As reported in Variety, the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) honored the best in game audio Thursday night at the 23rd annual G.A.N.G. Awards, held at Moscone Center in San Francisco. Celebrating the industry’s most accomplished professionals, the event recognized winners across 25 categories—including music, sound design, and dialogue—for their creativity, technical excellence, and contributions to the art of game audio. Co-hosted by content creator and producer Fran Mirabella alongside voice actor Morla Gorrondona, the evening also featured standout musical performances by the TACticians from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Rob Kovacs, known as 88bit. Both artists created special arrangements highlighting music from the nominees in the “Music of the Year” and “Audio of the Year” categories. The night concluded with a celebratory afterparty sponsored by BMG and GameSoundCon.
Brian Schmidt, G.A.N.G. President, expressed his excitement for this year’s nominees, highlighting the outstanding creativity and innovation in game audio. “This past year has been nothing short of extraordinary for game audio. The talent and dedication of our community continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, delivering truly immersive and unforgettable experiences for players worldwide.”
This year, G.A.N.G. recognized Scott Gershin with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his groundbreaking contributions to game audio. Gershin, Creative Director and Supervising Sound Designer at Sound Lab, a Keywords Studio, is a pioneering force in the audio industry with over 35 years of expertise in sound supervision, sound design and mixing. An 11-time Golden Reel Award winner, Gershin has shaped the sonic landscapes of over 100 games, including iconic franchises like Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, Crash Bandicoot, and Gears of War. His work extends beyond gaming into film and streaming, contributing to over ninety films with such acclaimed projects as Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Maya and the Three, American Beauty, Shrek, Nightcrawler, Born on the Fourth of July and Pacific Rim. Gershin’s innovative storytelling through sound has earned him BAFTA nominations, Emmy recognition, and an enduring reputation as a visionary in both games and film.
Scott Gershin’s pioneering work in sound design has profoundly influenced entertainment, redefining how games and films create immersive audio experiences. Savina Ciaramella, G.A.N.G. Executive Director, emphasized Gershin’s contributions, saying, “Scott’s impact on the game audio industry is massive. His ability to craft soundscapes that heighten emotion, storytelling, and immersion has set a standard for excellence that continues to inspire students and audio professionals worldwide.”
Other notable recognition included professional audio portfolio and showcase platform ReelCrafter, who received the Distinguished Service Award. Reelcrafter has been a longstanding partner to G.A.N.G. due to their superior platform capable of handling a large volume of submissions each year.
Jenna “Jennissary” received the Bob Rice Recognition Award for her extraordinary work in accessibility for an underserved community of players with visual or cognitive impairments. A trailblazer in the accessibility space, she’s leading the industry in adding Audio Description to games by creating new writing standards, quality guidelines, and in-game features.
Audio of the Year (TIE)
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI) – WINNER/TIE
“Alan Wake 2” (2023) (Epic Games, Remedy Entertainment)
“Need for Speed Mobile” (2024) (Tencent Games, TiMi Studio Group) – WINNER/TIE
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
Best Audio for a Casual or Social Game
“Need for Speed Mobile” (2024) (Tencent Games, TiMi Studio Group) – WINNER
“DOS – Steve Pardo” (2024) (The Pardo Brothers)
“Once Human” (2024) (NetEase Games, Starry Studio)
“Beyond the World” (2024) (NetEase Games, Titan Studio)
“Call of Duty: Mobile” (2024) (Activision, TiMi Studio Group)
“Honor of Kings” (2023) (TiMi Studio Group)
Best Audio for an Indie Game
“MULLET MADJACK” (2024) (HAMMER95, Epopeia Games)
“Tales of Kenzera: ZAU” (2024) (EA Originals, Surgent Studios)
“Sorelle” (2024) (USC Games, Team Sorelle)
“The Outlast Trials” (2024) (Red Barrels) – WINNER
“Alone in the Dark” (2024) (THQ Nordic, Pieces Interactive)
“Hauntii” (2024) (Firestoke Games, Moonloop Games)
Best Audio Mix
“Alan Wake 2” (2023) (Epic Games, Remedy Entertainment)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” (2023) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (2024) (Xbox Game Studios, Ninja Theory) – WINNER
Best Cinematic & Cutscene Audio
“Asgard’s Wrath 2” (2023) (Oculus Studios, Sanzaru Games)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Alan Wake 2” (2023) (Epic Games, Remedy Entertainment)
“Honor of Kings” (2024) (TiMi Studio Group)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games) – WINNER
Best Dialogue for an Indie Game
“Tales of Kenzera: ZAU” (2024) (EA Originals, Surgent Studios)
“Alone in the Dark” (2024) (THQ Nordic, Pieces Interactive)
“The Talos Principle 2” (2023) (Devolver Digital, Croteam)
“INDIKA” (2024) (11 bit studios, Odd Meter) – WINNER
“1000xRESIST” (2024) (Fellow Traveller, sunset visitor)
Best Ensemble Cast Performance
“Still Wakes the Deep” (2024) (Secret Mode, The Chinese Room)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games) – WINNER
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (2024) (Xbox Game Studios, Ninja Theory)
“MultiVersus” (2024) (Warner Bros. Games, Player First Games)
“Alone in the Dark” (2024) (THQ Nordic, Pieces Interactive)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
Best Game Audio Article or Publication
“Game Audio Job Skills” (2024) (GameSoundCon Blog, Brian Schmidt)
“Mixing AAA Videogames” (2024) (Audio Technology, John Broomhall, Jodie Kupsco, Sonia Coronado, Alex Previty) – WINNER
“Behind the Haunting Sound of ‘Alan Wake 2’ – Huge Interview with the Audio Team at Remedy” (2023) (Asoundeffect.com, Jennifer Walden, Asbjoern Andersen)
“Sound Principles: Creative Game Audio Production and Direction” (2024) (Blurb, Rob Bridgett)
“The Theory and Practice of Writing Music for Games” (2024) (CRC Press, Steve Horowitz and Scott Looney)
Best Game Audio Presentation, Podcast, or Broadcast
“Creative Game Sound Production” (2024) (The School of Sound, Rob Bridgett, Presenter; Larry Sider, Host)
“Scoring Terror – The Music of The Outlast Trials” (2023) (GameSoundCon 2023, Tom Salta) – WINNER
“Composer Lennie Moore” (2024) (‘The Game Maker’s Notebook’, Austin Wintory)
“Breaking Down The Music of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” (2024) (AirCon 2024, Lasse Skak Ernst)
“Volker Bertelmann | Behind the Scenes of Misty Marshes | Honor of Kings Original Soundtrack” (2024) (YouTube, Volker Bertelmann/TiMi Studio Group)
Best Game Foley
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (2024) (Xbox Game Studios, Ninja Theory)
“Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” (2023) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games) – WINNER
Best Game Music Cover
“Dungeons of Dreadrock” (2023) (“Dungeons of Dreadrock”, Stuart Lloyd, Rachel Hardy)
“Stickerbush Symphony” (2024) (“Donkey Kong Country 2”, The Game Brass, Thomas Kresge)
“Beneath the Mask” (2024) (“Persona 5”, Tournament Arc, Mason Lieberman)
“Bot of War” (2024) (“Astro Bot”, Kenneth C M Young)
“Song Of Storms”- Lofi Remix (2024) (“The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time”, Gentle Game Lullabies, Andrea Vanzo, suteki) – WINNER
Best Game Trailer Audio
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios) – WINNER
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Frostpunk 2” (2024) (11 bit studios)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
Best Main Theme (TIE)
“The Lamplighters League” (2023) (Paradox Interactive, Harebrained Schemes)
“Star Wars Outlaws” (2024) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio) – WINNER/TIE
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios) – WINNER/TIE
“Frostpunk 2” (2024) (11 bit studios)
“MultiVersus” (2024) (Warner Bros. Games, Player First Games)
Best Music for an Indie Game
“The Lamplighters League” (2023) (Paradox Interactive, Harebrained Schemes)
“Tales of Kenzera: ZAU” (2024) (EA Originals, Surgent Studios)
“Frostpunk 2” (2024) (11 bit studios) – WINNER
“Hauntii” (2024) (Firestoke Games, Moonloop Games)
“For The King II” (2023) (Curve Games, IronOak Games)
Best New Original IP Audio
“Hauntii” (2024) (Firestoke Games, Moonloop Games) – WINNER
“The Star Named EOS” (2024) (PLAYISM, Silver Lining Studio)
“MULLET MADJACK” (2024) (HAMMER95, Epopeia Games)
“1000xRESIST” (2024) (Fellow Traveller, sunset visitor)
“EcoGnomix” (2024) (Untold Tales, Irox Games)
“Reverse: 1999” (2024) (Bluepoch Games Co., Ltd.)
Best Original Song
“Metal: Hellsinger (DLC) ‘Swallow The Fire’” (2023) (Funcom, The Outsiders)
“For The King II ‘For the King (End Credits)’” (2023) (Curve Games, IronOak Games)
“Star Wars Outlaws ‘This Cantina Can’t Contain Us’” (2024) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio) – WINNER
“Hauntii ‘Home to Home’” (2024) (Firestoke Games, Moonloop Games)
“Helldivers 2 ‘Super Earth National Anthem’” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
Best Original Soundtrack Album
“Frostpunk 2” (2024) (Milan Records, Sony Music Entertainment)
“Star Wars Outlaws” (2024) (Lucasfilm Ltd, Ubisoft Music) – WINNER
“The Lamplighters League” (2023) (Lakeshore Records)
“The Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU” (2024) (Lakeshore Records)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Milan Records, Sony Music Entertainment)
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game
“Cypher 007 (Chapters 2-3)” (2024) (Tilting Point LLC)
“Sorelle” (2024) (USC Games, Team Sorelle)
“The WereCleaner” (2024) (USC Games, Howlin’ Hugs)
“Ikonei Island: an Earthlock Adventure” (2023) (Jetpack Collective, The Iterative Collective, Snowcastle Games)
“The Outlast Trials” (2024) (Red Barrels) – WINNER
“UNDERDOGS” (2024) (One Hamsa)
Best UI, Reward, or Objective Sound Design
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI) – WINNER
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Delta Force” (2024) (TiMi Studio Group, Team Jade)
“What If…? – An Immersive Story” (2024) (Disney, Marvel Studios, ILM Immersive, Disney+)
“Diablo Immortal: Tempest” (2024) (Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.)
Best Voice Performance
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (2024) (Melina Juergens, Senua; Xbox Game Studios, Ninja Theory) – WINNER
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”, (2023) (Jim Pirri, Kraven; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” – (2023) (Nadji Jeter, Miles Morales; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Tony Todd, Venom; Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Claudia Doumit, Farah; Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
Creative and Technical Achievement in Music (TIE)
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI)
“Star Wars Outlaws” (2024) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio) – WINNER/TIE
“The Outlast Trials” (2024) (Red Barrels)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (2024) (SQUARE ENIX) – WINNER/TIE
Creative and Technical Achievement in Sound Design (TIE)
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Delta Force” (2024) (TiMi Studio Group, Team Jade) – WINNER/TIE
“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (2024) (SQUARE ENIX) – WINNER/TIE
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)
Dialogue of the Year
“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” (2024) (Xbox Game Studios, Ninja Theory)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games) – WINNER
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games)
“Alan Wake 2” (2023) (Epic Games, Remedy Entertainment)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
Music of the Year
“The Lamplighters League” (2023) (Paradox Interactive, Harebrained Schemes)
“Star Wars Outlaws” (2024) (Ubisoft, Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio) – WINNER
“For The King II” (2023) (Curve Games, IronOak Games)
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“The Tales Of Kenzera: Zau” (2024) (Electronic Arts, Surgent Studios)
“Frostpunk 2” (2024) (11 bit studios)
Sound Design of the Year
“ASTRO BOT” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” (2023) (Activision, Sledgehammer Games) – WINNER
“Helldivers 2” (2024) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Arrowhead Game Studios)
“Alan Wake 2” (2023) (Epic Games, Remedy Entertainment)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (2023) (Sony Interactive Entertainment, Insomniac Games)