Cuphead secures three wins at 2018 DICE Awards

The twenty-first annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony recently wrapped up in Las Vegas, following input from over 33,000 members of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS). Spanning 24 distinct award categories, the awards aim to highlight talent across the industry, with nominees spanning various platforms, genres, and backgrounds.

Several games won big this year, taking home multiple awards in their respective categories. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took home four awards, including Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design – making for the most bestowed game of the night. StudioMDHR's Cuphead also saw similar success following its Xbox One and PC debut, securing awards for art direction, animation, and musical composition. Other highlights of the night included last year's smash hit, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Horizon Zero Dawn and Lone Echo/Echo Arena, each securing two DICE awards.

A full list of winners across their respective categories has been shared by the AIAS, which are as follows. Winners in each category are highlighted in bold, among fellow nominees.

Game of the Year

  • Cuphead
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

  • Gorogoa
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
  • What Remains of Edith Finch

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

  • Gorogoa
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • Robo Recall
  • Star Trek Bridge Crew
  • The Invisible Hours
  • Wilson's Heart

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
  • Robo Recall
  • Space Pirate Trainer
  • Wilson's Heart

Mobile Game of the Year

  • Cat Quest
  • Fire Emblem Heroes
  • Gorogoa
  • Monument Valley 2
  • Splitter Critters

Handheld Game of the Year

  • Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
  • Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
  • Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
  • Metroid: Samus Returns
  • Monster Hunter Stories

D.I.C.E. Sprite Award

  • Everything
  • Gorogoa
  • Night in the Woods
  • Pyre
  • Snipperclips

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay

  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Destiny 2
  • Fortnite
  • PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

  • Endless Space 2
  • Halo Wars 2
  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
  • Total War: Warhammer II
  • XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

Sports Game of the Year

  • Everybody's Golf
  • FIFA 18
  • Golf Clash
  • Madden NFL 18
  • MLB The Show 17

Role-Playing Game of the Year

  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of War
  • NieR: Automata
  • Persona 5
  • Torment: Tides of Numenera

Racing Game of the Year

  • DiRT 4
  • Forza Motorsport 7
  • Gran Turismo Sport
  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  • Project CARS 2

Fighting Game of the Year

  • ARMS
  • Injustice 2
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
  • Nidhogg 2
  • Tekken 7

Family Game of the Year

  • DropMix
  • GNOG
  • Just Dance 2018
  • SingStar Celebration
  • Snipperclips

Adventure Game of the Year

  • Assassin's Creed Origins
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Action Game of the Year

  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Cuphead
  • Destiny 2
  • PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Outstanding Technical Achievement

  • Assassin's Creed Origins
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Outstanding Achievement in Story

  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Night in the Woods
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

  • Destiny 2
  • Injustice 2
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Cuphead
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • RiME
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Outstanding Achievement in Character

  • Assassin's Creed Origins - Bayek
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Senua
  • Horizon Zero Dawn - Aloy
  • Star Wars Battlefront II - Iden Versio
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Chloe Fraiser

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Cuphead
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Little Nightmares
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

  • Cuphead
  • For Honor
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

What do you think of this year's winners? Make sure to drop your thoughts in the comments section below.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.