The nominees for the 2021 Annual Game Developers Choice Awards were announced today. They include huge hitters like The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and more.

The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Half-Life: Alyx were all nominated for Game of the Year. The Last of Us Part 2, Hades, and Ghost of Tsushima, are all tied for the most nominations this year, with six each.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/21/hades-igns-2020-game-of-the-year"]

The GDCAs will be available to stream on July 21 at 4:30 PM PST for any Game Developers Conference 2021 pass-holders. GDC, now in its 35th year, is all-digital for a second year in a row from July 19 - 23. The 2020 Game Developers Conference was one of last year’s first games industry events to be canceled due to concerns regarding COVID-19, with most companies pulling their participation.

Any game released in 2020, regardless of platform or medium, was eligible for nomination this year, which is why you'll see Kentucky Route Zero (which started in early 2013) nominated for 2020's best narrative. Nominees and winners are chosen by the International Choice Awards Network, a group of game developers from various parts of the industry.

Read on for nominees for other categories.

BEST AUDIO

Hades (Supergiant Games)

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)

Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST DEBUT

Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)

Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital)

Carrion (Phobia Game Studio / Devolver Digital)

Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry / Playstack)

Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games / Super!Com)

BEST DESIGN

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Hades (Supergiant Games)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)

Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

INNOVATION AWARD

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)

Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic / Devolver Digital)

Hades (Supergiant Games)

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BEST MOBILE GAME

The Pathless (Giant Squid / Annapurna Interactive)

Genshin Impact (miHoYo)

Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo / PID Publishing)

If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)

BEST NARRATIVE

Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)

Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)

Hades (Supergiant Games)

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

BEST TECHNOLOGY

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)

BEST VISUAL ART

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Hades (Supergiant Games)

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit)

Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)

BEST VR/AR GAME

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)

Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)

Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios / Electronic Arts)

GAME OF THE YEAR

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)

The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)

Hades (Supergiant Games)

Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and boy does he miss GDC.

Today, Apple announced AirTags, a keychain-sized locator tag that uses the Find My network. Similar to Tile Tracker, Apple AirTags use Bluetooth to give you an easy way to locate your keys, bag, or whatever else you attach a tracker to. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-airtag&captions=true"] AirTags have IP67 water and dust resistance, Siri support, and more than a year of battery life. That battery is also user-replaceable. AirTags will be available starting April 30 for $29 each or $99 for a 4-pack. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-spring-loaded-event&captions=true"]  

Today, Apple announced AirTags, a keychain-sized locator tag that uses the Find My network. Similar to Tile Tracker, Apple AirTags use Bluetooth to give you an easy way to locate your keys, bag, or whatever else you attach a tracker to. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-airtag&captions=true"] AirTags have IP67 water and dust resistance, Siri support, and more than a year of battery life. That battery is also user-replaceable. AirTags will be available starting April 30 for $29 each or $99 for a 4-pack. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-spring-loaded-event&captions=true"]  

Apple has announced a new set top box with the latest Apple TV 4K. The new Apple TV 4K is powered by a much newer A12 chip for a significant boost in graphics performance, video decoding, and audio processing. With the new A12 Bionic chip, the Apple TV 4K now support high-frame rate HDR and Dolby Vision video, which basically means you'll be able to play more HDR video at 60 fps from streaming services like NBCUniversal, Fox Sports, Paramount+, Red Bull TV, and Canal+. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max users will also be able to display full 60fps Dolby Vision videos from their new Apple TV 4K as well. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-tv-4k-2021&captions=true"] The Apple TV 4K also has a new color calibration feature that has users place their iPhones onto their TV. From there the phone's light sensor measures how your screen displays color and contrast. Your iPhone will then report feedback to the Apple TV and adjust the picture to give you a correctly tuned picture all without having to manually adjust your picture settings. What's more, the new Apple TV 4K comes with an all-new Siri Remote with a click wheel – oh yes, it's back! Moving away from the touchscreen remote included with the previous Apple TV 4K, Apple promises users will be able to accurately scrub through what their watching by gliding their finger around the ring. Plus, you can still swipe around the circular touch surface and use it like the old remote. And if you're wondering if you could just buy the remote itself, it will work with the original Apple TV 4K and regular Apple TV, and Apple plans to sell it separately for $59. The new Apple TV will retail for $179 with 32GB of storage and $199. The Apple TV 4K will be available for order on April 30 and release in the second half of May 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-spring-loaded-event&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Apple has announced a new set top box with the latest Apple TV 4K. The new Apple TV 4K is powered by a much newer A12 chip for added performance. Apple gave an example that the new chip will help drive high-frame rate HDR video. Although we have yet to see much high-frame rate video come to movies and TV shows, it may become the norm for sports one day especially with all the latest 4K TVs almost all being 120Hz panels. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-tv-4k-2021&captions=true"] The Apple TV 4K also has a new color calibration feature that has users overlay their phone over their TV and from there the phone will monitor how your screen displays color and adjust the picture to you a correctly tuned picture. What's more, the new Apple TV 4K comes with a clickwheel – oh yes, it's back! Moving away from the touchscreen remote included with the previous Apple TV 4K, Apple promises users will be able to accurately scrub through what their watching. The new Apple TV will retail for $179 with 32GB of storage and $199. The Apple TV 4K will be available for preorder on April 30 and release in the second half of May 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apple-spring-loaded-event&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

After months and months of waiting, Ted Lasso's second season finally has a premiere date — July 23rd. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the news during an event today. The comedy is one of Apple TV+'s more popular shows, following Jason Sudeikis' Coach Ted Lasso as he heads across the pond to coach a Premier League soccer team. The series has earned a number of award nominations for its first season, including Best Ensemble from the Screen Actors Guild. Sudeikis won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy back in February. On top of the date announcement, Apple also debuted a trailer for the second season. Fans will appreciate seeing Ted back on the pitch with his team of misfits, including Roy Kent, Dani Rojas, Keely Jones, and his boss, Rebecca. The trailer also promises more of what Ted Lasso fans love — optimism, heart, and soon-to-be-classic one-liners. You can watch the trailer below.

Season 2. July 23. Kindness is making a comeback. #TedLasso

Catch up on Season 1, exclusively on Apple TV+ https://t.co/i2YaFnPLjZ pic.twitter.com/7KN3TMipJ9 — Apple TV (@AppleTV) April 20, 2021

  Apple TV+ is Apple's streaming service. It costs $4.99 a month, but customers who purchase new Apple products can get a year free.

After months and months of waiting, Ted Lasso's second season finally has a premiere date — July 23rd. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the news during an event today. The comedy is one of Apple TV+'s more popular shows, following Jason Sudeikis' Coach Ted Lasso as he heads across the pond to coach a Premier League soccer team. The series has earned a number of award nominations for its first season, including Best Ensemble from the Screen Actors Guild. Sudeikis won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy back in February. On top of the date announcement, Apple also debuted a trailer for the second season. Fans will appreciate seeing Ted back on the pitch with his team of misfits, including Roy Kent, Dani Rojas, Keely Jones, and his boss, Rebecca. The trailer also promises more of what Ted Lasso fans love — optimism, heart, and soon-to-be-classic one-liners. You can watch the trailer below.

Season 2. July 23. Kindness is making a comeback. #TedLasso

Catch up on Season 1, exclusively on Apple TV+ https://t.co/i2YaFnPLjZ pic.twitter.com/7KN3TMipJ9 — Apple TV (@AppleTV) April 20, 2021

  Apple TV+ is Apple's streaming service. It costs $4.99 a month, but customers who purchase new Apple products can get a year free.

Jeff Kaplan, the director of Overwatch, has announced he is leaving Blizzard Entertainment after nearly 20 years with the company. In a personal message, Kaplan announced his departure from Blizzard Entertainment after 19 years. You can read his full letter below.

Greetings, Overwatch Community, I am leaving Blizzard Entertainment after 19 amazing years. It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience. I want to express my deep appreciation to everyone at Blizzard who supported our games, our game teams and our players. But I want to say a special thanks to the wonderful game developers that shared in the journey of creation with me. Never accept the world as it appears to be. Always dare to see it for what it could be. I hope you do the same. GG, Jeffrey Kaplan

Development on Overwatch 2 will continue with assistant director Aaron Keller taking over as the new director on the sequel. Keller previously worked with Kaplan on World of Warcraft. “Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him,” Keller writes in a letter to the community. “I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=overwatch-2-rome-and-new-york-maps-screenshots&captions=true"]

Kaplan joined Blizzard in 2002 where he started as a designer on World of Warcraft, developing quests for the upcoming MMORPG. He eventually was credited as a game director on WoW. In 2009, Kaplan spearheaded an unannounced project at Blizzard called Titan, a first-person shooter game. Unfortunately, Titan never came together and was officially canceled in 2014. However, Kaplan and members of the Titan team took ideas from the game and redesigned them into a team-based hero shooter now known as Overwatch. Overwatch has been incredibly successful since its launch. With over 50 million players and numerous Game of the Year awards, Overwatch helped reinvigorate the hero shooter genre. Overwatch also spawned off its own dedicated esports series the Overwatch League which spearheaded city-based teams mirroring traditional sports leagues. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/overwatch-2-announcement-trailer"] Blizzard is also developing the sequel Overwatch 2, a game designed to introduce a single-player component that fleshes out the beloved heroes of Overwatch. Though new PvP maps and heroes will still be released for both Overwatch 1 and 2. As for the future of Overwatch 2, you can read Keller’s full letter below:

Greetings, Overwatch Community, Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him. I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward. I love Overwatch. From our first pieces of concept art, to the first maps we built, to the first time I was able to run around as Tracer (who at that early point shot laser beams out of her eyes), this game has just clicked with me. I love its inspiring, hopeful, beautiful world worth fighting for. I love its characters—larger than life, colorful, powerful, and global. And most of all, I love the fast, fluid gameplay requiring teamwork, situational awareness, and quick decision making. I also recognize that making games at Blizzard has always been a group effort and never about just one point of view. Together with the rest of the team I feel fortunate that we have a deep bench of development and creative leaders, numerous veteran Blizzard artists and designers, and some extremely talented new blood as well—along with tons of support throughout the company for the live game and for Overwatch 2. Speaking of Overwatch 2, development is continuing at a good pace. We have an exceptional vision we’re executing on, the reaction from many of you to the updates we shared at BlizzConline thrilled us, and we have exciting reveals planned for this year and beyond as we ramp to launch. We’ll be sharing more frequent updates about Overwatch 2 progress and new features in the live game with you all very soon. While I have no pretenses about filling Jeff’s shoes, I’m excited to step into the game director role and continue to be part of a team that’s putting all of its heart, talent, and focus into the next iteration of Overwatch, and I’m honored to continue serving this incredible community. -Aaron

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor

Jeff Kaplan, the director of Overwatch, has announced he is leaving Blizzard Entertainment after nearly 20 years with the company. In a personal message, Kaplan announced his departure from Blizzard Entertainment after 19 years. You can read his full letter below.

Greetings, Overwatch Community, I am leaving Blizzard Entertainment after 19 amazing years. It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience. I want to express my deep appreciation to everyone at Blizzard who supported our games, our game teams and our players. But I want to say a special thanks to the wonderful game developers that shared in the journey of creation with me. Never accept the world as it appears to be. Always dare to see it for what it could be. I hope you do the same. GG, Jeffrey Kaplan

Development on Overwatch 2 will continue with assistant director Aaron Keller taking over as the new director on the sequel. Keller previously worked with Kaplan on World of Warcraft. “Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him,” Keller writes in a letter to the community. “I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=overwatch-2-rome-and-new-york-maps-screenshots&captions=true"]

Kaplan joined Blizzard in 2002 where he started as a designer on World of Warcraft, developing quests for the upcoming MMORPG. He eventually was credited as a game director on WoW. In 2009, Kaplan spearheaded an unannounced project at Blizzard called Titan, a first-person shooter game. Unfortunately, Titan never came together and was officially canceled in 2014. However, Kaplan and members of the Titan team took ideas from the game and redesigned them into a team-based hero shooter now known as Overwatch. Overwatch has been incredibly successful since its launch. With over 50 million players and numerous Game of the Year awards, Overwatch helped reinvigorate the hero shooter genre. Overwatch also spawned off its own dedicated esports series the Overwatch League which spearheaded city-based teams mirroring traditional sports leagues. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/overwatch-2-announcement-trailer"] Blizzard is also developing the sequel Overwatch 2, a game designed to introduce a single-player component that fleshes out the beloved heroes of Overwatch. Though new PvP maps and heroes will still be released for both Overwatch 1 and 2. As for the future of Overwatch 2, you can read Keller’s full letter below:

Greetings, Overwatch Community, Jeff’s been a great leader, mentor, and friend, and he knows how much we’re going to miss him. I’ve been lucky to work alongside him and the rest of the Overwatch team for many years in building something that continues to inspire people all around the world, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward. I love Overwatch. From our first pieces of concept art, to the first maps we built, to the first time I was able to run around as Tracer (who at that early point shot laser beams out of her eyes), this game has just clicked with me. I love its inspiring, hopeful, beautiful world worth fighting for. I love its characters—larger than life, colorful, powerful, and global. And most of all, I love the fast, fluid gameplay requiring teamwork, situational awareness, and quick decision making. I also recognize that making games at Blizzard has always been a group effort and never about just one point of view. Together with the rest of the team I feel fortunate that we have a deep bench of development and creative leaders, numerous veteran Blizzard artists and designers, and some extremely talented new blood as well—along with tons of support throughout the company for the live game and for Overwatch 2. Speaking of Overwatch 2, development is continuing at a good pace. We have an exceptional vision we’re executing on, the reaction from many of you to the updates we shared at BlizzConline thrilled us, and we have exciting reveals planned for this year and beyond as we ramp to launch. We’ll be sharing more frequent updates about Overwatch 2 progress and new features in the live game with you all very soon. While I have no pretenses about filling Jeff’s shoes, I’m excited to step into the game director role and continue to be part of a team that’s putting all of its heart, talent, and focus into the next iteration of Overwatch, and I’m honored to continue serving this incredible community. -Aaron

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor

Popular PC-focused e-retailer Newegg is celebrating #DogeDay by announcing that it is now accepting the cryptocurrency Dogecoin as an official payment method. In 2014, Newegg was the first major e-retailer to accept Bitcoin for purchases on its platform, and it has now become one of the first to allow Dogecoin to be used by customers when shopping online. If you wish to purchase something on Newegg.com with Dogecoin, all you have to do is click "Edit" in the payment section on the checkout page and select BitPay. This will allow you to complete your transaction using Dogecoin held in your digital wallet. “The excitement and momentum around cryptocurrency are undeniable, and the recent surge in Dogecoin value underscores the need to make it easier for customers to make purchases with this popular cryptocurrency,” said Andrew Choi, Sr. Brand Manager of Newegg. “We’re committed to making it easy for our customers to shop however works best for them, and that means letting them complete transactions with the payment method that suits them best. To that end, we’re happy to give Dogecoin fans an easy way to shop online for tech.” Dogecoin was initially released in 2013 and features the face of the Shiba Inu dog from the "Doge" meme for its logo. Dogecoin has seen an 8,000% price surge this year and is currently the fifth-largest cryptocurrency. While it may have started off as a bit of a joke, it now has a market capitalization above $50 billion, as reported by Reuters. This impressive performance has been helped along by many on the internet, including Elon Musk, who want to see its value skyrocket and send "Dogecoin to the moon." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/01/17/bitcoin-101-everything-you-need-to-know"] Fans have also been using the hashtags #DogeDay and #DogeDay420 in attempt to make April 20 the informal Dogecoin day, which is very much inline with Dogecoin's satirical beginnings. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.