After it was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, SXSW is coming back next month as an online event (simply named SXSW Online). As such, the organizers have announced the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards and the nominees for the 12 categories.

This year, SXSW is partnering with IGN to produce the awards show, which is being presented by Discord and broadcast live on Saturday, March 20th at 7pm CT / 8pm ET / 5pm PT and March 21st at 1am GMT. People can watch the show via SXSW Online, IGN's website, SXSW's Twitch page, or IGN's Twitch page.

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There are 43 nominees across the 12 categories and the public can already begin voting for them on SXSW's website. Voting will close on Tuesday, February 23rd so people only have a week to make sure their choice gets a shot at winning, though winners will be determined by a weighted total between public voting and staff and advisory board input.

The biggest one is obviously the Game of the Year award, but there are technically four categories to cover this - Video Game of the Year, Indie Game of the Year, Tabletop Game of the Year, and VR Game of the Year. This way, less mainstream titles like Ikenfell and Deep Rock Galactic don't have to compete against the likes of The Last of Us 2.

Yes, unsurprisingly, The Last of Us 2 is a nominee for Video Game of the Year, as well as Excellence in Narrative and the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award, which is given to the game that best challenges the "norm" of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay. The Last of Us 2 utterly swept the Game Awards 2020 in December, taking home seven of them, including Game of the Year and Best Narrative.

While many would argue that it deserved each and every one of them, there were possibly just as many that strongly disagreed and even accused host Geoff Keighley of being biased. The game's only up for three categories this time but, if it does manage to win all three, it wouldn't be surprising if that led to another wave of backlash as well (something this game seems incapable of avoiding).

It does have some stiff competition, though, especially for the Video Game of the Year award. The other nominees are Doom Eternal, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. All of these are arguably just as deserving of the award; Hades in particular has dominated social media since its launch, so it's possible that one of them will take home the gold.

The full list of nominees can be found below:

Video Game of the Year

• Doom Eternal
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Last of Us 2

Indie Game of the Year

• Bugsnax
• Cloudpunk
• Crown Trick
• Deep Rock Galactic
• Huntdown
• Ikenfell
• Monster Sanctuary
• Raji: An Ancient Epic
• Risk of Rain 2
• The Last Campfire

Tabletop Game of the Year

• Calico
• Fort
• Oceans
• The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
• The Search for Planet X

VR Game of the Year

• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
• Star Wars: Squadrons
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award

• Astro's Playroom
• Dreams
• If Found...
• Tell Me Why
• The Last of Us 2

Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Cloudpunk
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Excellence in Game Design

• Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
• Desperados 3
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Watch Dogs: Legion

Excellence in Score

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Doom Eternal
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Trials of Mana

Excellence in Multiplayer

• Deep Rock Galactic
• Huntdown
• Risk of Rain 2
• Star Wars: Squadrons
• Valorant

Excellence in Narrative

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Immortals Fenyx Rising
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• The Last of Us 2

Excellence in Audio Design

• Bugsnax
• Doom Eternal
• Observer: System Redux
• Star Wars: Squadrons
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Excellence in Technical Achievement

• Astro's Playroom
• Dreams
• Genshin Impact
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

MORE: The Last of Us 2 Has More Game of the Year Awards Than Any Other Game in History

Source: SXSW