# 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards

The 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards was the 24th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards ("Design Innovate Communicate Entertain"), an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2020. The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and were held on April 22, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually. Winners of the D.I.C.E. Awards were determined by ballot of industry experts and AIAS members. The show was hosted by Greg Miller, Jessica Chobot, and Kahlief Adams. The nominees were announced on January 26, 2021. The awards event was originally scheduled for April 8.
The award for Portable Game of the Year was replaced with Mobile Game of the Year. This was also the first year without any winners for the Academy's Special Awards.
The Last of Us Part II and its developer Naughty Dog received the most nominations, and Hades and its developer Supergiant Games won the most awards, including Game of the Year. Ghost of Tsushima and its developer Sucker Punch Productions came in second in both receiving the most nominations and awards won. Sony Interactive Entertainment was the most nominated and award-winning publisher, as well as publishing the most nominated and award-winning games.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).

### Game of the Year Awards

| Game of the Year Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, and Andrew Wang‡ Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Hisashi Nogami and Aya Kyogoku Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, and Naoki Hamaguchi Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming and Chris Zimmerman The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, and Kurt Margenau | Online Game of the Year Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic, Devolver Digital) — Joel Herber‡ Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Aya Kyogoku and Kenichi Nishida Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Treyarch, Activision) Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Darren Bridges and Matt Goldhaber Tetris Effect: Connected (Monstars Inc., Resonair, Stage Game, Enhance) — Tomohiro Tatejima, Atsushi Kusunose, Chuk Tang, and Tomohiro Tatejima |
| Mobile Game of the Year Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games) — Jeff Jew and Andrew Yip‡ HoloVista (Aconite) — Meredith Hall, Star St Germain, and Nadya Lev Little Orpheus (The Chinese Room, Sumo Digital) — Alex Girling, Dan Pinchbeck, Matt Duff, and Rob McLachlan Song of Bloom (Kamibox) — Philipp Stollenmayer South of the Circle (State of Play, Apple, Inc.) — John Lau, Luke Whittaker, and Katherine Bidwell | Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, and Andrew Wang‡ Coffee Talk (Toge Productions, Chorus Games Worldwide) — Andrew Jeremy, Kris Antoni Hadiputra, and Mohammad Fahmi If Found... (Dreamfeel, Annapurna Interactive) — Eve Golden-Woods and Llaura McGee Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Elliott, and Tamas Kemenczy Noita (Nolla Games) — Petri Purho, Olli Harjola, and Arvi Teikari |

### Immersive Reality Awards

| Immersive Reality Game of the Year Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)‡ Down the Rabbit Hole (Cortopia Studios) — Ricky Helgesson and Ryan Bednar Paper Beast (Pixel Reef, Plug In Studios) — Eric Chahi The Room VR: A Dark Matter (Fireproof Games) — Tom Seed, Mark Hamilton, and Rob Dodd The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive) — Adam Grantham, Todd Adamson, and Jason Bare | Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)‡ Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Yosuke Tamori, Hiroshi Matsunaga, Nicholas Ruepp, and Dan Doptis Museum of Other Realities (MOR Museum, Inc.) — Colin Northway, Robin Stethem, Lindsay Jorgensen, Stephen Gray, Adam Madojemu, and Adiba Muzaffar Paper Beast (Pixel Reef, Plug In Studios) — Eric Chahi, François Sahy, Sebastien Cardona, and Olivier Fouques The Under Presents - Tempest (Tender Claws Studio) — Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman |

### Craft Awards

| Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, and Andrew Wang‡ Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Nate Fox and Jason Connell Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Eliott, and Tamas Kemenczy The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, and Kurt Margenau | Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Alice Lai, and Eduardo Gorinstein‡ Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Chris Zimmerman, Jeff McGann, and Parker Hamilton Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Emilia Schatz, Richard Cambier, and Matthew Gallant Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Cameron Christian |
| Outstanding Achievement in Animation The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jeremy Yates, Almudena Soria Sancho, and Eric Baldwin‡ Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshiyuki Soma, Akira Iwasawa, and Ryo Hara Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Danny Garnett, Brian Wyser, and Mike Yosh Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Warren Goff, Jim Donovan, and Boris Hiestand Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games) — Alexandre Boyer | Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Connell‡ Hades (Supergiant Games) — Jen Zee The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Erick Pangilinan and John Sweeney Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jason Hickey and Gavin Goulden Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Jeremy Grifton, Daniel van Leeuwen, and Mikhail Rakhmatullin |
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Miles Morales, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Nadji Jeter; written by Ben Arfmann, Jon Paquette, Mary Kenney, Max Folkman, and Evan Narcisse‡ Eivor Varinsdottir, Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal) — Portrayed by Magnus Bruun and Cecilie Stenspil; written by Darby McDevitt Zagreus, Hades (Supergiant Games) — Portrayed by Darren Korb; written by Greg Kasavin Abby, The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Laura Bailey; written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, and Ryan James Ellie, The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Portrayed by Ashley Johnson; written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, and Ryan James | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro‡ Carrion (Phobia Game Studio, Devolver Digital) — Cris Velasco Little Orpheus (The Chinese Room, Sumo Digital) — Jim Fowler and Jessica Curry Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Gareth Coker The Pathless (Giant Squid, Annapurna Interactive) — Austin Wintory |
| Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Rev. Dr. Bradley D. Meyer‡ Dreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ed Hargrave and Tom Colvin The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Rob Krekel, Beau Jimenez, Neil Uchitel, Justin Mullens, and Jesse Garcia Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Kristoffer Larson, Guy Whitmore, and Alexander Leeman Johnson Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Jay Waters, Jey Kazi, and James Marshal | Outstanding Achievement in Story The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Josh Scherr, and Ryan James‡ 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Vanillaware, Sega) — George Kamitani Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ian Ryan, Patrick Downs, and Nate Fox Hades (Supergiant Games) — Greg Kasavin Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Jake Elliott |
| Outstanding Technical Achievement Dreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — David Smith, Liam DeValmency, and Alex Evans‡ Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Chris Zimmerman, Adrian Bentley, and Jasmin Patry The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Sandeep Shekar, Vincent Marxen, Jason Gregory, Christian Gyrling, and Travis McIntosh Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Jan-Erik Steel, Ed Tumbusch, Kart & Gate Development Team, SDK Development Team, and Nintendo European Research & Development Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Jorg Neuman, Sebastian Wloch, Damien Cuzacq, Sebastien Ricolfi, Alain Guyet, and Lionel Fuentes ||

### Genre Awards

| Action Game of the Year Hades (Supergiant Games) — Amir Rao, Gavin Simon, Greg Kasavin, Jen Zee, Darren Korb, and Andrew Wang‡ Doom Eternal (id Software, Bethesda Softworks) Half-Life: Alyx (Valve) Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Ted Price, Brian Horton, and Cameron Christian Nioh 2 (Team Ninja, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Kohei Shibata and Fumihiko Yasuda | Adventure Game of the Year Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Brian Fleming and Chris Zimmerman‡ Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal) — Julien Lafferiere and Eric Baptizat Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) — Ben Babbitt, Jake Elliott, and Tamas Kemenczy The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, and Kurt Margenau Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol |
| Family Game of the Year Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD) — Hisashi Nogami and Aya Kyogoku‡ Astro's Playroom (Team Asobi, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Nicolas Doucet Dreams (Media Molecule, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Siobhan Reddy, Mark Healey, and Kareem Ettouney Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic, Devolver Digital) — Alexandru Ruse, Jeff Tanton, and Joseph Walsh Sackboy: A Big Adventure (Sumo Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment) — Gary Moore, Ned Waterhouse, and Tom O'Connor | Fighting Game of the Year Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate (NetherRealm Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) — Ed Boon and Shaun Himmerick‡ EA Sports UFC 4 (EA Vancouver) — Nate McDonald, Brian Hayes, and Sean Ramjagsingh Granblue Fantasy Versus (Cygames, Arc System Works, XSEED Games, Marvelous) — Yuito Kimura and Tetsuya Fukuhara Them's Fightin' Herds (Mane6, Maximum Games, Humble Games) — Aaron Stavely, Lauren Faust, and Omari Smith |
| Racing Game of the Year Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Valen Studios, Nintendo) — Yosuke Tamori, Hiroshi Matsunaga, Nicholas Ruepp, and Dan Doptis‡ Dirt 5 (Codemasters) — Robert Karp, David Springate, Amrish Wadekar, Stuart Boyd, and Gaz Wainwright F1 2020 (Codemasters) — Ian Flatt, Lee Mather, Mike Tebbut, and Paul Jeal | Role-Playing Game of the Year Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) — Yoshinori Kitase, Tetsuya Nomura, and Naoki Hamaguchi‡ Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red) — Adam Badowski, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, Grzegorz Mocarski, Mateusz Kanik, Jedrzej Mroz, Michal Stec, and Przemyslaw Wojcik Persona 5 Royal (Atlus, Sega) — Kazuhisa Wada and Daiki Itoh Wasteland 3 (inXile Entertainment, Deep Silver) — Jeff Pellegrin, Aaron Meyers, and Tim Campbell Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Sega) — Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Daisuke Sato, Masayoshi Yokoyama, Toshihiro Nagoshi, and Ryosuke Horii |
| Sports Game of the Year Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Vicarious Visions, Activision) — Barry Morales, Brent Gibson, and Chris Wilson‡ FIFA 21 (EA Vancouver, EA Romania) — Tom Pan, Tenille Dang, Mat Prior, Adam Shaikh, Aaron McHardy, and John Shepherd MLB The Show 20 (SIE San Diego Studio) — Chris Cutliff, Nick Livingston, and Jason Villa NBA 2K21 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) — Erick Boenisch, Jeffrey J. Thomas, Gabriel Abarcar, and Mike Wang PGA Tour 2K21 (HB Studios, 2K Games) — Josh Muise and Shaun West | Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studios, Xbox Game Studios) — Jorg Neuman, Sebastian Wloch, Martial Bossard, David Dedeine, and Damien Cuzacq‡ Crusader Kings III (Paradox Development Studio, Paradox Interactive) — Henrik Fåhraeus Desperados III (Mimimi Games, THQ Nordic) — Moritz Wagner, Frieder Mielke, Bianca Dörr, Tom Kersten, and Dominik Abé Monster Train (Shiny Shoe, Good Shepherd Entertainment) — Mark Cooke, Andrew Krausnick, and Yujin Kiem Per Aspera (Tlon Industries, Raw Fury) — Damian Hernaez, Roque Rey, and Javier Otaegui |

### Multiple nominations and awards
#### Multiple nominations

Games that received multiple nominations :
| Nominations | Game |
| 11 | The Last of Us Part II |
| 10 | Ghost of Tsushima |
| 8 | Hades |
| 5 | Half-Life: Alyx |
| 5 | Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales |
| 5 | Ori and the Will of the Wisps |
| 4 | Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition |
| 3 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| 3 | Dreams |
| 3 | Final Fantasy VII Remake |
| 3 | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit |
| 2 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla |
| 2 | Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout |
| 2 | Little Orpheus |
| 2 | Microsoft Flight Simulator |
| 2 | Paper Beast |
| 2 | Sackboy: A Big Adventure |
Nominations by company :
| Nominations | Games | Company |
| 34 | 8 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 11 | 1 | Naughty Dog |
| 10 | 1 | Sucker Punch Productions |
| 8 | 1 | Supergiant Games |
| 7 | 2 | Xbox Game Studios |
| 6 | 3 | Annapurna Interactive |
| 6 | 2 | Nintendo |
| 5 | 1 | Insomniac Games |
| 5 | 1 | Moon Studios |
| 5 | 1 | Valve |
| 4 | 2 | Sumo Digital |
| 4 | 1 | Cardboard Computer |
| 3 | 3 | Sega |
| 3 | 2 | Devolver Digital |
| 3 | 1 | Media Molecule |
| 3 | 1 | Square Enix |
| 3 | 1 | Valen Studios |
| 2 | 2 | 2K Games |
| 2 | 2 | Activision |
| 2 | 2 | Codemasters |
| 2 | 2 | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | 1 | Asobo Studios |
| 2 | 1 | Mediatonic |
| 2 | 1 | Pixel Reef |
| 2 | 1 | Plug In Studios |
| 2 | 1 | The Chinese Room |
| 2 | 1 | Ubisoft Montreal |

#### Multiple awards

Games that received multiple awards :
| Awards | Game |
| 5 | Hades |
| 4 | Ghost of Tsushima |
| 2 | Half-Life: Alyx |
| 2 | The Last of Us Part II |
Awards by company :
| Awards | Games | Company |
| 8 | 4 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| 5 | 1 | Supergiant Games |
| 4 | 1 | Sucker Punch Productions |
| 2 | 2 | Nintendo |
| 2 | 1 | Naughty Dog |
| 2 | 1 | Valve |