The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) today announced the finalists for the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. The nominations for this year's peer-based awards are dominated by the blockbuster game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment America) with an astounding fifteen nominations from industry leaders and members of the interactive entertainment software creative community.
Reflecting the overall quality of great games in 2009, there were a number of titles with multiple nods, following closely are: Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft), ten nominations, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(Activision), nine nominations, Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment), eight nominations and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment America) and Brutal Legend (Electronic Arts), both with four nominations.
Mirroring the continued evolution of how games are played, the Academy created three new awards: Portable Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design and Social Networking Game of the Year, with FarmVille (Zynga) receiving three nominations.
The awards ceremony will take place during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit 2010, on February 18th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, with comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, returning for his fifth year as host.
These peer-based awards recognize the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.
"The experiences that today's games offer certainly explains why consumers of all ages are spending greater amounts of time in these fantastic worlds," said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. "This year's crop of finalists demonstrates the craft and talent of the Academy's members and their continued quest to create new worlds to explore."
Following is a partial list of finalists; the complete list of Awards categories, finalists and game maker credits is available here.
Overall Game of the Year:
Assassin's Creed II
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Publisher: Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Dragon Age: Origins
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: BioWare
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Casual Game of The Year:
Drawn: The Painted Tower
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Developer: Big Fish Games
Flower
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: thatgamecompany
Flight Control
Publisher: Firemint
Developer: Firemint
Plants Vs. Zombies
Publisher: PopCap Games
Developer: PopCap Games
Scribblenauts
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Developer: 5th Cell Media
Action Game of the Year:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Left 4 Dead 2
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software
Prototype
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Volition
Shadow Complex
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Chair Entertainment
Role Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year:
Borderlands
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Champions Online
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Cryptic Studios
Demon's Souls
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: From Software
Dragon Age: Origins
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Alphadream
Social Networking Game of the Year:
Bejeweled Blitz
Publisher: PopCapGames
Developer: PopCap Games
Farmtown
Publisher: Codebell
Developer: Codebell
FarmVille
Publisher: Zynga
Developer: Zynga
Restaurant City
Publisher: Electronic Arts/Playfish
Developer: Playfish
Adventure Game of The Year:
Assassin's Creed II
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Publisher: Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Insomniac Games
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming:
Demon's Soul's
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: From Software
Farmville
Publisher: Zynga
Developer: Zynga
Flower
Publisher:Sony Computer Entertaiment America
Developer: thatgamecompany
Scribblenauts
Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Developer: 5th Cell Media
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Chair Entertainment
