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D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

The D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes games "in which user directs or manipulates resources to create a set of conditions that result in success as determined within the confines of the game. These games can offer the user the chance to simulate or to virtually reproduce an experience, real or imaginary, which would require some form of equipment. Strategy games emphasize the planning of tactics rather than the execution".^[1] All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.^[2] Originally, there were separate awards for strategy games and simulation games, which simulate aspects of the real world.^[3][4]

The award's most recent winner is Dune: Spice Wars, developed and published by Shiro Games and co-published with Funcom.

History[edit]

Initially the Interactive Achievement Awards had separate awards for Computer Strategy Game of the Year and Computer Simulation Game of the Year.^[3][4] The categories would then be merged into Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year in 2008.^[1]

• Computer Strategy Game of the Year (1998—2004)
• Computer Simulation Game of the Year (1998—2004)
• Strategy Game of the Year (2005—2007)
• Simulation Game of the Year (2005—2007)
• Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year (2008—present)

There was a tie between Age of Empires and StarCraft for Computer Strategy Game of the Year at the 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

Winners and nominees[edit]

1990s[edit]

2000s[edit]

2010s[edit]

2020s[edit]

Multiple nominations and wins[edit]

Developers and publishers[edit]

Firaxis Games, as a developer, has received the most nominations and has won the most awards; Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios, as a publisher, has received the most nominations and has won the most awards. There are numerous developers with consecutive wins in this category:

• Ensemble Studios: Won Computer Strategy Game of the Year for Age of Empires II: The Age of Kingsin2000, and the expansion pack The Conquerorsin2001.
• Maxis: Won (Computer) Simulation Game of the Year for The Sims expansion packs Unleashedin2003, Superstarin2004, and the sequel The Sims 2in2005.
• EA Los Angeles: Won in 2008 with Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, and 2009 with Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.
• Firaxis Games: Won in 2013 with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and in 2014 with the expansion pack Enemy Within.
• Blizzard Entertainment: Won in 2015 with Hearthstone, and 2016 with Heroes of the Storm.

When there are separate awards for strategy games and simulation games, both Microsoft and Electronic Arts has published winners for both categories in the same year:

• Microsoft:
  • 1998: Age of Empires for strategy, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 for simulation.
  • 2000: Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings for strategy, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 for simulation.
  • 2001: Age of Empires II: The Conquerors for strategy, and MechWarrior 4: Vengeance for simulation.
• Electronic Arts:
  • 1999: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri for strategy, and Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit for simulation.
  • 2004: Command & Conquer: Generals for strategy, and The Sims: Superstar for simulation.

Microsoft is the only publisher to have back-to-back wins for both strategy and simulation categories in consecutive years (2000 and 2001). Since the merger of strategy and simulation genres into one category in 2008, four different publishers has garnered consecutive wins:

• Electronic Arts:
  • 2008: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
  • 2009: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
  • 2010: Brütal Legend
• 2K Games:
  • 2013: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
  • 2014: XCOM: Enemy Within
• Blizzard Entertainment:
  • 2015: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • 2016: Heroes of the Storm
• Xbox Game Studios:
  • 2021: Microsoft Flight Simulator
  • 2022: Age of Empires IV

Sega has published the most nominees without a win.

Franchises[edit]

All of the Sid Meier games, including the Civilization franchise, have received the most nominations for strategy/simulation games. The Sid Meier games are also tied with the Age of Empires and Microsoft Flight Simulator franchises for winning the most awards for strategy/simulation games. There have been numerous games with multiple nominations, mostly for expansion packs:

• Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings won Computer Strategy Game of the Yearin2000, and the expansion pack The Conquerors won in 2001.
• The Sims expansion packs Unleashed and Superstar won Computer Simulation Game of the Yearin2003 and 2004, respectively.
• Rise of Nations was nominated for Computer Strategy Game of the Yearin2004, and the expansion pack Rise of Legends was nominated in 2007.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II was nominated in 2010, and the expansion packs Chaos Rising and Retribution were nominated in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty won in 2011, and the expansion pack Heart of the Swarm was nominated in 2014.
• Civilization V was nominated in 2011, and the expansion pack Brave New World was nominated in 2014.
• Total War: Shogun 2 was nominated in 2012, and the expansion pack Fall of the Samurai was nominated in 2013.
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown won in 2013, and the expansion pack Enemy Within won in 2014.
• XCOM 2 was nominated in 2017, and the expansion pack War of the Chosen was nominated in 2018.

Age of Empires II, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and The Sims are the only games with back-to-back wins. The Sims franchise won a third consecutive year for Simulation Game of the Year with The Sims 2in2005. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is the only game that's been nominated three times. The Command & Conquer franchise has back-to-back wins with Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Warsin2008, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3in2009.

Notes[edit]

References[edit]