The Witcher 3 takes top prize at the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards

Geralt in the tub

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has won the 2016 GDC Choice Awards, beating out fellow nominees Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, Bloodborne and Rocket League. News of the award, which was handed out today in San Francisco, has already reached Geralt, who you can see celebrating the victory in the photo above.

Sam Barlow's Her Story, which won the IGF component of the event, also took out three additional awards, including the "innovation award", the "best mobile / handheld award" and the best "narrative" award. Needless to say, he was quite lost for words by the end.

Here are all the results:

Game of the Year


Winner: The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Other nominees:
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Rocket League (Psyonix)

Innovation Award


Winner: Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Other nominees:
Super Mario Maker (Nintendo EAD Group No. 4 / Nintendo)
Undertale (Toby Fox)
Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)
The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)

Best Debut


Winner: Moon Studios (Ori and the Blind Forest)
Other nominees:
Studio Wildcard (ARK: Survival Evolved)
Toby Fox (Undertale)
Moppin (Downwell)
Steel Crate Games (Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes)

Best Design


Winner: Rocket League (Psyonix)
Other nominees:
Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/ Bethesda Softworks)
Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)

Best Handheld/Mobile Game


Winner: Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Other nominees:
Lara Croft: GO (Square Enix Montreal / Square Enix)
Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Downwell (Moppin / Devolver Digital)
AlphaBear (Spry Fox)

Best Visual Art


Winner: Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios)
Other nominees:
The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
Bloodborne (FromSoftware / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Splatoon (Nintendo EAD Group No. 2 / Nintendo)

Best Narrative


Winners: Her Story (Sam Barlow)
Other nominees:
The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)
Undertale (Toby Fox)
The Beginner's Guide (Everything Unlimited Ltd.)

Best Audio


Winners: Crypt of the NecroDancer (Brace Yourself Games)
Other nominees:
Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
Ori and the Blind Forest (Moon Studios / Microsoft Studios)
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (The Chinese Room / Sony Computer Entertainment)
Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)

Best Technology


Winner: The Witcher 3 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Other nominees:
Metal Gear Solid V (Kojima Productions / Konami)
Star Wars Battlefront (DICE / Electronic Arts)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios / Bethesda Softworks)
Just Cause 3 (Avalanche Studios / Square Enix)

Game Developers Choice Ambassador Award
Winner: Tracy Fullerton

Audience Award:
Winner: Life is Strange (Dontnod)

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Winner: Todd Howard, Bethesda

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

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