The Witcher 3 wins game of the year at 2016 GDC Awards

The Witcher 3, Her Story and Ori and the Blind Forest stood out among this year's GDC Award winners.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was named game of the year at the 2016 GDC Awards. The CD Projekt RED RPG was also honoured with best technology.

Having already cleaned up at the IGF Awards, Sam Barlow also walked away with three gongs for Her Story, making it the most successful title of the day. Ori and the Blind Forest also scored multiple wins, with best visual art and the best debut award for developer Moon Studios.

Best Design
Rocket League – Psyonix
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Her Story – Sam Barlow
Best Visual Art
Ori and the Blind Forest – Moon Studios
Best Narrative
Her Story – Sam Barlow
Best Audio
Crypt of the NecroDancer – Brace Yourself Games
Best Technology
The Witcher 3 – CD Projekt RED
Innovation Award
Her Story – Sam Barlow
Best Debut
Moon Studios (Ori and the Blind Forest)
Game of the Year
The Witcher 3 – CD Projekt RED

Congratulations to all winners; as you'll see from the full list of nominees, the competition was fierce.

Suring the awards presentation, Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard was honoured with a lifetime achievement award, while Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson took home a pioneer award.

A touching video tribute to late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was one of the highlights of the ceremony. Embedded below, it references some of his personal gaming projects as well as those he led, influenced and enabled, including some of Nintendo's most important innovations. It's a lovely nod to Iwata's vision of gaming: an inclusive space with a positive impact on people from all walks of life.