Big names nominated for top honors at The Game Awards 2016

Next month, The Game Awards 2016 will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Ahead of the event itself, the nominees for the various awards that are up for grabs have been announced.

“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art,” said producer and host of the show Geoff Keighley. “In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted — including surprises and new game announcements.”

Doom, Inside, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End make up the race for Game of the Year. Uncharted 4 is the frontrunner for a sweep with eight nominations overall, while Inside, Overwatch, and Firewatch aren’t far behind with five apiece.

Elsewhere, the focus shifts to the biggest releases of next year with the Most Anticipated Game award. The titles nominated for the gong are God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mass Effect: Andromeda — the first gameplay footage of the latter is also set to be aired as part of the show.

Other categories include Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and the Games for Impact award, which casts a spotlight on releases that tackle real-world social issues. Individuals will be honored in categories like  Trending Gamer, Best eSports Player, and the Best Performance award for voice actors.

The Game Awards will be broadcast live on December 1, with streams available via Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Live, and more. In addition, the entire event will be viewable in virtual reality through the NextVR app — head to the show’s official website for more details.