'The Witcher 3' wins big, new titles revealed at The Game Awards 2015

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The 2nd annual The Game Awards rocked the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Thursday night celebrating the best video games in the industry along with new, world premiere trailers for upcoming titles.

Hosted by the show's creator Geoff Keighley, the event was live streamed online across various video game channels such as Twitch, YouTube, Playstation Network, Xbox Live, Steam and sponsor go90.

CD Projekt Red's critically acclaimed fantasy open world epic "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" won big taking home three awards for Game of the Year, Developer of the Year and Best Roleplaying Game. The title faced stiff competition from the likes of Bethesda's "Fallout 4," From Software's "Bloodborne," Konami's "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," and Nintendo's "Super Mario Maker" among others.

In a surprising unscripted moment, Keighley slammed "Metal Gear Solid V" publisher Konami after learning that series creator and celebrated game designer Hideo Kojima would not be on hand to accept the award for Best Action/Adventure Game. The game's voice actor Kiefer Sutherland accepted the award in his place.

"Mr. Kojima had every intention of being with us tonight, but unfortunately he was informed by a lawyer representing Konami just recently that he would not be allowed to travel to tonight's award ceremony to accept any awards," Keighley said referencing reports of the nasty breakup between the developer and studio following the release of "The Phantom Pain." "It's inconceivable to me that an artist like Hideo would not be allowed to come here and celebrate with his peers and his fellow teammates," Keighley said.

The night was highlighted by exclusive never-before-seen trailers for upcoming game's including "Far Cry Primal," "Star Citizen" and "Uncharted 4." As for new announcements, Telltale Games teased an upcoming Batman game for 2016.

The nights big surprise however came after renowned studio Double Fine announced that a sequel to their beloved psychic platformer "Psychonauts" would finally be developed if fans can raise $3.3 million on new crowdfunding platform Fig.

The Game Awards also took a moment to pay tribute to former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata who died in July at the age of 55. Nintendo of America president Reggie Files-Aime took the stage to reflect on Iwata's life and his many accomplishments in the gaming industry. "Mr. Iwata wanted Nintendo to be about putting smiles on people's faces," Fils-Aime said. "Nintendo at its heart is about making us feel younger than we are today."

"The man was fearless," he continued. "Remember how you felt when you first heard the word Wii.... You may have been puzzled, but he already knew. He had already heard the criticism internally, but he always championed an idea he truly believed in."

The full-list of winners and nominees in each category are as follows:

Game of the Year

WINNER: "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"
"Bloodborne"
"Fallout 4"
"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
"Super Mario Maker"

Developer of the Year

WINNER: CD Projekt Red
From Software
Kojima Productions
Nintendo
Bethesda Game Studios

Best Independent Game

"Axiom Verge"
"Her Story"
"Ori and the Blind Forest"
WINNER: Rocket League
"Undertale"

Best Mobile/Handheld Game

"Downwell"
"Fallout Shelter"
WINNER: Lara Croft Go
"Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate"
"Pac-Man 256"

Best Narrative

WINNER: "Her Story"
"Life Is Strange"
"Tales From The Borderlands"
"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"
"Until Dawn"

Best Art Direction

"Batman: Arkham Knight"
"Bloodborne"
"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
WINNER: "Ori and the Blind Forest"
"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"

Best Score/Soundtrack

"Fallout 4"
"Halo 5: Guardians"
WINNER: "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" "Ori and the Blind Forest"
"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"

Best Performance

Ashly Burch as Chloe Price ("Life is Strange")
Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft ("Rise of the Tomb Raider")
Doug Cockle as Geralt ("The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt")
Mark Hamill as The Joker ("Batman: Arkham Knight")
WINNER: Viva Seifert ("Her Story")

Games for Change Award

"Cibele" (Nina Freeman)
"Her Story" (Sam Barlow)
WINNER: "Life Is Strange" (DONTNOD Entertainment / Square Enix)
"Sunset" (Tale of Tales)
"Undertale" (tobyfox)

Best Shooter

"Call of Duty: Black Ops 3"
"Destiny: The Taken King"
"Halo 5: Guardians"
WINNER: "Splatoon"
"Star Wars Battlefront"

Best Action/Adventure Game

"Assassin's Creed Syndicate"
"Batman: Arkham Knight"
WINNER: "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain"
"Ori and the Blind Forest"
"Rise of the Tomb Raider"

Best Role Playing Game

"Bloodborne"
"Fallout 4"
"Pillars of Eternity"
WINNER: "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" "Undertale"

Best Fighting Game

"Guilty Gear Xrd"
WINNER: "Mortal Kombat X"
"Rise of Incarnates"
"Rising Thunder"

Best Family Game

"Disney Infinity 3.0"
"Lego Dimensions"
"Skylanders: SuperChargers"
"Splatoon"
WINNER: "Super Mario Maker"

Best Sports/Racing Game

"FIFA 16"
"Forza Motorsport 6"
"NBA 2K16"
"Pro Evolution Soccer 2016"
WINNER: Rocket League

Best Multiplayer

"Call of Duty: Black Ops 3"
"Destiny: The Taken King"
"Halo 5: Guardians"
"Rocket League"
WINNER: "Splatoon"

Most Anticipated Game

"Horizon Zero Dawn"
WINNER: "No Man's Sky"
"Quantum Break"
"The Last Guardian"
"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End"

Esports Player of the Year

WINNER: Kenny "KennyS" Schrub
Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok
Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer
Peter "ppd" Dager
Syed Sumail "Suma1L" Hassan

Esports Team of the Year

Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
WINNER: Optic Gaming
SK Telecom T1
Team SoloMid

Esports Game of the Year

"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare"
WINNER: "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive"
"Dota 2"
"Hearthstone"
"League of Legends"

Trending Gamer

Total Biscuit
Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles
WINNER: Greg Miller
Markiplier
PewDiePie

Best Fan Creation

"GTA V" – Targets (Hoodoo Operator)
Real "GTA" (Corridor Digital)
WINNER: "Portal" Stories: Mel (Prism Studios)
"Super Mario Maker" e-Reader Levels (Baddboy78 / theycallmeshaky)
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