After losing its way with the Wii U, Nintendo has once again caught lightning in a bottle with its latest innovation in the Nintendo Switch. The console's strong start was helped in many ways by the outstanding Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game which took the familiar franchise formula and turned it on its head to craft something truly unique. It appears that the 30,000 members of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences are also pretty fond of the Switch as a number of exclusive games won big at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards last night.

Nominated for six different awards, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild cleaned up at the annual DICE Awards in Las Vegas, scoring four wins in some major categories. In addition to Outstanding Achievement In Game Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design and Adventure Game of the Year, Breath of the Wild took home the coveted award for Game of the Year, beating out some tough competition in Cuphead, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and fellow Switch title Super Mario Odyssey.

the legend of zelda breath of the wild nintendo switch review

In addition to Zelda, many other 2017 games had great nights at the award event as well. Horizon Zero Dawn, the most nominated game at the awards with 10, walked away at the end of the night with multiple wins including Outstanding Technical Achievement and Outstanding Achievement in Story. Cuphead was another big winner during the ceremony, taking home three awards for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Outstanding Achievement in Animation.

It's no coincidence that some of the biggest names end up getting nominated for these prestigious awards. Last year, Blizzard's still wildly popular shooter Overwatch took home four awards including 2016's Game of the Year. Other big games from last year's event include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Pokemon GO, DOOM, Forza Horizon 3, and Battlefield 1. With the majority of 2018 still to come, it'll be interesting to see which games end up standing out from other titles and score nominations for next year's show.

Source: Interactive.org

Check out the next page for the full list of nominees and winners from the DICE Awards 2018.

Game of the Year

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Cuphead
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  • Super Mario Odyssey

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Gorogoa
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
  • What Remains of Edith Finch

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Gorogoa
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  • Super Mario Odyssey

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • Robo Recall
  • Star Trek Bridge Crew
  • The Invisible Hours
  • Wilson's Heart 

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
  • Robo Recall
  • Space Pirate Trainer
  • Wilson's Heart 

Mobile Game of the Year

  • Fire Emblem Heroes
  • Cat Quest
  • Gorogoa
  • Monument Valley 2
  • Splitter Critters 

Handheld Game of the Year

  • Metroid: Samus Returns
  • Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
  • Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
  • Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
  • Monster Hunter Stories 

D.I.C.E. Sprite Award

  • Snipperclips
  • Everything
  • Gorogoa
  • Night in the Woods
  • Pyre

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay

  • PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Destiny 2
  • Fortnite
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands 

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

  • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
  • Endless Space 2
  • Halo Wars 2
  • Total War: Warhammer II
  • XCOM 2: War of the Chosen 

Sports Game of the Year

  • FIFA 18
  • Everybody's Golf
  • Golf Clash
  • Madden NFL 18
  • MLB The Show 17 

Role-Playing Game of the Year

  • NieR: Automata
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Middle-earth: Shadow of War
  • Persona 5
  • Torment: Tides of Numenera 

Racing Game of the Year

  • Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  • DiRT 4
  • Forza Motorsport 7
  • Gran Turismo Sport
  • Project CARS 2 

Fighting Game of the Year

  • Injustice 2
  • ARMS
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
  • Nidhogg 2
  • Tekken 7 

Family Game of the Year

  • Snipperclips
  • DropMix
  • GNOG
  • Just Dance 2018
  • SingStar Celebration

Adventure Game of the Year

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Assassin's Creed Origins
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Action Game of the Year

  • PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Cuphead
  • Destiny 2
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 

Outstanding Technical Achievement

  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Assassin's Creed Origins
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Lone Echo/Echo Arena
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

Outstanding Achievement in Story

  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Night in the Woods
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design

  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Destiny 2
  • Injustice 2
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy 

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

  • Cuphead
  • Call of Duty: WWII
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • RiME
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 

Outstanding Achievement in Character

  • Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice - Senua
  • Assassin's Creed Origins - Bayek
  • Horizon Zero Dawn - Aloy
  • Star Wars Battlefront II - Iden Versio
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Chloe Fraiser

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Cuphead
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Little Nightmares
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

  • Cuphead
  • For Honor
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Uncharted: The Lost LegacyÂ