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Controversial crime thriller Grand Theft Auto V was among the video game winners at this year’s Golden Joystick awards.
But mystical open world role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was the big winner at the ceremony in London, picking up five wins including the ultimate game of the year crown.
Grand Theft Auto also picked up four awards, with the most recent game in the series, GTA V winning best multiplayer, best PC game and the PlayFire most played award. The introduction of a first-person view mode was also named innovation of the year.
The awards – which are now in their 33rd year – are voted for by the public, and more than nine million votes were cast in deciding this year’s winners. The Witcher was also rewarded in the storytelling, visual design, best gaming moment and developer studio of the year for the game’s creators, CD Projekt RED.
Daniel Dawkins, the gaming editor-in-chief at Future Publishing, which hosts the awards said: “In what has been an incredibly close year across all of the categories, The Witcher 3 has claimed an amazing five awards; which is testament to the quality of its staggering 150 hour duration – the same length as the box sets of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead combined – where the player’s focus rarely dips.”
Satoru Iwata, the Nintendo chief who died in July, was honoured with the lifetime achievement award.
Other winners included action role-playing title Bloodborne, which picked up best original game as well as best PlayStation game. Indie title Ori and the Blind Forest won best Xbox game as well as best audio. Paint-based shooter title Splatoon won best family game and best Nintendo game.
Most wanted game went to post-apocalyptic adventure Fallout 4, which is set to launch next month. It’s a victory that bodes well for the popular franchise, as The Witcher 3 picked up the award last year.
“This year’s Golden Joystick Awards are the most diverse yet, with AAA blockbusters and lo-fi indie games competing head-to-head, from Batman: Arkham Knight to Her Story; The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to Life is Strange,” said Mr Dawkins.
“We’re delighted that people voted in their millions to recognise the games, platforms and people they love, as this vibrant industry broadens and evolves.
“Also a special mention for our first-ever Critics’ Choice Award which was incredibly closely-contested – with the winner being decided by a single vote – but Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain united critics in praise of its imagination, depth and exemplary mechanics.”
