The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Announces Its 15th Interactive Achievement Award Nominees

CALABASAS, Calif., Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) today announced the finalists for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs).  More than a hundred titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy's Peer Panels. These panels, one for each award category, are comprised of the game industry's most experienced and talented men and women who are experts in their chosen fields.

For 2012, the blockbuster game Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Sony Computer Entertainment Company) leads the field with a total of twelve nominations. Showcasing the depth of great games introduced in the past year, several titles earned multiple nods for an IAA, including ten nominations for Portal 2 (Valve Corporation), nine nominations for L.A. Noire (Rockstar Games), and six nominations each for Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks). 

The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, February 9th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas during the 2012 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit. They will be hosted by comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr.  This year's IAAs will be streamed live on GameSpot.com in its entirety at 7:30pm PT / 10:30pm ET.

"These games exemplify the highest standard of excellence and quality, from the breathtaking cinematics, to the bold storytelling and the innovative technology," said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.  "Our industry has really outdone itself this year and continues to exceed expectations with its creativity and craftsmanship.  Bravo!"

Following is a partial list of finalists; the complete list of Awards categories, finalist and game maker credits is available at: http://www.interactive.org/images/pdfs/15th-Annual-IAA-Finalists-Only.pdf

Game of the Year

Batman: Arkham City

• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Portal 2

• Publisher: Valve Corporation
• Developer: Valve Corporation

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Developer: Naughty Dog

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Bastion

• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Supergiant Games

L.A. Noire

• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Developer: Team Bondi

Portal 2

• Publisher: Valve Corporation
• Developer: Valve Corporation

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure

• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Toys for Bob

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Action Game of the Year

Battlefield 3

• Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Developer: DICE

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games

Dead Space 2

• Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Developer: Visceral

Gears of War 3

• Publisher: Microsoft Games
• Developer: Epic Games

Saints Row: The Third

• Publisher: THQ Inc.
• Developer: Volition INC.)

Adventure Game of the Year

Batman: Arkham City

• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Rocksteady Studios

L.A. Noire

• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Developer: Team Bondi

Portal 2

• Publisher: Valve Corporation
• Developer: Valve Corporation

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Developer: Naughty Dog

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year

Dark Souls

• Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
• Developer: From Software

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

• Publisher: Square Enix
• Developer: Eidos Montreal

Star Wars: The Old Republic

• Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Developer: BioWare Austin

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
• Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

• Publisher: Atari
• Developer: CD Projekt

Mobile Game of the Year

Contre Jour

• Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Developer: Chillingo

Dead Space

• Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
• Developer: EA Mobile

Infinity Blade II

• Publisher: Epic Games
• Developer: Chair Entertainment

Tentacles

• Publisher: Microsoft Studios
• Developer: Press Play

The Dark Meadow

• Publisher: Phosphor Games Studio
• Developer: Phosphor Games Studio

Handheld Game of the Year

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

• Publisher: Capcom U.S. A.
• Developer: Capcom

Kirby Mass Attack

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Hal Laboratory

Mario Kart 7

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo

Professor Layton and the Last Specter

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Level 5

Super Mario 3D Land

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo

Downloadable Game of the Year

Bastion

• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Supergiant Games

Drawn: Trail of Shadows

• Publisher: Big Fish Games
• Developer: Big Fish Games

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

• Publisher: Microsoft Games
• Developer: Fuel Cell

Ms. Splosion Man

• Publisher: Microsoft Games
• Developer: Twisted Pixel Games

Orcs Must Die!

• Publisher: Microsoft Games
• Developer: Robot Entertainment

About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote, advance and recognize common interests and outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences. The Academy conducts its annual awards show, the Interactive Achievement Awards, to promote and acknowledge exceptional accomplishments in the field. To further enhance awareness of the Academy's vision, the organization created the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit in 2002, a once yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment.  With more than 22,000 members, including Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, THQ, Day One Studios, Epic Games and Insomniac Games, The Academy celebrates and honors the creativity of video games worldwide. More information can be found at http://www.interactive.org and http://www.dicesummit.org. Follow the AIAS on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences