BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition received Game of the Year for 2014 at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s 18th annual D.I.C.E. awards. The ceremony, hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, was held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
The selection came as a surprise to many after Monolith Production’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor had swept the remaining eight out of its nine nominations. Inquisition, meanwhile was only nominated for two. Digital Trends favorite Destiny also had a strong showing, taking home awards in four of its six nominated categories. Blizzard’s digital collectible card game Hearthstone snagged both Mobile and Strategy Games of the Year and Super Smash Bros. was honored on both its Wii U and 3DS iterations for Fighting and Handheld Games of the Year, respectively.
The Academy also honored industry pioneers Allan Alcorn, the creator of pong, and the recently-deceased Ralph Baer, the so-called “father of video games.” Apple took home the inaugural Technical Impact Award for its App Store critical role in expanding the mobile gaming space. The full list of nominees and winners is below.
Game of the Year
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Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
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Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
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Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
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Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
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Mobile Game of the Year
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Handheld Game of the Year
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D.I.C.E. Spite Award
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Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
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Sports Game of the Year
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Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
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Racing Game of the Year
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Fighting Game of the Year
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Family Game of the Year
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Adventure Game of the Year
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Action Game of the Year
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Outstanding Technical Achievement
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Outstanding Achievement in Story
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Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
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Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
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Outstanding Achievement in Character
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Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
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Outstanding Achievement in Animation
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