| D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |
| First awarded | 1998 |
| Currently held by | Marvel's Spider-Man 2 |
| Website | www |
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in bringing a character or characters to life. This award will consider the fluidity of movement, and interaction with the environment in addition to contextual realism (look and feel)". [1] Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award. [2]
The award's most recent winner is Marvel's Spider-Man 2 , developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The Academy originally offered Outstanding Achievement in Art/Graphics at the first two annual awards ceremonies. [3] [4] This would be separated into the categories of Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Outstanding Achievement in Animation at the third annual awards ceremony. [5] [6] Since the categories separated, roughly half of the finalists and winners for "Animation" and "Art Direction" were the same game within its respective release year. The games that had won both awards for "Animation" and "Art Direction" were:
The games that won the "Animation" award but were not finalists in the "Art Direction" category were:
2022 was the only year that the "Animation" and "Art Direction" categories had the same five finalists and winner.
| Indicates the winner |
Sony has published the most nominees and winners. Sony has the distinction of publishing the most nominees within a year (three) on four separate occasions (during the awards ceremony in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2014). Sony has two winning streaks for publishing the category winners (2010 to 2012, and 2021 to 2024). Activision has published the most nominees without a single winner.
Sony's development subsidiary Naughty Dog has developed the most winners in this category. Ubisoft Montreal has developed the most nominees, and is one of two developers with back-to-back wins, with the other being SquareSoft. Ubisoft Montpellier, formerly known as "Ubi Pictures", has developed the most nominees without a single winner.
| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Naughty Dog | 9 | 5 |
| Ubisoft Montreal | 13 | 4 |
| Insomniac Games | 12 | 3 |
| Santa Monica Studio | 4 | 3 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix | 8 | 2 |
| Oddworld Inhabitants | 3 | 1 |
| Sucker Punch Productions | 3 | 1 |
| Valve | 3 | 1 |
| Epic Games | 2 | 1 |
| Moon Studios | 2 | 1 |
| Rare | 2 | 1 |
| Ubisoft Pictures/Montpellier | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | 3 | 0 |
| Infinity Ward | 3 | 0 |
| Japan Studio | 3 | 0 |
| Rocksteady Studios | 3 | 0 |
| Bend Studio | 2 | 0 |
| Guerrilla Games | 2 | 0 |
| Kojima Productions | 2 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 2 | 0 |
| Namco | 2 | 0 |
| Ninja Theory | 2 | 0 |
| Nomada Studio | 2 | 0 |
| Polyarc | 2 | 0 |
| Ready at Dawn | 2 | 0 |
| Team Ninja | 2 | 0 |
| Treyarch | 2 | 0 |
| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment | 42 | 12 |
| Ubisoft | 19 | 4 |
| Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios | 11 | 3 |
| Electronic Arts | 8 | 2 |
| SquareSoft/Square Enix | 7 | 2 |
| Nintendo | 5 | 2 |
| Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Warner Bros. Games | 5 | 1 |
| Activision | 7 | 0 |
| Namco/Bandai Namco Games/Entertainment | 4 | 0 |
| Valve | 4 | 0 |
| Capcom | 3 | 0 |
| LucasArts | 3 | 0 |
| Rockstar Games | 3 | 0 |
| Bethesda Softworks | 2 | 0 |
| Devolver Digital | 2 | 0 |
| Polyarc | 2 | 0 |
| Square Enix Europe | 2 | 0 |
| Tecmo | 2 | 0 |
Assassin's Creed and Final Fantasy have been the most nominated franchises, while Uncharted and God of War have been the most award-winning franchises. Final Fantasy is the only franchise to have back-to-back wins. Call of Duty is the most nominated franchise that has never won.
| Franchises | Nominations | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Uncharted | 6 | 3 |
| God of War | 4 | 3 |
| Assassin's Creed | 7 | 2 |
| Final Fantasy | 7 | 2 |
| Prince of Persia | 4 | 2 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man | 3 | 2 |
| The Last of Us | 2 | 2 |
| Ratchet & Clank | 6 | 1 |
| Oddworld | 3 | 1 |
| Gears of War | 2 | 1 |
| Half-Life | 2 | 1 |
| Mario [b] | 2 | 1 |
| Ori | 2 | 1 |
| Sly Cooper | 2 | 1 |
| Call of Duty | 6 | 0 |
| Rayman | 4 | 0 |
| Batman: Arkham | 3 | 0 |
| Jak and Daxter | 3 | 0 |
| Dead of Alive | 2 | 0 |
| Horizon | 2 | 0 |
| Moss | 2 | 0 |
| Red Dead | 2 | 0 |
| Spyro | 2 | 0 |
The D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. It is given in honor of "the single game, without regard to system or delivery mechanism, voted by the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences that best utilizes the chosen medium to entertain users". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.
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". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. 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 D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure 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 in which "players are challenged with real-time action activities where timing, skill, and accuracy are necessary to succeed. Puzzle-solving, resource management and exploration often drive the quest oriented narrative rather than primarily combat mechanics". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. 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 Final Fantasy VII for console and Blade Runner for computer. There have been numerous mergers and additions of adventure-related games throughout the history of the awards ceremony. The current version was officially introduced at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008, which was awarded to Super Mario Galaxy.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Role-Playing 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 honors a title, single-player or multi-player, where an individual assumes the role of one or more characters and develops those characters in terms of abilities, statistics, and/or traits as the game progresses. Gameplay involves exploring, acquiring resources, solving puzzles, and interacting with player or non-player characters in the persistent world. Through the player's actions, his/her virtual characters' statistics or traits demonstrably evolve throughout the game". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. 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 Final Fantasy VII for console and Dungeon Keeper for computer. Throughout the history of this category, there have been numerous mergers and changes for role-playing related games. The current version was established at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards in 2018, which was awarded to Nier: Automata.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Sports 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 games that "offer the user the opportunity to virtually reproduce a sporting experience: either a realistic portrayal of an actual sport or games that reproduce for the user experience of participating in an existing competitive sport". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. 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 International Superstar Soccer 64 for console and FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 for computer. There have been numerous mergers and additions of sports-related games during the early years of the annual awards ceremony. The current version was established in 2006, with its winner being SSX on Tour.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation 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 games "in which user directs or manipulates resources to create a set of conditions that result in success as determined within the confines of the game. These games can offer the user the chance to simulate or to virtually reproduce an experience, real or imaginary, which would require some form of equipment. Strategy games emphasize the planning of tactics rather than the execution". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. Originally, there were separate awards for strategy games and simulation games, which simulate aspects of the real world.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Family 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 "the best title of any genre towards a shared, family gaming experience. The title's play dynamics must be suitable for a younger audience but can appeal to adults as well. These games often offer a mini-game component and encourage group play". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. Originally only offered as a computer game category, the first winner was Lego Island, developed and published by Mindscape. The first console winner was Pokémon Snap in 2000. Since condensing the computer and console awards into a single category, the first winner of the current version was Guitar Hero in 2006.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Racing Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This recognizes "titles that allow the user to participate in a contest in which the objective is to convey an object through a course of virtual physical progress as quickly as possible. Racing games may involve competition against other user-controlled competitors or against system controlled competitors. Racing games must simulate vehicular motion". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. It was originally presented as Console Racing Game of the Year, with its first winner being Diddy Kong Racing, developed and published by Rare.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Fighting 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 offer the use the virtual experience of controlling a character engaging in individual combat with another character usually from a fixed camera perspective. The opponent can either be controlled by another player or by the game". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. It was originally titled Console Fighting Game of the Year, before it was simplified to just Fighting Game of the Year. It is one of two categories, the other being Online Game of the Year, that is not limited to release within the calendar year but must be supported by significant new content.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Online 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 "celebrates titles of any genre with a significant portion of the gameplay experience transpiring online — collaboratively or competitively. These titles frequently offer excellent matchmaking systems, innovative gameplay options, persistent content releases that further evolve gameplay, user customization and fluidity of gameplay. Titles submitted in this category are not limited to release within the calendar year but must be supported by significant new content". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. The first winner was Ultima Online at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It is the only "Game of the Year award" that also has been offered as a genre award and craft award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in designing a unified graphic look for an interactive title". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in creating a unified audio experience. The quality of the individual sound effects, voice over, music, technology, and other audio elements will be considered in addition to the overall audio mix of the title". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer, producer, audio designer, or musician are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the title that most effectively combines interactive and non-interactive elements to create a cohesive gameplay experience. Outstanding design is exemplified by balanced system design, cohesive mechanics that relate to overall aesthetic direction, level layout, challenge flow, progression elements, interface design, and social game mechanics. This award recognizes the Lead Designer or Design Director in architecting all elements into a unified design". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Story is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a game world — whether an original creation, one adapted from existing material, or an extension of an existing property which best exemplifies the coalescence of setting, character, and plot". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award. It was first offered at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, with its first winner being Pokémon Red and Blue.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work represents the highest level of achievement in original musical composition for an interactive title. Both the quality of the score and the integration of the score into the title will be considered when determining the recipient of the award". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an audio designer or musician are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award is "presented to the individual or team whose work has furthered the interactive experience through the creation of a memorable character within an interactive title. Outstanding character takes into consideration the marriage of voice acting and performance, character design and execution, and writing". All creative/technical members of the Academy are qualified to vote in this category, regardless of their field of expertise. There were originally separate awards for female and male characters, but eventually merged into one category at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in 2008.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Mobile 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 a game "for a mobile device platform such as a mobile phone or tablet. These games demonstrate a skilled usage of the device's software and hardware features to offer a unique and addictive play experience. All game genres are eligible. Mobile platforms include, but are not limited to iOS or Android". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This recognizes "the individual or small group of individuals who are responsible for directing and driving an interactive game and its team through a combination of skills that include vision, management execution, and game design to create a cohesive experience. This award recognizes the role of the creative director and game director - in guiding all elements of a title and shaping the final outcome of a game". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as a game designer or producer are qualified to vote for this award.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This is "awarded to a game that embodies the independent spirit of game creation, representing a higher degree of risk tolerance and advances our media with innovative gameplay and experiences". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.
The D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. The award "celebrates the highest level of technical achievement through the combined attention to gameplay engineering and visual engineering. Elements honored include but are not limited to artificial intelligence, physics, engine mechanics, and visual rendering". Creative/technical Academy members with expertise as an artist, animator or programmer are qualified to vote for this award.