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15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Winners Announced

The 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) took place this evening, with a veritable who's who of industry talent and this year's hottest titles. Since 1996, the Interactive Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding games, individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

The night's big winner was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which grabbed Game of the Year honors and a total of five (5) awards in recognition of its excellent storytelling and extensive and immersive world. Other big winners included the blockbuster Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, which was recognized for technical achievements that brought the game to life, walked away with a total of three (3) IAAs. Likewise, the cross-over hit puzzle-platformer Portal 2 walked away with three (3) IAAs. The energetic motion game Fruit Ninja Kinect sliced and diced the competition to come out on top as Casual Game of the Year. Continuing to be a hot topic in the industry, Social and Mobile gaming took flight with Infinity Blade II taking Mobile Game of the Year and The Sims Social winning Social Networking Game of the Year.

Hosted by comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, industry luminaries, development personalities and talent from around the world came together to celebrate, share and comment on the status of the industry and where they see it going in 2012 and beyond. For those who may have missed the live same-day webcast of the IAAs in its entirety on GameSpot.com, the video will continue to be hosted on dice.gamespot.com.

View the official release here.

Check out the winners.

Interactive Achievement Awards + Select 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit Session Live Streams

The 2012 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit kicks off today, marking the 11th anniversary of the video game industry's most prestigious and exclusive event.

Several of our sessions will be live streamed via GameSpot in the next few days. Please mark your calendars:

• Todd Howard, Creative Director, Bethesda Game Studios, will open the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit conference with “Why We Create, Why We Play” on Wednesday, February 8^th at 6:30 – 7:30 PM PST

• Sefton Hill, Co-founder and Game Director, Rocksteady Studios, will speak on “Escaping the Asylum” on Thursday, February 9^th from 10 – 10:30 AM PST

• David Jaffe, acclaimed game designer of the Twisted Metal series will speak on Thursday, February 9^th from 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM PST

The 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit will also host the 15^thAnnual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) ceremony on February 9, 2012. The IAAs focus on peer-based voting and are viewed as the highest honor of recognition in the interactive entertainment industry thanks to our members.

GameSpot will be airing a live webcast of the IAAs in its entirety via GameSpot.com, Twitch.tv/Gamespot and Youtube.com/gamespot on Thursday, February 9^th at 7:30 PM PT / 10:30 PM ET. Actor, stand-up comedian and long-time game enthusiast Jay Mohr will be returning as host. 

View the official release here.

Check out information on our speakers here.

View or finalists here.

Closure Takes Top Spot at
2012 Indie Game Challenge
 

 The AIAS, GameStop and The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University are proud to announce that Closure was awarded the top prize at the third annual Indie Game Challenge. The winning team was named on the closing night of the annual D.I.C.E. ™ (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit at the Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

 $100,000 Grand Prize Winner

Closure was submitted by San Diego-based Eyebrow Interactive and the three-person team consisting of: Tyler Glaiel, team leader; Jon Schubbe, art/animation; and Chris Rhyne, sound/music.  Closure is a unique and stylistic puzzle platformer that focuses on the concepts of light and shadow.  Players are challenged to manipulate lights to effectively change the shape of the world they're in and bring gameplay objects in and out of existence.  

Category winners include:

Technical Achievement ($2,500): Symphony
Achievement in Art Direction ($2,500): The Bridge
Achievement in Gameplay ($2,500): The Bridge
Gamer’s Choice Award ($2,500): Nitronic Rush

In addition, for the first time, GameStop gave special recognition to finalist game Symphony by offering a promotional exposure prize on their GameStop PC Download service worth up to $50,000 normally reserved for major game releases. The recipient of the Indie Game Challenge $50,000 SMU scholarship will be announced later this year.

For more information on the competition and to learn more about each of the winners.

View the official release.

Nexon America’s Min Kim and Zynga’s Brian Reynolds Join Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ Board of Directors

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that Min Kim, vice president of live games at Nexon America, Inc., and Brian Reynolds, chief game designer, Zynga, have been appointed to the AIAS' Board of Directors effective immediately.

As vice president of live games, Min is responsible for all the product initiatives at Nexon America. Prior to co-founding Nexon America, Min launched the Global Edition of Nexon's flagship title, MapleStory. He has made significant contributions to the adoption of digital content cards at retail, and recently launched Karma Koin. He also serves on the America's Advisory Board for the Merchant Risk Council.

A twenty-one-year industry veteran, Brian Reynolds is recognized as one of the industry's most talented and productive game designers. Honored by PC Gamer magazine as one of twenty-five "Game Gods" and one of IGN's "Top 100 Game Creators of All Time," Reynolds played a key role founding three successful videogame studios: Firaxis, Big Huge Games, and Zynga East. At Zynga, Brian led FrontierVille to 35 million players and now helps game teams across the company innovate on social gameplay. 

View the official press release here.

Learn more about our new Board members here.

15^th Interactive Achievement Awards Finalists Revealed + GameSpot Media Partnership 

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 15^th 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.  Thank you to our peer panelists for volunteering your time and energy!

Additionally, the AIAS is proud to reveal its exclusive partnership with GameSpot for the 15^th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs) and the D.I.C.E. Summit. GameSpot will provide live streaming video of the awards ceremony, as well as exclusive online content from the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit sessions that take place throughout the week.

View the 15^th IAA official release.

View the GameSpot media partnership official release.

View the complete list of finalists here.

TEN FINALISTS NAMED FOR
3^rd ANNUAL INDIE GAME CHALLENGE

 The ten finalists in the 3^rd Annual Indie Game Challenge^SM hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University and GameStop, were announced today.  Reflecting the international scope of this year’s Indie Game Challenge, three of the ten finalist teams are from Finland, Sweden and Germany. Returning to host the IGC awards ceremony is Adam Sessler,  host of G4’s X-Play. 

The Indie Game Challenge finalists are eligible for $250,000 in cash and prizes.  Winners will be announced Feb. 10 at the 2012 D.I.C.E.™ (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit at the Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. 

The ten finalists include the following (Team/game):

• Blendo Games - Atom Zombie Smasher
• Eyebrow Interactive - Closure
• Zeroscale - Demolition Inc.
• Team Nitronic - Nitronic Rush
• Paradox Shift - Paradox Shift
• EmptyClip Studios, Inc. - Symphony
• Ty Taylor and Mario Castaneda - The Bridge
• Team Dream - The Dream Machine
• The Fourth Team - The Fourth Wall
• Facepalm Games - The Swapper

For more information on the competition, learn more about each finalists, and vote for the Gamer’s Choice prize, visit: www.IndieGameChallenge.com .

 View official press release here.

AIAS INDUCTS EPIC GAMES’ TIM SWEENEY TO ITS HALL OF FAME; CONFIRMED TO SPEAK AT THE 2012 D.I.C.E. SUMMIT 

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced that Tim Sweeney, founder and chief executive officer of Epic Games, will be the 16^th inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame, and will be taking the stage for the first time at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit.  Tim is respected throughout the industry for his technological innovations, advancing many of today’s highly successful PC, console and mobile games. Tim’s development of the Unreal Engine and award-winning franchises such as the “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament” series have been catalysts in the evolution of gaming. 

The AIAS Hall of Fame is bestowed on game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. The 2012 Hall of Fame Award will be presented by Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein at the 15^th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. The Awards will be hosted by actor, comedian and game enthusiast, Jay Mohr. 

More information on Tim at Kotaku’s exclusive interview. 

View the official press release here.

Read Tim’s bio.

BLIZZARD'S FRANK PEARCE JOINS THE ACADEMY'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that Frank Pearce has been appointed to the AIAS’ Board of Directors effective immediately. 

Pearce is a cofounder and executive vice president of product development at Blizzard Entertainment, where he plays a critical role in the development of all Blizzard Entertainment games, including the World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series. He brings to the AIAS’ Board more than 20 years of industry experience.

Read Pearce's Bio.

Check out our Q&A with Frank.

View the official press release here.

ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES HONORS ED LOGG AS THE 2012 PIONEER AWARD RECIPIENT

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has unveiled its 2012 AIAS Pioneer Award recipient, Ed Logg. As an innovator, game designer and programmer, Ed's work contributed to the creation of some of the most iconic entertainment properties – including Asteroids, Centipede, and Gauntlet – arcade games that continue to shape the way that modern games are designed today.

The Pioneer Awards is reserved for individuals whose career-spanning work has helped shape and define the interactive entertainment industry with the creation of a technological approach or the birth of a new genre. The 2012 Pioneer Award will be presented by Mark Cerny, president, Cerny Games, at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.

More information on Ed at Wired.com's exclusive interview.

View the official press release here.

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