Picture Credit: Twitter
The winners of the famous 'Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2020' have finally been announced. The results were revealed during an online streaming event held on March 7, 2021. As the gaming industry boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of unique games were rewarded for their impressive performances in the E-Sports market in the last year.
Intense competition for the big award
Ahead of the mega event, all eyes were set on the prestigious 'Game of the Year' award. Eventually, it was Animal Crossing: New Horizons which bagged the coveted prize on Sunday. The simulation game developed by Nintendo won the honors, beating the likes of other exciting games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin and The Last of Us Part II.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Success Story of 2020
In the game New Horizons, the player is in control of a customizable character as he moves to a deserted island after buying a package from Tom Nook, a famous tanuki character of the Animal Crossing series. The game takes place in real time and the player explores island doing various tasks like gathering and crafting of items, catching insects and fish etc. As the game progresses, the player develops the island into a community of anthropomorphic animals.
Nintendo's simulation game was undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories of 2020. It is now the second-highest selling game on the Nintendo Switch. The game was also a major hit commercially as it sold 31 million copies globally.
The game supposedly broke the all-time console game record for most number of digital units to be sold in a single month (5 five million copies). As per stats, it is also the 15th best-selling video game of all time
The game received a lot of critical acclaim as well, as it has a score of 90 on Metacritic currently. The game supposedly has a user base of more than 30+ million players and was a major favorite to win the award for best game.
Full list of winners - Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2020
A total of 19 awards were given in an action-packed event. Apart from New Horizons, Edelweiss' developed game Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin also grabbed a few awards.
Game of the Year - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Most Valuable Creator - Sucker Punch Productions and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons development team
Best Action-Adventure Game - Ghost of Tsushima
Best Action Game - Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Best Adventure Game - Altdeus: Beyond Chronos
Best RPG - Final Fantasy VII Remake
Best Scenario - The Last of Us Part II
Best Music - Final Fantasy VII Remake
Best Graphics - Ghost of Tsushima
WILDish Indie Award - Maneater
Best Character - Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima
Best Actor - Daisuke Tsuji (Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima)
Famitsu-Dengeki Special Award - Genshin Impact and Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa Heisei Reiwa mo Teiban
Best Online - Final Fantasy XIV
Best Indie Game - Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Best Esports Game - Apex Legends
Best Rookie - Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Best Game in China - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Best Creator in China - Hideo Kojima from Kojima Productions
The winners of all the awards were decided on the basis of a 'Japanese fan vote' that launched in 2020. The results of the last two categories were finalized after a poll conducted in China.