Game Audio Network Guild Awards, also known as G.A.N.G. Awards took place yesterday. The virtual event gave awards in over 30 different categories, and Sony ruled the awards show.
Three of their exclusive titles released last year dominated the awards categories. The Last of Us Part 2 led with 15 nominations, closely followed by Ghost of Tsushima with 14 nominations. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales was also nominated 11 times, however, it didn’t actually win any awards. The fan-favorite indie title, Hades was also nominated 12 times.
Of all nominations, TLOU2 won eight awards including the Audio of the Year, while Ghost of Tsushima won five and Hades won three. But TLOU2 and GOT tied for the Sound Design of the Year, which made both titles the winners. You can watch the entire event via the official Twitch channel.
TLOU2 has been making big waves in the industry. The critically acclaimed title has won the most GOTY awards ever. It even swept The Game Awards 2020 though the 2021 BAFTA Games Awards and 2021 D.I.C.E. Awards were swept by Hades instead.
The complete list of winners and nominees are mentioned below:
Audio of the Year
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER)
Music of the Year
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Hades
- Metamorphosis
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars: Squadrons (WINNER)
Sound Design of the Year
- Ghost of Tsushima (WINNER - TIE)
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER - TIE)
Dialogue of the Year
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER)
- Cyberpunk 2077
Best Audio for an Indie Game
- Evergate
- Hades (WINNER)
- Lost Words: Beyond The Page
- No Straight Roads
- The Pathless
- Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem
Best Music for an Indie Game
- Evergate
- Hades
- Metamorphosis
- Mythgard
- The Pathless (WINNER)
- Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game
- Hades (WINNER)
- Liquidators
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Risk of Rain 2
- Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game
- 3 out of 10
- Bugsnax
- Hades (WINNER)
- Lost Words: Beyond The Page
- Mortal Shell
- The Red Lantern
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music
- A Total War Saga: Troy
- Ghost of Tsushima (WINNER)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure
- The Last of Us Part II
- The Pathless
Best Main Theme
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons: “Main Theme” (WINNER)
- Biped: “Biped Theme”
- Ghost of Tsushima: “The Way of the Ghost (feat. Clare Uchima)”
- Lost Words: Beyond The Page
- Star Wars: Squadrons: “Main Theme”
- The Pathless: “None Have Returned”
Best Original Song
- Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition: “Bury the Light”
- Ghost of Tsushima: “The Way of the Ghost (feat. Clare Uchima)”
- Hades: “In The Blood”
- League of Legends: K/DA – “MORE” (WINNER)
- The Good Life: “The Good Life”
- The Pathless: “A land, which was not my Own”
Best Original Soundtrack Album
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Godfall
- Hades
- Mythgard (WINNER)
- Sackboy
- The Pathless
Best Game Music Cover or Remix
- Cuphead: “Closing Credits”
- Grandia: “Symphonic Tale: An Unforgettable Journey (Music from Grandia)”
- Kingdom Hearts III: “Face My Fears”
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps: “Main Theme”
- Witcher 3: “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher… but it’s Witcher 3”
- Banjo-Kazooie: "It Can’t Be True! A Bear and a Bird Working Together?!" (WINNER)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Best UI, Reward, or Objective Sound Design
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (WINNER)
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Game Foley
- Ghost of Tsushima (WINNER)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Half-Life: Alyx — Valve
- Mafia: Definitive Edition
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Voice Performance
- Ghost of Tsushima: Jin (Performed by Kazuya Nakai) (WINNER)
- League of Legends: Fiddlesticks
- The Last Light: Kayah
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales: Miles Morales
- The Last of Us Part II: Abby
- The Last of Us Part II: Ellie
Best Ensemble Cast Performance
- 3 out of 10
- Bugsnax
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Tell Me Why
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER)
Best Non-Humanoid Performance
- Bugsnax (WINNER)
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Half-Life: Alyx
- League of Legends
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Audio for a Casual or Social Game
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Game for Peace: Meteor Strike (WINNER)
- Hearthstone
- Honor of Kings
- Legends of Runeterra
Excellence in Audio Accessibility
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Last of Us Part II (WINNER)
Best Cinematic Cutscene Audio
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (WINNER)
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- The Last of Us Part II
- World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Best New Original IP Audio
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Ghost of Tsushima (WINNER)
- Little Orpheus
- Mythgard
- No Straight Roads
- The Pathless
Best Game Audio Article or Publication
- Journal of Sound and Music in Games Volume 1 Society for the Study of Sound and Music in Games
- The Frequencies of Folklore
- The Game Audio Strategy Guide: A Practical Course
- The Last of Us Part II Sound Interview (WINNER)
- VR Video Games and Music Composition: an Interview with Skew Sound
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast, or Broadcast
- Frequencies - League of Legends Audio Deep Dive
- From Assassin’s Creed to the Dark Eye: The Importance of Themes
- How to Get Hired a Second Time (WINNER)
- The Creative Process
- How to Write One Minute of Music
Best Physical Soundtrack Release
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Ori and Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
- The Music of Destiny, Volume II Collector’s Edition Vinyl Box Set (WINNER)
- The Pathless
Best Game Trailer Audio
- Cyberpunk 2077 (WINNER)
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
- World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Cinematic Trailer
There is still one more major award show this year. It’s the GDC Awards going live on July 21. In this event, TLOU2, GOT, and Hades are leading the nominations as well, with each game being nominated six times. Which one do you think deserves to win? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
