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Sekiro wins SXSW 2020 Game of the Year - full Gaming Awards winners list

In lieu of SXSW 2020's cancelation, the list of Gaming Awards winners was announced online, in which Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won Game of the Year.

TJ Denzer

March 25, 2020 11:24 AM

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It certainly put a damper on things this year when it was announced that SXSW 2020 would be canceled due to risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and a decision from the powers that be in the city of Austin, but that doesn’t mean the best can’t be made of a bad situation. A major showcase of the event is the SXSW Gaming Awards, and instead of getting rid of them outright, SXSW decided to announce all of this year’s winners online.

SXSW announced the 2020 Gaming Awards winners on March 25, 2020 in a list posted on the SXSW website. Some highlights of the list include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which won Game of the Year. Other unique awards included Game Industry Champion of Change, awarded to AbleGamers COO Steven Spohn, and Game Industry Journalist of the Year, awarded to Wired’s Cecilia D’Anastasio. You can see the full list of awards, nominees and winners below.

2020 SXSW Game Awards winners

Special Recognition Award - Game Industry Champion of Change

Winner: Steven Spohn

Special Recognition Award - Game Industry Journalist of the Year

Winner: Cecilia D’Anastasio

Video Game of the Year

Winner: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware/Activision

Nominees

• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware/Activision
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Devil May Cry 5 - Capcom
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Mobile Game of the Year

Winner: Sky: Children of the Light - thatgamecompany

Nominees

• Sky: Children of the Light - thatgamecompany
• Call of Duty Mobile - TiMi Studios / Activision
• Sayonara Wild Hearts - Simogo / Annapurna Interactive
• Where Cards Fall - The Game Band / Snowman
• Whispers of a Machine Clifftop Games / Raw Fury

Tabletop Game of the Year

Winner: Paladins of the West Kingdom - Renegade Game Studios

Nominees

• Paladins of the West Kingdom - Renegade Game Studios
• Parks - Keymaster Games
• Pax Pamir - Wehrlegig Games
• Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Awaken Realms
• Taverns of Tiefenthal - North Star Games

XR Game of the Year

Winner: No Man’s Sky BEYOND VR - Hello Games

Nominees

• No Man’s Sky BEYOND VR - Hello Games
• Blood & Truth - Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Pistol Whip - Cloudhead Games
• The Under Presents - Tender Claws
• tori - BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America, Inc.

Trending Game of the Year

Winner: Pokemon Sword and Shield - Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

Nominees

• Pokemon Sword and Shield - Game Freak / The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
• Apex Legends - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
• Borderlands 3 - Gearbox Software / 2K Games
• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Super Mario Maker 2 - Nintendo

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

Winner: Disco Elysium - ZA/UM

Nominees

• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Knights and Bikes - Foam Sword / Double Fine Productions
• Overland - Finji
• Sea of Solitude - Jo-Mei Games / Electronic Arts

Most Promising New Intellectual Property

Winner: The Outer Worlds - Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division

Nominees

• The Outer Worlds - Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
• Astral Chain - PlatinumGames / Nintendo
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - ArtPlay / 505 Games
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Katana ZERO - Askiisoft / Devolver Digital

Excellence in Animation

Winner: KINGDOM HEARTS III - Square Enix

Nominees

• KINGDOM HEARTS III - Square Enix
• Apex Legends - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Nintendo
• Mortal Kombat 11 - NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Art

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening - Nintendo

Nominees

• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening - Nintendo
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Nintendo
• Sayonara Wild Hearts - Simogo / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Design

Winner: Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games

Nominees

• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Astral Chain - PlatinumGames / Nintendo
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Nintendo
• Outer Wilds - Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Gameplay

Winner: Devil May Cry 5 - Capcom

Nominees

• Devil May Cry 5 - Capcom
• Astral Chain - PlatinumGames / Nintendo
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Infinity Ward / Activision
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware / Activision
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Excellence in Multiplayer

Winner: FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers - Square Enix

Nominees

• FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers - Square Enix
• Apex Legends - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Infinity Ward / Activision
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - Capcom
• Mortal Kombat 11 - NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Excellence in Musical Score

Winner: Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Nominees

• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Devil May Cry 5 - Capcom
• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Outer Wilds - Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
• Sayonara Wild Hearts - Simogo / Annapurna Interactive

Excellence in Narrative

Winner: Disco Elysium - ZA/UM

Nominees

• Disco Elysium - ZA/UM
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Outer Wilds - Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive
• A Plague Tale: Innocence - Asobo Studio / Focus Home Interactive

Excellence in SFX

Winner: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

Nominees

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Infinity Ward / Activision
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 - Nintendo
• Mortal Kombat 11 - NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Resident Evil 2 - Capcom

Excellence in Technical Achievement

Winner: Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment

Nominees

• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Concrete Genie - Pixelopus / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Devil May Cry 5 - Capcom
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware / Activision

Excellence in Visual Achievement

Winner: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware/Activision

Nominees

• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - FromSoftware/Activision
• Control - Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games
• Death Stranding - Kojima Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
• The Outer Worlds - Obsidian Entertainment / Private Division
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts

The coronavirus pandemic may have put a damper on matters in 2020 with the cancelation of SXSW, but at the very least, these winners deserve to be recognized and we’re happy they got their due respect. Want to see what was turning heads last year? Be sure to check out the games that made the list on the 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.