“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II” and “God of War” are among the nominees at the 21st annual Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) awards.
The nominees span 26 categories that range from music to sound design and dialogue. The awards ceremony will take place in person for the first time since 2019 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on March 23.
Former G.A.N.G. president Paul Lipson will receive the lifetime achievement award. Serving as the SVP of interactive worldwide at Formosa Group, Lipson is an industry veteran in interactive entertainment with first and third-party game credits including “God of War,” “The Last of Us,” “Halo” and “Call of Duty.”
“I’m honored and thrilled to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award from an organization that I have championed and an industry that I have called home for over twenty-five years,” said Lipson in a statement. “The excellence and impact of the past recipients is staggering, and it is humbling to stand with them during this landmark time in gaming and interactive entertainment.”
Voting begins Feb. 10 and ends Feb. 21.
See the full list of nominees below.
Audio of the Year
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
The Callisto Protocol (Striking Distance Studios, Krafton)
Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly, Creative Assembly)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Audio for a Casual or Social Game
Call of Duty: Mobile (TiMi Studio Group, Activision)
Disney Mirrorverse (Kabam, Inc., Disney Games)
The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me (Supermassive Games, Bandai Namco)
Hearthstone: March of the Lich King (Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment)
Honor of Kings (TiMi L1 Studio, Tencent Games)
Apex Legends Mobile (LightSpeed Studios / Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts)
Best Audio for an Indie Game
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Trek To Yomi (Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog, Devolver Digital)
You Suck At Parking (Happy Volcano, Happy Volcano)
HEROish (Sunblink Entertainment, Sunblink Entertainment)
No Place For Bravery (Glitch Factory, Ysbryd Games)
Tunic (Andrew Shouldice, Finji)
Best Audio Mix
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Overwatch 2 (Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment)
Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly, Creative Assembly)
metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
Best Cinematic and Cutscene Audio
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, (Bungie, Bungie)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity WardActivision)
Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly Creative Assembly)
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game
Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox, Devolver Digital)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Elex 2 (Piranha Bytes, THQ Nordic)
Asterigos: Curse of the Stars (Acme Gamestudio, tinyBuild)
Corpse Factory (River Crow Studios, River Crow Studios)
Best Ensemble Cast Performance
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)(Infinity Ward, Activision)
Marvel’s Midnight Suns (Firaxis Games, 2K)
WYLDE FLOWERS (Studio Drydock, Studio Drydock)
Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly, Creative Assembly)
Best Game Audio Article or Publication
The Audio Source Magazine – Women in Game Audio Edition – Fall 2022
A Sound Effect – Dying Light 2 Stay Human
A Sound Effect – Return to Monkey Island
A Sound Effect – Stray
Behind the Glass – Creating the Immersive Game Environment Through Foley
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast or Broadcast
Returnal: The Sound of an Alien World (Housemarque, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Interactive Mixing: The Next Frontier in Game Audio (PlayStation Studios – Creative Arts – SoundSony Interactive Entertainment)
Trek to Yomi (GameSoundCon, Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog, Devolver Digital)
Dolby Institute Podcast: Leading with Sound, Rob Bridgett (Dolby Institute, Dolby)
Weapon Sound Design with Unreal Audio Engine metaSounds (Gustav Rathsman, SweejTech, Epic)
Best Game Foley
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
The Callisto Protocol (Striking Distance Studios, Krafton)
The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me (Supermassive Games, Bandai Namco)
Best Game Music Cover or Remix
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, Nintendo)
Animal Crossing Medley (Mikel Dale, Mikel Dale (self-published))
The Final Battle (Elden Ring Soundtrack) (Rozen + Reven, Mecha Dream Records)
Brass Effect (The Game Brass, The Game Brass)
South of the Circle (State of Play, State of Play/11 Bit Studios)
Frostpunk (11 Bit studios, 11 Bit Studios)
Best Game Trailer Audio
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Magic: The Gathering – Dawn of the Phyrexian Invasion – Official Cinematic Trailer – Dominaria United | The Brothers’ War (Wizards of the Coast, Wizards of the Coast)
League of Legends (Riot Games, Riot Games)
The Callisto Protocol (Striking Distance Studios, Krafton)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Hades 2 TGA Reveal Trailer (Supergiant Games, Supergiant Games)
Best Main Theme
League of Legends (Riot Games, Riot Games)
God of War Ragnarök: Main Theme (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Honor of Kings – Haiyue Theme (TiMi Studio Group, Tencent Games)
Elden Ring – “Elden Ring” (Tsukasa Saitoh) (From Software, Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Best Music for an Indie Game
Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox, Devolver Digital)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half MermaidHalf Mermaid)
Potionomics (Voracious Games, xSeed Games)
Card Shark (Nerial, Devolver Digital)
Trek To Yomi (Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog, Devolver Digital)
Best New Original IP Audio
metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
The Callisto Protocol (Striking Distance Studios, Krafton)
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment)
Cosmonious High (Owlchemy Labs, Owlchemy Labs)
You Suck At Parking (Happy Volcano, Happy Volcano)
Wylde Flowers (Studio Drydock, Apple / Studio Drydock)
Tunic (Andrew Shouldice, Finji)
Best Original Song
God of War Ragnarök: “Blood Upon the Snow” (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Horizon Forbidden West – “In the Flood” (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Guild Wars 2: “End of Dragons” (ArenaNet, Inc. NCSOFT)
Floodland (Vile Monarch, Ravenscourt)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Bayonetta 3 – “We Are as One” (Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Rachel Hawnt) (Platinum Games, Nintendo)
Best Original Soundtrack Album
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Potionomics (Voracious Games, xSeed Games)
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft)
Floodland (Vile Monarch, Ravenscourt)
metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Bungie, Bungie)
In Nightmare (Magic Fish Studio, Maximum Games)
Sonic Frontiers: Stillness & Motion (Sonic Team, Sega)
Best Physical Soundtrack Release
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Original Soundtrack) (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Trek To Yomi (Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog, Laced Records, Devolver Digital)
Returnal (Original Soundtrack) (Housemarque, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe / Milan Records, a label of Sony Music Entertainment)
Syberia: The World Before (Decca, Decca)
Astro’s Playroom (Team ASOBI, Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan)
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
HEROish (Sunblink Entertainment, Sunblink Entertainment)
No Place For Bravery (Glitch Factory, Ysbryd Games)
Broken Edge (Trebuchet, Fast Travel Games)
Stray (Blue Twelve Studio, Annapurna Interactive)
Best UI, Reward or Objective Sound Design
Overwatch 2 (Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Disney Mirrorverse (Kabam, Inc., Disney Games)
No Place For Bravery (Glitch Factory, Ysbryd Games)
Splatoon 3 (Nintendo EPD, Nintendo)
Best Voice Performance
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Apex Legends Season 15: Eclipse (Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Bayonetta 3 (Platinum Games, Nintendo)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
Immortality (Sam Barlow / Half Mermaid, Half Mermaid)
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Total War: Warhammer III (Creative Assembly, Creative Assembly)
Dying Light 2 (Techland, Techland)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Blackbird Interactive, Focus Entertainment)
metal: Hellsinger (The Outsiders, Funcom)
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Bungie, Bungie)
Dying Light 2 (Techland, Techland)
Dialogue of the Year
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Bungie, Bungie)
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
Moss: Book II (Polyarc, Polyarc)
Music of the Year
Return to Monkey Island (Terrible Toybox, Devolver Digital)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft)
metal: Hell singer (The Outsiders, Funcom)
Jurassic World Primal Ops (Behaviour Interactive, Behaviour Interactive)
Potionomics (Voracious Games, xSeed Games)
Sound Design of the Year
Horizon Forbidden West (Guerrilla, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) (Infinity Ward, Activision)
The Callisto Protocol (Striking Distance Studios, Krafton)
metal: Hell singer (The Outsiders, Funcom)
