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Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2016 (update)

It was a very good year

By Samit Sarkar
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Madagascar screenshots
Nathan Drake leaps away from trouble in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment
Samit Sarkar (he/him) is Polygon’s deputy managing editor. He has more than 15 years of experience covering video games, movies, television, and technology.

It’s already mid-November, believe it or not, which means 2016 is (thankfully) winding to a close and it’s time to start thinking about everyone’s favorite activity: making year-end lists. The debate begins today with the nominees for The Game Awards, the Geoff Keighley-produced event in which top publications choose the best games of the year.

Leading the list of 2016 nominees is Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which received a whopping eight nods across six categories, including Game of the Year. As always, there’s some tough competition in that field, with Nathan Drake’s last ride going up against id Software’s Doom, Playdead’s Inside, Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch and Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2.

All of those games received multiple nominations, as you would expect. Inside, Overwatch and Campo Santo’s Firewatch each garnered five nods; all three games are up for Best Art Direction. Doom, Titanfall 2 and EA DICE’s Battlefield 1 are each nominated in four categories, including together in Best Action Game.

A panel of judges from 29 international publications, including Polygon, selected the nominees for The Game Awards 2016. Eight esports-focused outlets assisted in the selection of the nominees for the esports categories, the awards for which will be determined by global fan voting.

Games had to have a commercial release date on or before Nov. 24, 2016, in order to be eligible for this year’s awards, which excludes some big 2016 games such as Final Fantasy 15, Dead Rising 4 and The Last Guardian. That also means that late entrants from 2015 — anything released after Nov. 24 of that year — are eligible for the 2016 awards, including Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, which debuted last December and is up for Best Multiplayer Game.

The Game Awards 2016 will be held Dec. 1 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The event will be livestreamed on a wide variety of platforms, including virtual reality devices, with the pre-show set to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET before the event itself at 9 p.m.

Update: You can now see the full list of nominees below.

Game of the Year

For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

Best Game Direction

Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

  • Blizzard Entertainment (for Overwatch)
  • EA DICE (for Battlefield 1)
  • id Software (for Doom)
  • Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
  • Respawn Entertainment (for Titanfall 2)

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Mafia 3 (Hangar 13/2K Games)
  • Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

  • Abzu (Giant Squid/505 Games)
  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Music/Sound Design

For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

  • Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia 3
  • Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
  • Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Rich Sommer as Henry, Firewatch
  • Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Games for Impact

Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

Best Independent Game

For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

Best Mobile/Handheld

For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

Best VR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

  • Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
  • Eve: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
  • Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

Best Action Game

For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

  • Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Hitman (IO Interactive/Square Enix)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best RPG

The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

Best Fighting Game

For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

Best Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

Best Family Game

Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

Best Sports/Racing

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

  • FIFA 17 (EA Vancouver/Electronic Arts)
  • Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
  • MLB The Show 16 (SIE San Diego Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)

Best Multiplayer

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.

  • Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
  • Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team17)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Most Anticipated Game

An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

Trending Gamer

For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.

  • AngryJoeShow
  • Boogie2988
  • Danny O’Dwyer
  • JackSepticEye
  • Lirik

Best Fan Creation

For fan-created content, such as mods, fan films, and other player content.

  • Project A2MR
  • Pokémon Uranium
  • Brutal Doom 64
  • Enderal: The Shards of Order

Best Esports Player

The esports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
  • Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
  • ByuN – Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
  • Infiltrator – Lee Seon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter 5)
  • Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)

Best Esports Team

The esports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
  • Wings Gaming (Dota 2)
  • SK Gaming
  • ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
  • Cloud 9

Best Esports Game

The esports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
  • Dota 2 (Valve)
  • League of Legends (Riot Games)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
  • Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)

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