It’s a blockbuster year at the 2014 DICE Awards, with the newly revealed list of nominees for the annual event embracing a distinctly AAA focus. The leading nominee is The Last of Us, with 13 nominations in 12 categories (Joel and Ellie received separate nods in Outstanding Character Performance), including the top Game of the Year prize. Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic adventure is joined by four other familiar favorites from 2013 in the GotY race: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, BioShock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
The 12 categories that The Last of Us appears in makes it the most-nominated game by a wide margin, with GTA V and BioShock trailing at 7 and 6 nominations, respectively. Rayman Legends, Tearaway, and AC4 tie for 5 nods apiece, and the numbers trail off after that. The biggest surprise, however, is Gone Home. The Fullbright Company’s debut effort drew Game of the Year nods from a great many outlets (including this one), but it only snagged one nod from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences – for Downloadable Game of the Year.
The 17th Annual DICE Awards close out the 2014 DICE Summit on February 6 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. You can check out the full list of nominees in the official PDF right here.
