Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 and Sony’s Detroit: Become Human came out on top at the Italian Video Game Awards 2019 last night, both winning multiple award at a lavish ceremony hosted within Rome’s historic Acquario Romano.
With more than 20 awards handed out across the course of the evening, Rockstar’s record selling smash hit was named as ‘Game of the Year’, with the latest in the Red Dead series also picking up gongs for ‘Best Art Direction’ and ‘Best Audio’.
Detroit: Become Human also had an especially successful night, taking home the awards for ‘Best Narrative’ and ‘Best Character’ – the latter for the game’s infamous RK800 android Connor. The Sony exclusive also won the prized ‘Game Beyond Entertainment’ accolade.
“This year’s Italian Video Game Awards was a celebration of everything we love about the games industry,” said Marco Saletta, AESVI’s Chairman. “The level of innovation that studios from across the world have shown during the last twelve months is astounding – something our list of winners from last night’s event highlights. We’re also proud of the role the Italian games industry now has to play on the global scene, with Italy now standing as one of the top five markets in Europe.”
Other notable winners at the event included Sony’s chart-topper God of War, which picked up ‘Best Game Design’ and also the People’s Choice award which was voted for by gamers right up until the ceremony itself, while Microsoft’s Xbox One and PC killer-app Forza Horizon 4 was named as ‘Best Sports Game’.
The awards in full went to:
- Game of the Year – Red Dead Redemption 2, (PS4/Xbox One) Rockstar
- People’s Choice Award – God of War, (PS4) Sony Computer Entertainment
- Best Art Direction – Red Dead Redemption 2, (PS4/Xbox One) Rockstar
- Best Audio – Red Dead Redemption 2, (PS4/Xbox One) Rockstar
- Best Game Design – God of War, (PS4) Sony Computer Entertainment
- Best Narrative – Detroit: Become Human, (PS4) Sony Computer Entertainment
- Best Character – Connor, Detroit: Become Human (PS4) Sony Computer Entertainment
- Best Family Game – Nintendo Labo, (Switch) Nintendo
- Best Sports Game – Forza Horizon 4, (Xbox One) Microsoft Game Studios
- Innovation Award – Xbox Adaptive Controller, (Xbox One) Microsoft
- Best Indie Game – Gris, (Switch/PC) Devolver Digital
- Best Mobile Game – Florence, (Android/iOS) Annapurna Interactive
- Best Evolving Game – Fortnite, (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC/iOS/Android) Epic Games
- Game Beyond Entertainment – Detroit: Become Human, (PS4) Sony Computer Entertainment
- Esports Game of the Year – Overwatch, (PS4/Xbox One/PC) Activision Blizzard
- Best Esports Player – Riccardo “Reyonr” Romiti
- Best Esports Team – Morning Stars
- Best Italian Game – Remothered: Tormented Fathers, (PS4/Xbox One/PC) Darril Arts
- Best Debut Game – Bud Spencer & Terence Hill – Slaps and Beans, (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC) Buddy Productions
- GamesIndustry.biz’s Best Company – Milestone
- GamesIndustry.biz’s Best Individual – Massimo Guarini, Ovosonico
- Best Selling Game – FIFA 19 (PS4/Xbox One/Switch/PC), Electronic Arts
- Special Award – Antura and the Letters (Android/iOS/PC), Video Games Without Borders
This year’s Italian Video Game Awards partnered with both GamesIndustry.biz and Yogscast to help expand the event’s international reach.
GamesIndustry.biz, which is a primary global portal for all things related to the business of video games, served as the official media partner, while Yogscast broadcasted the ceremony to gamers outside of Italy for the first time ever, delivering an exclusive international stream.
The awards are designed to both celebrate and highlight the very best creative work in video games, with Italian trade body AESVI having promoted the event for the last seven years. This year’s event marked the first time the IVGAs have linked up with multiple international partners, building on the progress made at last year’s event.
You can check out all the nominations and winners from this year’s awards over at https://www.italianvideogameawards.com/awards.
