'Uncharted 2: Among Thieves' Leads With an Unprecedented 15 Interactive Achievement Award Nominations

CALABASAS, Calif., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences® (AIAS) today announced the finalists for the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards®.  The nominations for this year's peer-based awards are dominated by the blockbuster game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment America) with an astounding fifteen nominations from industry leaders and members of the interactive entertainment software creative community.

Reflecting the overall quality of great games in 2009, there were a number of titles with multiple nods, following closely are: Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft), ten nominations, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2(Activision), nine nominations, Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment), eight nominations and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Sony Computer Entertainment America) and Brutal Legend (Electronic Arts), both with four nominations.

Mirroring the continued evolution of how games are played, the Academy created three new awards: Portable Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design and Social Networking Game of the Year, with FarmVille (Zynga) receiving three nominations.

The awards ceremony will take place during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit® 2010, on February 18th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, with comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, returning for his fifth year as host.

These peer-based awards recognize the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

"The experiences that today's games offer certainly explains why consumers of all ages are spending greater amounts of time in these fantastic worlds," said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS.  "This year's crop of finalists demonstrates the craft and talent of the Academy's members and their continued quest to create new worlds to explore."

Following is a partial list of finalists; the complete list of Awards categories, finalists and game maker credits is available at: http://www.interactive.org/images/pdfs/13th_Annual_IAA_Finalists.pdf

Overall Game of the Year:

Assassin's Creed II

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft Montreal  

Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Publisher: Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Rocksteady Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Infinity Ward

Dragon Age: Origins

• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: BioWare

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

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

Action Game of the Year:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Infinity Ward

Left 4 Dead 2

• Publisher: Valve Software
• Developer: Valve Software

Prototype

• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Radical Entertainment

Red Faction: Guerrilla

• Publisher: THQ
• Developer: Volition

Shadow Complex

• Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
• Developer: Chair Entertainment

Casual Game of The Year:

Drawn: The Painted Tower

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

Flower

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Developer: thatgamecompany

Flight Control

• Publisher: Firemint
• Developer: Firemint

Plants Vs. Zombies

• Publisher: PopCap Games
• Developer: PopCap Games

Scribblenauts

• Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: 5th Cell Media

Role Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year:

Borderlands

• Publisher: 2K Games
• Developer: Gearbox Software

Champions Online

• Publisher: Atari
• Developer: Cryptic Studios

Demon's Souls

• Publisher: Atlus        
• Developer: From Software

Dragon Age: Origins

• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: Bioware

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Alphadream

Social Networking Game of  the Year:

Bejeweled Blitz

• Publisher: PopCapGames
• Developer: PopCap Games  

Farmtown

• Publisher: Codebell
• Developer: Codebell

FarmVille

• Publisher: Zynga
• Developer: Zynga

Restaurant City        

• Publisher: Electronic Arts/Playfish
• Developer: Playfish

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming:

Demon's Soul's

• Publisher: Atlus      
• Developer: From Software

Farmville

• Publisher: Zynga
• Developer: Zynga

Flower

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertaiment America
• Developer: thatgamecompany

Scribblenauts

• Publisher: Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: 5th Cell Media

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

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

Adventure Game of The Year:

Assassin's Creed II

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Batman: Arkham Asylum

• Publisher: Eidos/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Rocksteady Studios

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintendo

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
• Developer: Insomniac Games

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

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

More than 100 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.

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences