GDC Online has announced the nominees for the first annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards this October. Riot Games’ League of Legends has emerged as an early leader, garnering four award nominations total. Other games cleaning up in multiple categories include ngmoco’s We Rule, Cryptic’s Champions Online, Nexon’s Dungeon Fighter Online, and Booyah’s Nightclub City with three nominations each.
The ceremony will take place on the evening of October 7 during the GDC Online event in Austin, Texas. GDC Online runs October 5-8 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The Game Developers Choice Awards honors exceptional work in the creation and operation of online games, as nominated and voted on by the game development industry itself. The GDC Online Advisory Board will pick winners for special awards.
The complete list of 2010 nominees is as follows:
BEST ONLINE GAME DESIGN (new)
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We Rule (Ngmoco)
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Champions Online (Cryptic)
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Zoo Kingdom (Blue Fang)
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Dungeon Fighter Online (Nexon)
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League Of Legends (Riot Games)
BEST ONLINE VISUAL ARTS (new)
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GodFinger (Ngmoco)
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Papermint (Avaloop)
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League Of Legends (Riot Games)
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Star Trek Online (Cryptic)
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Love (Quel Solaar)
BEST AUDIO (new)
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Nightclub City (Booyah)
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Champions Online (Cryptic)
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We Rule (Ngmoco)
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Music Pets (Conduit Labs)
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Aion (NCSoft)
BEST ONLINE TECHNICAL (new)
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Global Agenda (Hi-Rez)
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Aion (NCSoft)
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Love (Quel Solaar)
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League Of Legends (Riot Games)
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Champions Online (Cryptic)
BEST SOCIAL NETWORK GAME (new)
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Nightclub City (Booyah)
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NanoStar Siege (Digital Chocolate)
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FIFA Superstars (Playfish)
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Social City (Playdom)
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Treasure Isle (Zynga)
COMMUNITY RELATIONS (ongoing)
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Wizard101 (KingsIsle Entertainment)
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Free Realms (Sony Online Entertainment)
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EVE Online (CCP)
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Guild Wars (ArenaNet)
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World Of Warcraft (Blizzard)
BEST NEW ONLINE GAME (new)
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League Of Legends (Riot Games)
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Dungeon Fighter Online (Nexon)
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We Rule (Ngmoco)
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FIFA Superstars (Playfish)
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Nightclub City (Booyah)
BEST LIVE GAME (ongoing)
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EVE Online (CCP)
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World Of Warcraft (Blizzard)
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Dungeon Fighter Online (Nexon)
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Farmville (Zynga)
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League Of Legends (Riot Games)
Categories marked ‘new’ were eligible to games in open beta or full retail release in the 12 months prior to May 2010, while ‘ongoing’ covers any game currently operating. The Audience Award, as chosen by the worldwide online game community, will open in September.
In addition, two other important awards remain: the Online Game Legend Award and the Hall of Fame Award. This year, Dr. Richard Bartle will be honored as an Online Game Legend, as co-creator of the first Multi-User Dungeon over thirty years ago. Electronic Arts’ Ultima Online will receive the first ever Hall of Fame award, as the longest continually running massively multiplayer online game in history. Bartle and key Ultima Online creators will be present to accept their rewards.
“The world of online gaming has expanded and evolved massively in just a few years, and those creators who have pushed the category forward deserve to be recognized for their creations,” says Simon Carless, Global Brand Director, UBM TechWeb Game Network. “We’re delighted to have set up the Game Developers Choice Online Awards to recognize these talented, sometimes underappreciated developers and honor the social past, present and future of the game industry.”
