead IAA nominees". GameSpot. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2012 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Bertz, Matt (February 9, 2012). "Skyrim Dominates The 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". Game Informer. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Uncharted 3 Leads Nominees For 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". GameRant. gamerant.com. January 13, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2013 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Haley, Sebastian (February 7, 2013). "Journey dominates the 2013 D.I.C.E. Awards (full winner list)". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2014 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Taormina, Anthony (February 6, 2014). "'The Last of Us' Dominates 2014 D.I.C.E. Awards". GameRant. gamerant.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2015 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ "2015 D.I.C.E. Awards". BrutalGamer. February 6, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2016 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Pereira, Chris (February 19, 2016). "The 2016 DICE Award Winners [UPDATED]". GameSpot. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2017 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Albert, Weston (February 24, 2017). "Overwatch Wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2017". GameRant. gamerant.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2018 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Iyer, Karthik (February 23, 2018). "DICE Awards 2018: Here Are All the Games That Won". Beebom. Beebom Media Private Limited. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2019 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Shanley, Patrick (February 13, 2019). "D.I.C.E. Awards: Full Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2020 Award Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Shanley, Patrick (February 13, 2020). "2020 DICE Awards: 'Untitled Goose Game' Takes Top Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2021 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Skrebels, Joe (April 22, 2021). "D.I.C.E. Awards 2021: All the Winners". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ↑ "2022 Awards Category Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (February 25, 2022). "DICE Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Congratulations to the 26th Annual #DICEAwards Finalists". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ↑ Kim, Matt (January 12, 2023). "26th Annual DICE Awards Game of the Year Nominees Announced". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (February 24, 2023). "DICE Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Congratulations to the 27th Annual #DICEAwards Finalist". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 10, 2024.