Summary
When it comes to award ceremonies, minds often wander to events like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, or the Emmy Awards. However, these events predominantly focus on movies and television, with video games regrettably absent from such proceedings. With this in mind, fans of video games collectively shouted in delight in 2014 when video game journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley foundedThe Game Awards.
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Filling the void by exclusively honoring the immersive and impressive world of video games,The Game Awardshave run annually since 2014, with categories stretching from Best Independent Game and Best Ongoing Game to the covetedGame of the Year accolade. Developers have been, and continue to be, eager to secure nominations for such prestigious honors, and, by delving into the history of the nominations, one can begin to understand the impact of certain developers on the video game industry as a whole.
10Respawn Entertainment (20 Nominations)
After the success of its debut gameTitanfallin 2014, along with its sequel,Respawn Entertainmentdid not rest on its laurels, releasingApex Legendsto rave reviews and massive critical and commercial success in 2019. Far from being a one-trick-pony however, the development studio has also seen success in the single-player space, helmingStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand its sequelStar Wars Jedi: Survivor.
With an impressive backlog for a relatively young studio, it will come as no surprise to learn that Respawn Entertainment has been well-represented at The Game Awards with 20 nominations across its nine-year run. Most of these nominations stem from live-service behemothApex Legends, which has seen consistent representation at the awards since its release.
9Insomniac Games (22 Nominations)
Suffice it to say that the output of developerInsomniac Gamesis not only impressively varied in genre and scope but also a laundry list of iconic video game franchises, withRatchet & Clank, andMarvel’s Spider-Manto name but a few.
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WithPlayStationicons like Ratchet & Clank under its belt, the 22 nominations received by the developer at The Game Awards feel conducive. Insomniac Games' best year came at the 2021 Game Awards, with the gameRachet & Clank: Rift Apartnominated six times. With a cavalcade of loved franchises in its grasp, it is arguably a travesty that Insomniac Games have yet to actually win an award at the ceremony.
8Santa Monica Studios (23 Nominations)
No video game fanatic would complain if one was to say that Los Angeles-based development studioSanta Monica Studiosis most famous for theGod of Warseries, where the protagonist and permanently aggravated demigod Kratos travels the ancient worldbrutally slaughtering any god that crosses his path. Having overseen Kratos' decimation of both the Greek and Norse pantheons by 2022’sGod of War: Ragnarök, Santa Monica Studios have led the development of six entries in the franchise over a period of 17 years.
It stands to reason then that the presence of Santa Monica Studios at The Game Awards has been exclusively related to theGod of Warfranchise, withGod of War (2018)andGod of War: Ragnaröksharing 23 nominations between them. To top it all off, the former also nabbed the coveted Game of the Year award at the 2018 Game Awards.
7Bungie (23 Nominations)
Far from its early days developing video games for the pre-2000 macOS,Bungiehas seen eye-watering success with not one but two expansive sci-fi first-person shooter franchises inHaloandDestiny. Helming the firstHalotrilogy,Destiny, andDestiny 2, Bungie has thrived as both a subsidiary of Microsoft and later as an independent studio.
Consequently, Bungie holds a healthy 23 nominations at The Game Awards, with the vast majority of these nominations earned byDestiny 2, which also won the Best Community Support Award at the 2019 award ceremony. Indeed,Bungie’s flagship live-service vehiclehas such influence that, bar the 2016 Game Awards, the developer has been represented at every interaction of the ceremony.
6FromSoftware (24 Nominations)
Despite actively making video games since the mid-1990s,FromSoftwaredid not truly find its feet in the zeitgeist of the gaming sphere until the release ofDemon’s SoulsandDark Soulsin 2009 and 2011 respectively. Forcing gamers to face the strange reality that banging one’s head against a brick wall can indeed be a fun experience, FromSoftware not only rocketed itself into the annals of game developer stardom but also created a new subgenre of video gamein the form of ‘Soulslikes’.
24 nominations at The Game Awards later, FromSoftware sits comfortably among its peers as a top developer in the industry. Games likeDark Souls 2andSekiro: Shadows Die Twicehave received an impressive five nominations each, but it is the seven nominations of FromSoftware’s 2022 effortElden Ringthat is its crowning achievement.
5Square Enix (27 Nominations)
The gargantuan conglomerate that isSquare Enixhas many fingers in many pies so to speak, with the developer holding sway over a plethora of recognizable and successful franchises. Listing every instance here would most likely prove drab, so a small selection includes the likes ofFinal Fantasy,Dragon Quest, andKingdom Hearts.
With 27 nominations across nine years, Square Enix has seen success as both a developer and publisher. As a developer, its most lucrative year came at the 2019 Game Awards, withFinal Fantasy 14andKingdom Hearts 3netting Square Enix five nominations in total.
4Naughty Dog (28 Nominations)
American developerNaughty Doghas had a weird and wonderful rise within the video game industry. Beginning as the go-to development studio for mascot platformers likeJak & Daxterand the first entries into the acclaimedCrash Bandicootseries, the studio founds itself at the forefront of cinematic narratives in gaming starting with theUnchartedseries and continuing withThe Last of Us Part 1and The Last of Us Part 2.
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It is thismastery of the cinematic action-adventure genrethat has netted Naughty Dog 28 nominations at The Game Awards, withThe Last of Us Part 2solely responsible for seven of said nominations at the 2020 Game Awards. Other Naughty Dog efforts include five nominations for the final entry in theUnchartedseriesUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endin 2016.
3Capcom (30 nominations)
Like many developer/publisher titans in the video game industry,Capcomboasts ownership over numerous commercially successful franchises, includingMega Man,Street Fighter, andResident Evil. With games and properties spanning across genres and consoles, the 30 nominations received by Capcom have been well-spread throughout The Game Awards.
Franchises likeResident EvilandDevil May Cryhave garnered Capcom a fair amount of its nominations, with the remake ofResident Evil 2andDevil May Cry 5appearing in multiple award categories at the 2019 Game Awards, including Game of the Year forResident Evil 2.
2Ubisoft (35 Nominations)
It is sometimes difficult to truly imagine the scope of French video game developer and publisherUbisoft’s influence over the video game industry, with the company managing an army of subsidiaries all over the world and leading the development of some of the mostgenre-defining open-world gamefranchises ever to exist. Long-running franchises that owe their existence to Ubisoft includeFar Cry,Watch Dogs, andAssassin’s Creed.
One need not wonder whether this large sphere of influence translates to nominations, as a total of 35 at the Game Awards makes this evident. To further prove its spread, Ubisoft has twice been represented by four separate games at one instance of the Game Awards, being at the inaugural 2014 ceremony as well as at the 2017 ceremony. Some of the franchises representing Ubisoft there wereAssassin’s Creed,Far Cry, andTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.
1Nintendo (46 Nominations)
It is mind-boggling to think thatNintendocould be associated with anything other than video games, especially considering its reputation in the modern day. However, not only was the company founded in the late 19th century, it did not become involved in the burgeoning video game market until nearly a century later. History aside, Nintendo continues to dominate the video game industry with franchises that are both commercially successful and critically beloved, with this domination moving neatly over into nominations at The Game Awards.
With a whopping 46 nominations across nine years, franchises such asMario,The Legend of Zelda, andSplatoonhave cemented Nintendo’s consistently large representation at the Game Awards. In fact, at the 2017 Game Award, Nintendo received an astronomical 19 nominations solely as a developer.
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