LAS VEGAS (AP) — “Fallout 4” wasted the competition at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
Bethesda Softworks’ role-playing video saga set in a post-apocalyptic Boston won the game of the year prize at the 19th annual D.I.C.E. Awards. “Fallout 4” was also honored with trophies for outstanding achievement in game direction and as a role-playing game of the year, while its spin-off app “Fallout Shelter” was selected as mobile game of the year.
“I get to work with some amazing people who inspire me every day,” said “Fallout” creative director Todd Howard.
“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” galloped away with three prizes at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center ceremony honoring games. CD Prokjekt Red’s sprawling fantasy role-playing sequel picked up awards for outstanding achievement in story, technical achievement and game design.
The ethereal platformer “Ori and the Blind Forest” from Moon Studios gathered honors for outstanding achievement in animation, art direction and original music composition.
Psyonix’s “Rocket League,” the indie title that merges soccer-like gameplay with vehicle combat, scored for sports game of the year, outstanding achievement in online gameplay and the D.I.C.E. Sprite Award, which honors games crafted with limited resources.
“Our fans really made this possible, everybody who told their friends, ‘Hey, play this crazy game. Trust me! It’s fun,'” said Dave Hagewood, CEO and studio director of Psyonix.
The multiplayer sci-fi shooter “Star Wars: Battlefront” from Electronic Arts studio DICE earned a pair of trophies for action game of the year and for outstanding achievement in sound design.
Other winners included “Rise of the Tomb Raider” for outstanding achievement in character for Lara Croft, “Super Mario Maker” as family game of the year, “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” as adventure game of the year, “Mortal Kombat X” for fighting game of the year, “Forza Motorsport 6” as racing game of the year, “Helldivers” as handheld game of the year and “Heroes of the Storm” as strategy/simulation game of the year.
The late Nintendo executive Satoru Iwata was honored with the ceremony’s lifetime achievement award, while “Metal Gear Solid” creator Hideo Kojima was inducted into the interactive academy’s hall of fame.
“From now on, I hope I can keep making games and keep dreaming of new dreams,” the Japanese game designer told the crowd through a translator.
The D.I.C.E. Awards – which stands for design, innovate, communicate and entertain – honor outstanding achievements in games and are determined by votes from members of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the International Game Developers Association.
The ceremony capped off the three-day D.I.C.E. Summit. The gaming industry gathering featured talks from such luminaries as “Metal Gear” creator Kojima, “Rise of the Tomb Raider” writer Rhianna Pratchett and “Civilization” creator Sid Meier.