Trader’s Observations on 2016 D.I.C.E. Awards

The list of nominations for the 2016 DICE Awards have been revealed, and there are a few interesting facts that video game retailers and wholesalers can take away from this list.

MMO Category

It becomes clear that the MMO industry hasn’t done so well when none of its entries made it to the 2016 list for the Role-playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year. Bloodborne, Undertale, Fallout 4, Pillars of Eternity, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – mostly single-player games dominated this category, along with a few games with limited multiplayer capability. Some have been cynically predicting the death of MMOs for many years now, but the absence of any true MMO in this category is a rather disturbing sign of the niche’s state.

Graphics is not Everything

One look at The Witcher 3 with its graphics set to ultra, and it’ll be easy to understand how it can compete on the Outstanding Technical Achievement award. Yet the presence of Undertale along with The Witcher 3 in the Role-playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction categories shows how a good game doesn’t necessarily have to possess the best graphics to compete with the big boys. Game traders are thus encouraged to look beyond the titles that look pretty in order to find out what titles actually click with the gaming crowd.

New Kids on the Block

FIFA, Madden, MLB, NBA are usual suspects when it comes in the Sports Game of the Year category. The presence of Rocket League, however, shows how some new games can reinvigorate a genre. Who knew that mixing soccer (or football, depending on where you live) with bouncing cars and explosive goals would have gotten this far? Traders thus need to keep a sharp eye out on similar games with the potential to disrupt their respective genres.

Awards Don’t Necessarily Spell Success

Just because The Order 1886 managed to secure a spot in four categories of the DICE awards does not mean it was a great or successful game. The Order was able to sell quite well during its initial release, but those sales quickly tapered off when gamers realized that it was more a tech demo of what the PlayStation 4 could do than a fully-fleshed out game. The Order left everyone who played it sorely disappointed with its content. Should The Order win in its nominated categories, this will not automatically translate into more players flocking to retailers and snapping up copies. Admittedly though Order 1886 sold quite well at its release, but not after.

Award Categories and Contestants

Game of the Year

• Bloodborne
• Fallout 4
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Fallout 4
• Life is Strange
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Undertale

Adventure Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Life is Strange
• METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Phantom Pain
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Rise of the Tomb Raider

Action Game of the Year

• Destiny: The Taken King
• Helldivers
• Just Cause 3
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Splatoon

Mobile Game of the Year

• Dominations
• Fallout Shelter
• Lara Croft GO
• PAC-MAN 256
• The Room Three

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• The Order: 1886

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Lara Croft GO
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• The Order: 1886
• Star Wars Battlefront

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate — Evie Frye
• Her Story — Hannah Smith
• Life is Strange — Max
• Rise of the Tomb Raider — Lara Croft
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Geralt of Rivia

Fighting Game of the Year

• Mortal Kombat X
• Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
• Rising Thunder

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Starcraft II: Legacy Of The Void
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Handheld Game of the Year

• Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space
• Helldivers
• Pokemon: Super Mystery Dungeon
• Yo-Kai Watch

Dice Sprite Award

• Her Story
• Galak-Z
• Kerbal Space Program
• Rocket League
• Undertale

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

• Destiny: The Taken King
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Star Wars Battlefront
• The Order: 1886

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Fallout 4
• Her Story
• Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Outstanding technical Achievement

• Just Cause 3
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Star Wars Battlefront
• The Order: 1886
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Family Game of the Year

• Guitar Hero Live
• Lego Dimensions
• Rock Band 4
• Super Mario Maker
• Tearaway Unfolded

Racing Game of the Year

• Forza Motorsport 6
• Need for Speed
• Project CARS

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

• Bloodborne
• Fallout 4
• Pillars of Eternity
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Undertale

Sports Game of the Year

• FIFA 2016
• Madden NFL 2016
• MLB 15 The Show
• NBA 2K16
• Rocket League

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Cities: Skylines
• Fallout Shelter
• Grey Goo
• Heroes of the Storm
• Kerbal Space Program

Outstanding Achievement on Online Gameplay

• Destiny: The Taken King
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
• Rocket League
• Splatoon

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Fallout 4
• Her Story
• Lara Croft GO
• Massive Chalice
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt