Award show
Game Audio Network Guild Awards Game Audio Network Guild logo
Awarded for Excellence in video game audio Venue Moscone Center Country United States Hosted by Game Audio Network Guild First awarded March 7, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-03-07 ) Last awarded March 21, 2024; 8 months ago (2024-03-21 ) Website audiogang.org
The Game Audio Network Guild Awards (shortened to the G.A.N.G. Awards ) is an award show that celebrates excellence in video game audio. The awards, which started in 2004, are arranged by the Game Audio Network Guild and held annually during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco . The first four shows were held at the Fairmont San Jose , before moving to the Moscone Center from the fifth; due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the 18th, 19th, and 20th ceremonies were held virtually.
The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards are celebrated annually as part of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco . The awards are split between music, sound design, and voice acting. Submissions must be released between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding year.[ 1] Members of the Game Audio Network Guild may submit five nominations for free, with each additional submission costing US$25 ; public submissions cost US$75 per game. Early access games are ineligible.[ 2] After the submission deadline passes, the Awards Committee sends the data to the Advisors and Awards Committees to select the nominees. Once the final nominations are selected, the Game Audio Network Guild votes for the winners.[ 1]
#
Date
Audio of the Year
Venue
1st
March 7, 2003
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Fairmont San Jose
2nd
March 25, 2004
Call of Duty
3rd
March 10, 2005
Halo 2
4th
March 23, 2006
God of War
5th
March 8, 2007
Gears of War
Moscone Center
6th
February 21, 2008
BioShock
7th
March 26, 2009
Dead Space
8th
March 11, 2010
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
9th
March 3, 2011
Red Dead Redemption
10th
March 8, 2012
Battlefield 3
11th
March 28, 2013
Diablo III
12th
March 20, 2014
The Last of Us
13th
March 5, 2015
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
14th
March 17, 2016
Ori and the Blind Forest
15th
March 23, 2017
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
16th
March 22, 2018
Cuphead
17th
March 21, 2019
God of War
18th
May 6, 2020
Death Stranding
Virtual
19th
April 28, 2021
The Last of Us Part II
20th
May 25, 2022
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
21st
March 23, 2023
God of War Ragnarök
Moscone Center
22nd
March 21, 2024
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Michael Giacchino won four awards at the 1st Annual G.A.N.G. Awards for his work on Medal of Honor: Frontline and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault .
Nobuo Uematsu won Best Original Vocal Song – Choral for "Memoro de la Santono from Final Fantasy XI .
Hikaru Utada won Best Original Vocal Song – Pop for "Kingdom (Vocal Version) " from Kingdom Hearts .
The first G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 7, 2003, at the Fairmont San Jose . Almost 500 people attended the ceremony. The awards were presented by members of the Game Audio Network guild, including Tommy Tallarico , Clint Bajakian , and Jack Wall , with musical interludes from LoudLouderLoudest!, Orpheus Hanley, the Slackmates, the Ex Lucas Arts Boys, and George "The Fat Man" Sanger .[ 3]
Sound Design of the Year: Medal of Honor: Frontline
Best Sound Design in a Sports or Driving Game: FIFA World Cup 2002
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: James Bond 007: Nightfire
Most Innovative Use of Audio: SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Use and Effectiveness of Audio in Halo: Game Music Evolved" by Marty O'Donnell , Aaron Marks, and Greg O'Connor-Read
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Music4Games and Headhunter
Lifetime Achievement Award: Mark Miller
Rookie of the Year: Shane Kneip
Best Audio Programmer: Buzz Burrowes
Best Producer/Designer: Dan Irish
Distinguished G.A.N.G. Service Awards: Sach Jobbs, Jay Samerad, Todd Fay, and Mike Tallarico
G.A.N.G. Contest Winners: Sam Hulick (songwriting), and Rob King (sound design)
Poets of the Fall won Best Original Vocal Song – Pop for "Late Goodbye" from Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne .
Velasco and Emerson-Johnson were awarded Rookie of the Year.
The second annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 25, 2004, at the Fairmont San Jose in the Regency Ballroom. Tallarico returned to host the ceremony, which took place over two-and-a-half hours. Musical performances included Steve Kirk and the Voodoo Vince Band, LoudLouderLoudest!, the Rockin' hobbit Band, the OneUp Mushrooms, and Dweezil Zappa .[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Sound Design of the Year: Call of Duty
Best Sound Design in a Sports or Driving Game: Need for Speed: Underground
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lifetime Achievement Award: Rob Hubbard
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Brian O'Connor and Mark Sazer (RMA , Chris Milner and Carol M. Sato (AFM ), Escalet, George Aiello, Bill Mitchell
Rookie of the Year: Cris Velasco and Jared Emerson-Johnson
Silas Warner Best Audio Programming Award: Thomas Engel (Factor 5 )
Best Producer/Designer: Simon Pressey (Ubisoft )
Most Innovative Use of Audio: Amplitude (Chuck Doud)
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "DirectX 9 Audio Exposed: Interactive Audio Development" by Todd M. Fay
Distinguished Service Awards: Brian DiDomenico, Jamie Lendino, Jerome Rossen
G.A.N.G. Contest Winners: Ian Dorsch (composition), Jonathan Wall (sound design)
Golden Melodica Award: Tommy Tallarico
O'Donnell and Salvatori won Audio of the Year and Best Original Soundtrack Album for their work on
Halo 2 .
The third annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 10, 2005, at the Fairmont San Jose as part of the Game Developers Conference. Myst IV: Revelation led the winners with three awards.[ 7] [ 8]
Best Dialogue: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Best Commentary in a Sports Game: ESPN NFL 2K5
Best New Audio Technology: GameCODA 2.0
Best Audio Software: Nuendo 3.0
Best Audio Hardware: Spherex Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System
Best Sound Library: Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra: Platinum Edition
Lifetime Achievement Award: Michael Land
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Didier Lord, Bob Rice, and Steve Schnur
Rookie of the Year: Tom Salta
Silas Warner Best Audio Programming Award: John Twigg, Cliff Kondratuik
Best Producer/Designer: Donald Mustard (GlyphX )
Most Innovative Use of Audio: Donkey Konga
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "Audio for Games: Planning, Process and Production" by Alexander Brandon
Distinguished Service Awards: Chris Rickwood, Jonathan Wall, Matt Bielejeski, and Alistair Cooper
Nile Rodgers was one of the two recipients of the G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards.
Gerard Marino won Rookie of the Year in 2006.
The fourth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 23, 2006, at the Fairmont San Jose. God of War swept most of the major categories.[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
Audio of the Year: God of War
Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio: God of War
Best Audio – Other: Lumines
Best Dialogue: God of War
Best New Audio Technology: XMA
Best Audio Software: Spectrasonics Stylus RMX — Real Time Groove Module
Best Audio Hardware: M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96
Best Sound Library: East West /Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs
Lifetime Achievement Award: Bobby Prince
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Nile Rodgers and Jim Charne
Rookie of the Year: Gerard Marino
Student/Apprentice Competition: Wilbert Roget (music), and Carsten Rojahn (sound design)
Most Innovative Use of Audio: Guitar Hero
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Treatment of Music in Games" by Jim Charne
Distinguished Service Awards: Paul Lipson, Mark Guleno, Shiloh Hobel, Jerry Lyons, and Michelle Sorger
Christopher Tin was named Rookie of the Year in 2007, and won Best Original Vocal Song – Choral for "Baby Yetu" from Civilization IV .
Koji Kondo received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
The fifth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on March 8, 2007, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.[ 13] [ 14]
Audio of the Year: Gears of War
Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio: Gears of War
Best Audio – Other: Cartoon Network's Re-Animated: Fit to be Pied
Sound Design of the Year: Gears of War
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: Call of Duty 3
Lifetime Achievement Award: Koji Kondo
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Audiokinetic and Gene Semel
Rookie of the Year: Christopher Tin
Student Contest Winners: JJ Lee (music composition), Vince Iannelli (sound design)
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Ivo Ivanov and Ryan John
Distinguished Service Awards: Scott Gershin, David Murrant, and Scott Selfon
Most Innovative Use of Audio: Guitar Hero II
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "2006 GDC Audio Boot Camp" by Scott Selfon
Austin Wintory won Rookie of the Year.
Brian L. Schmidt received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
The sixth annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony took place on February 21, 2008, in the North Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. BioShock swept the ceremony, winning all eight awards for which it was nominated. At the ceremony, a US$10,000 scholarship to Ex'pression College for Digital Arts was awarded to guild member Nathan Rain Schwartz.[ 15] [ 16] [ 17] According to Tallarico, the guild's advisory board took over a month to decide final nominees.[ 18]
Music of the Year: BioShock
Best Interactive Score: BioShock
Best Original Instrumental Song: "Welcome to Rapture" — BioShock
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "Main Titles" — God of War II
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "Still Alive " — Portal
Best Use of Licensed Music: BioShock
Best Original Soundtrack Album: God of War II
Best Arrangement of a Non-Original Score: The Simpsons Game
Sound Design of the Year: BioShock
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: Halo 3
Lifetime Achievement Award: Brian L. Schmidt
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Russell Brower, Rod Abernathy, and Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck
Rookie of the Year: Austin Wintory and Tomas Neumann
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Mike "Skitch" Schichiano (music) and Mikkel Eskessen (sound design)
Most Innovative Use of Audio: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The World of Game Composing" — Film Music Magazine
Distinguished Service Awards: Sean Beeson, Jerry Lyons, Chance Thomas , and Becky Young
Wataru Hokoyama won Rookie of the Year in 2009, and Music of the Year for his work on Afrika .
The seventh annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 26, 2009, in the North Hall of the Moscone Center as part of the Game Developers Conference. LittleBigPlanet led the nominees with eight nominations.[ 19] [ 20] Dead Space won Audio of the Year and Sound Design of the Year, while Afrika won Music of the Year; Wataru Hokoyama , composer of the latter, won Rookie of the Year.[ 21] [ 22] [ 23] [ 24] Votes were conducted by the 800 members of the guild across 30 countries.[ 25]
Music of the Year: Afrika
Best Interactive Score: LittleBigPlanet
Best Original Instrumental Song: "The Garden" — LittleBigPlanet and "Main Theme" — Afrika (tie)
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "Main Title" — World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "Still Alive" — Mirror's Edge
Best Use of Licensed Music: Rock Band 2
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Video Games Live: Volume One
Sound Design of the Year: Dead Space
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: Left 4 Dead
Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Rice
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Jim Charne and John Broomhall
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Tom Graczkowski (music composition) and Benoit Babin (sound design)
Rookie of the Year: Wataru Hokoyama
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Complete Guide to Game Audio" by Aaron Marks
Distinguished Service Awards: Richard Jacques , Tom Salta, and Stephen Years
The eighth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 11, 2010, at the Moscone Center. Assassin's Creed II and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves led the nominations with nine each.[ 26] [ 27]
Best Dialogue: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Lifetime Achievement Award: Charles Deenen
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Brian L. Schmidt
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Courtney Johns (music composition) and Jeff Schmidt (sound design)
Rookie of the Year: Dave Johnson and Camden Stoddard
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Future of Game Audio / The Game Audio Mixing Revolution" (Gamasutra )
Distinguished Service Awards: Rob Bridgett, Morla Gorrondona, Chip Beeman, Alexander Brandon, and David Chan
Woody Jackson won Music of the Year and Rookie of the Year for his work on Red Dead Redemption alongside Bill Elm.
Chris Huelsbeck won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
The ninth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 3, 2011, at the Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference. The final nominees were decided upon by a 70-person advisory committee, while the winners received votes from the members of the Game Audio Network Guild.[ 28] More than 350 submissions were considered by the committee across the 14 categories. Red Dead Redemption led the show with ten nominations and five wins.[ 28] [ 29] [ 30]
Music of the Year: Red Dead Redemption
Best Interactive Score: Red Dead Redemption
Best Original Instrumental Song: "Athens Harbour Chase" — James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "Invincible" — World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "I'll Take It All" — James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Best Use of Licensed Music: BioShock 2
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Video Games Live: Level Two
Best Dialogue: Red Dead Redemption
Lifetime Achievement Award: Chris Huelsbeck
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Sumthing Else Musicworks
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Paolo Amati (music composition) and Adam Raley (sound design)
Rookie of the Year: Bill Elm and Woody Jackson
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Weight of Silence — How Silence Can Indicate a Character's Importance" by Jesse Harlin
Distinguished Service Awards: Dren McDonald and Jacquie Shriver
Tommy Tallarico , who founded the Game Audio Network Guild and hosted some of the early ceremonies, won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
Kevin Riepl won the G.A.N.G. Recognition Award in 2012.
Darren Korb won Rookie of the Year in 2012.
The tenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 3, 2012, at the Moscone Center. Battlefield 3 won the most awards, with three wins, while Bastion , Portal 2 , and Star Wars: The Old Republic won two awards each.[ 31] [ 32] [ 33] [ 34]
Sound Design of the Year: Battlefield 3
Best Use of Multi-Channel Surround in a Game: Battlefield 3
Lifetime Achievement Award: Tommy Tallarico
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards Kevin Riepl
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Nathaniel Tronrud (music) and Matthew Chastney (sound design)
Rookie of the Year: Darren Korb
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Use of Voice in Portal 2"
Jessica Curry was one of the two recipients of Rookie of the Year in 2013.
The eleventh annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 28, 2013, at the Moscone Center. The show was recorded and broadcast via Twitch .[ 35] [ 36]
Sound Design and Voice Acting [ edit ]
Sound Design of the Year: Halo 4
Best Dialogue: Far Cry 3 and The Walking Dead (tie)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Clint Bajakian
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Chance Thomas
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: Anastasia Devana (music composition) and Logan Byers (sound design)
Rookie of the Year: Joel Corelitz and Jessica Curry
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "All in the Mix: The Importance of Real-Time Mixing in Video Games" by Garry Taylor
Distinguished Service Awards: Alexander Davis
Phillip Kovats won Audio of the Year and Sound Design of the Year for his work as the audio lead on The Last of Us .
Eugene Jarvis was one of the two recipients of the G.A.N.G. Recognition Award in 2014.
The twelfth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 20, 2014, at the Moscone Center.[ 37] The show was recorded and broadcast via Twitch. The Last of Us led the awards with three wins, while BioShock Infinite received two.[ 38]
Sound Design and Voice Acting [ edit ]
Sound Design of the Year: The Last of Us
Best Dialogue: The Last of Us
G.A.N.G. Recognition Awards: Brandon Cole and Eugene Jarvis
Lifetime Achievement Award: David Warhol and Andrew Kane
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: PJ Tracy (music composition) and Andrew Villa (sound design)
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "GDC Boot Camp XII"
George "The Fat Man" Sanger won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
The thirteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 5, 2015, at the Moscone Center. George "The Fat Man" Sanger received two standing ovations as he accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award.[ 39]
Music of the Year: Destiny
Best Interactive Score: Hohokum
Best Original Instrumental: "Halo Theme Gungnir Mix" — Halo 2 Anniversary
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "The Traveler/Excerpt from The Hope" — Destiny
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "Hope for the Future" — Destiny
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: Peggle Blast
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: The String Arcade
Sound Design of the Year: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Emily Reese
Student/Apprentice Competition Winners: George Shaw (music) and Thomas Couchard (sound design)
Distinguished Service Awards: Richard Savery
Lifetime Achievement Award: George "The Fat Man" Sanger
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "The Mix in The Last of Us"
Gareth Coker won Rookie of the Year and Best Original Instrumental for his work on Ori and the Blind Forest .
Peter Hollens won best Game Music Cover/Remix for his cover of "Underground" from Assassin's Creed Syndicate .
The fourteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 17, 2016, at the Moscone Center. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture led the nominees with six nominations, followed by Star Wars Battlefront with five and Ori and the Blind Forest with four.[ 40] [ 41]
Music of the Year: Star Wars Battlefront
Best Interactive Score: Star Wars Battlefront
Best Original Instrumental: "Main Theme" — Ori and the Blind Forest
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "The Light We Cast" — Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "The Mourning Tree" — Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: Honor of Kings
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: "Underground" (Assassin's Creed Syndicate ) by Peter Hollens
Sound Design of the Year: Star Wars Battlefront
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game: Gathering Sky
Best Dialogue: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Rookie of the Year: Gareth Coker
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Penka Kouneva
Distinguished Service Awards: Savina Ciaramella and Chance Thomas
Lifetime Achievement Award: Marty O'Donnell
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "Gathering Sky — Audio Journals 1-3" by Dren McDonald
Peter McConnell won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
The fifteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 23, 2017, at the Moscone Center.[ 42] [ 43]
Audio of the Year: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Best Cinematic/Cutscene Audio: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Best Handheld Audio: Hearthstone : One Night in Karazhan
Best Audio for an Indie Game: Inside
Best Audio Mix: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Music of the Year: Abzû
Best Interactive Score: Fossil Echo
Best Original Instrumental: The Last Guardian
Best Original Vocal Song – Choral: "Then Were Created the Gods in the Mist of Heaven" — Abzû
Best Original Vocal Song – Pop: "Our Steps, To the Night" — The Banner Saga 2
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Abzû
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: "Realm of Valor" — Strike of Kings
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: "Fated Children"
Sound Design of the Year: Overwatch
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game: Hearthstone: One Night in Karazhan
Best Dialogue: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Rookie of the Year: John Robert Matz and Mikel Shane Prather
G.A.N.G. Ambassador Award: Karen Collins
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Liza Salta
Distinguished Service Award: Stephan Schütze
Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter McConnell
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "Overwatch — The Elusive Goal: Play by Sound"
Richard Jacques won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
The sixteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 22, 2018, at the Moscone Center during the Game Developers Conference.[ 44]
Music of the Year: Call of Duty: WWII
Best Interactive Score: Call of Duty: WWII
Best Original Instrumental: "A Brotherhood of Heroes" (Call of Duty: WWII ) and Horizon Zero Dawn (tie)
Best Original Song: "Hearthstone is Home" — Hearthstone
Best Original Choral Composition: Horizon Zero Dawn
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Call of Duty: WWII
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: So Let Us Melt
Best Music for an Indie Game: So Let Us Melt
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: "Sword of Destiny" — The Witcher 3
Sound Design of the Year: Call of Duty: WWII
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game: So Let Us Melt
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Best Dialogue: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Extraordinary Leadership and Service: Brian L. Schmidt
Breakout Talent of the Year: Kristofer Maddigan
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Sally-Anne Kellaway
Distinguished Service Award: Spencer Bambrick
Lifetime Achievement Award: Richard Jacques
Bear McCreary won Music of the Year and Best Original Choral Composition for his work on God of War .
Philip Sheppard won Best Original Instrumental for "Kara Main Theme" from Detroit: Become Human .
The seventeenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on March 21, 2019, at the Moscone Center. God of War led the winners with six awards.[ 45]
Audio of the Year: God of War
Best Cinematic/Cutscene Audio: God of War
Best Audio Mix: God of War
Best VR Audio: Moss
G.A.N.G. / MAGFEST People's Choice Award: Celeste and Octopath Traveler (tie)
Music of the Year: God of War
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Best Interactive Score: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Best Original Instrumental: "Kara Main Theme" — Detroit: Become Human
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: Hearthstone : The Boomsday Project
Best Music for an Indie Game: Moss
Best Original Song: "Waiting" — Battle Through the Heaven
Best Original Choral Composition: "Lullaby of the Giants" — God of War
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: "Super Mario Bros." — ConSoul
Sound Design of the Year: God of War
Best Sound Design in a Casual/Social Game: Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Moss
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Damian Kastbauer
Distinguished Service Award: Becky Allen
Lifetime Achievement Award: Elise Baldwin
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "Soundworks Collection Video: Shadow of the Tomb Raider" by Michael Coleman, Rob Bridgett, Frédéric Arnaud, Hugo Léger, Anne-Sophie Mongeau, Brian D'Oliveira
The eighteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards were held on May 6, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the event was held virtually for the first time. It was hosted by Wilbert Roget, II and Cody Matthew Johnson, and had a pre- and post-show. Death Stranding swept the show with six wins, including Audio of the Year, Sound Design of the Year, and Best Dialogue.[ 46] [ 47]
Music of the Year: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Best Interactive Score: Erica
Best Music for an Indie Game: Bee Simulator
Best Original Instrumental: "Erica Know Thyself" by Austin Wintory — Erica
Best Original Song: "Giants" by Jared Lee, Jessica Karpov, Kole Hicks, Umar Ibrahim — League of Legends
Best Original Choral Composition: "Cordova's Theme" by Gordy Haab and Stephen Barton — Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Death Stranding
Best Music in a Casual/Social Game: Honor of Kings 2.0
Best Game Music Cover/Remix: "The Trial" (Chrono Trigger ) by John Robert Matz
Best Dialogue: Death Stranding
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game: Golem
Breakout Talent Award: Laryssa Okada
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Guy Whitmore
Distinguished Service Award: Emmanuel Lagumbay
Best Game Audio Article, Publication or Broadcast: "100 Unusual, Novel, Surprising Ways to be a Better Sound Designer in Video Games" by Rob Bridgett
The nineteenth annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on April 28, 2021. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the show was held virtually for the second time, hosted by Rachel Ribison and Cody Matthew Johnson. Musical guests included the Video Game Orchestra and 88bit. The Last of Us Part II led the show with 15 nominations and eight wins, followed by Ghost of Tsushima with 14 nominations and five wins, Hades with 12 nominations and three wins, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales with 11 nominations.[ 48] [ 49] Guy Whitmore received the Lifetime Achievement Award.[ 48]
Sound Design of the Year: Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II (tie)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design: The Last of Us Part II
Best Game Foley: Ghost of Tsushima
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Hades
Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Dialogue of the Year: The Last of Us Part II
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game: Hades
Best Voice Performance: Kazuya Nakai as Jin Sakai — Ghost of Tsushima
Best Ensemble Cast Performance: The Last of Us Part II
Best Non-Humanoid Performance: Bugsnax
Best Game Audio Article or Publication: The Last of Us Part II Sound Interview — A Sound Effect
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast or Broadcast: "How to Get Hired a Second Time" by Jesse Harlin — GameSoundCon 2020
Laura Bailey won Best Performance for her role as Polina Petrova in Call of Duty: Vanguard .
Unpacking won Best Audio for an Indie Game and Best Sound Design for an Indie Game.
The twentieth annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on May 25, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the show was held virtually for the third time, hosted by Jason E. Kelley. Musical guests included 88bit and Raphael Batista. Call of Duty: Vanguard led the nominees with ten nominations,[ 50] and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart led the winners with four awards, including Audio of the Year. Leslie Ann Jones won the Lifetime Achievement Award, and G.A.N.G. vice president Sabrina Hutchinson won the Distinguished Service Award.[ 51]
Sound Design of the Year: Returnal
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Game Foley: Call of Duty: Vanguard
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Unpacking
Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Dialogue of the Year: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game: Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Best Voice Performance: Laura Bailey as Polina Petrova — Call of Duty: Vanguard
Best Ensemble Cast Performance: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Non-Humanoid Performance: Returnal
Lifetime Achievement Award: Leslie Ann Jones
Distinguished Service Award: Sabrina Hutchinson
Best Game Audio Article or Publication: Leading With Sound by Rob Bridgett
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast or Broadcast: "Returnal with Loic Couthier & Toivo Kallio" — Tonebenders Sound Design Podcast
Bear McCreary 's work on God of War Ragnarök won Music of the Year, Creative and Technical Achievement in Music, Best Original Soundtrack Album, Best Main Theme (tie), and Best Original Song.
Ashly Burch won Best Voice Performance for her role as Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West .
The 21st annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on March 23, 2023. For the first time since 2019, the ceremony returned to the Moscone Center. Submissions opened on December 17, 2022,[ 2] and nominees were announced on February 9, 2023. Paul Lipson, former G.A.N.G. president, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.[ 52] God of War Ragnarök won all 14 of its nominations, representing more than half of the awards.[ 53]
Music of the Year: God of War Ragnarök
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music: God of War Ragnarök
Best Music for an Indie Game: Moss: Book II
Best Original Soundtrack Album: God of War Ragnarök
Best Physical Soundtrack Release: Returnal (Original Soundtrack)
Best Main Theme: "God of War Ragnarök" (God of War Ragnarök ) and "Haiyue Theme" (Honor of Kings )
Best Original Song: "God of War Ragnarök" (God of War Ragnarök )
Best Game Music Cover or Remix: "Dire Dire Docks (from Super Mario 64)" (Rob Kovacs, 88bit, Rob Anderson, Save Point) and "The Final Battle" (Rozen + Reven) (tie)
Sound Design of the Year: God of War Ragnarök
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design: God of War Ragnarök
Best Game Foley: God of War Ragnarök
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Stray
Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design: God of War Ragnarök
Dialogue of the Year: God of War Ragnarök
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game: Moss: Book II
Best Voice Performance: Ashly Burch as Aloy — Horizon Forbidden West
Best Ensemble Cast Performance: Horizon Forbidden West
Lifetime Achievement Award: Paul Lipson
G.A.N.G. Recognition Award: Kevin Regamey and Matthew Marteinsson
Best Game Audio Article or Publication: The Audio Source Magazine : Women in Game Audio Edition (Fall 2022)
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast or Broadcast: Interactive Mixing: The Next Frontier in Game Audio (Loic Couthier and Rob Bridgett)
Samantha Béart won Best Voice Performance for her role as Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3 .
The 22nd Annual G.A.N.G. Awards took place on March 21, 2024, at the Moscone Center, hosted by Fran Mirabella and Morla Gorrondona.[ 54] [ 55] Nominees were announced on December 13, 2023. Steve Schnur received the Lifetime Achievement Award.[ 56] The G.A.N.G. Recognition Award was renamed the Bob Rice Recognition Award in memory of former board member Bob Rice, who died in 2023; it was awarded to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers . Star Wars Jedi: Survivor led the winners with seven awards.[ 54]
Music of the Year: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Best Music for an Indie Game: Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Best Original Soundtrack Album: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best Main Theme: Baldur's Gate 3
Best Original Song: "Adrift" (Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical )
Best Game Music Cover or Remix: "Song of Storms" (Gentle Game Lullabies, Andrea Vanzo)
Sound Design of the Year: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best Game Foley: Diablo IV
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game: Season: A Letter to the Future
Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Dialogue of the Year: Baldur's Gate 3
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game: Bramble: The Mountain King
Best Voice Performance: Samantha Béart as Karlach — Baldur's Gate 3
Best Ensemble Cast Performance: Baldur's Gate 3
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