Every year, the Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice award shows bring a bit of glitz and glamour to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. And 2017 was no different. The two back-to-back spectacles honor the most innovative and important titles of the past year, covering everything from mobile gaming and student projects to mainstream, AAA extravaganzas.
We went backstage with the winners directly after they received their awards, capturing their thoughts on the industry -- and their massive smiles.
See the full list of winners and honorees below, and check out our video for a first-hand look at GDC's biggest night.
Independent Games Festival Awards winners
- Excellence in Narrative ($3,000): Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games)
- Excellence in Audio ($3,000): GoNNER (Art in Heart)
- Excellence in Design ($3,000): Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)
- Excellence in Visual Art ($3,000): Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Nuovo Award ($5,000): Oiκοςpiel, Book I (David Kanaga)
- Best Student Game ($3,000): Un Pas Fragile (Géraud de Courrèges, Alisée Preud'homme, Gregory Parisi, Gaspard Morel)
- Audience Award ($3,000): Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Alt.Ctrl.GDC Award: Fear Sphere (New Arcade)
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($30,000): Quadrilateral Cowboy (Blendo Games)
Game Developers Choice Awards winners
- Best AR/VR Game: Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives (Owlchemy Labs)
- Best Visual Art: Inside (Playdead)
- Best Technology: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog)
- Best Narrative: Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Innovation Award: No Man's Sky (Hello Games)
- Best Mobile/Handheld Game: Pokemon Go (Niantic)
- Best Design: Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Best Debut: Campo Santo (Firewatch)
- Best Audio: Inside (Playdead)
- Audience Award: Battlefield 1 (DICE)
- Game of the Year: Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Ambassador Award: Former White House adviser Mark DeLoura
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner and Epic Games co-founder Tim Sweeney
Click here to catch up on the latest news from GDC 2017!