Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker made history this weekend at the 2021-2022 SXSW Gaming Awards.
Square Enix’s MMO won “Video Game of the Year” at the close of the ceremony, marking the first time an MMO has ever won the top prize at one of the major year-end award shows. Not content with a single trophy, the game also took home the “Excellence in Narrative” and “Excellence in Original Score” awards for Square Enix and Producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida.
As in years past, the SXSW voting body chose to spread out the remainder of the awards among a wide variety of deserving titles.
The developers at Witch Beam can put the “Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award” on their shelf for Unpacking, but it was Kena: Bridge of Spirits that was honored with the “Indie Game of the Year” award last night. Another buzzy indie from last year, Daniel Mullins’s Inscryption, cashed in a winning hand with a victory in the “Excellence in Game Design” category.
Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart rode its next-gen accolades to a trophy for “Excellence in Technical Achievement,” and Playground’s Forza Horizon 5 did the same in the “Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement” category.
The creepy soundscapes of Capcom’s Resident Evil Village claimed the “Excellence in Audio Design” award, while stablemate Resident Evil 4 VR won “VR Game of the Year.”
Finally, after scoring “Game of the Year’ victories at The Game Awards and the DICE Awards, Hazelight’s It Takes Two had to settle for “Excellence in Multiplayer” at SXSW.
A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2021-2022 SXSW Gaming Awards can be found after the break.
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
- WINNER: Resident Evil 4 VR
- After The Fall
- Demeo
- Lone Echo II
- Song in the Smoke
Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- WINNER: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- Loop Hero
- Lost Words: Beyond the Page
- The Medium
- Unpacking
- Valheim
- The Wild At Heart
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
- WINNER: Dune: Imperium
- Cascadia
- Oath: Chronicles of Empire & Exile
- Roll Camera! The Filmmaking Board Game
- That Time You Killed Me
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
- WINNER: Unpacking
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Before Your Eyes
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Lost Words: Beyond the Page
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- Deathloop
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Lost in Random
Excellence in Game Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
- WINNER: Inscryption
- Deathloop
- Loop Hero
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Back 4 Blood
- Halo Infinite
- Riders Republic
- Valheim
Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
- WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
- Deathloop
- Exo One
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- The Wild At Heart
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
- WINNER: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Before Your Eyes
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hell Let Loose
- Returnal
Excellence in Original Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
- WINNER: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
- The Artful Escape
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- The Medium
- Wytchwood
Excellence in Audio Design
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- WINNER: Resident Evil Village
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hell Let Loose
- Inscryption
- Twelve Minutes