Animal Crossing: New Horizons Scoops Top Prize At Tokyo Game Show

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has earned the top prize at this year's Tokyo Game Show Awards. Nintendo's hit island getaway game scooped up the Game of the Year award, thanks in part to it being an easily accessible game and comforting to players in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic that spread across the world in early 2020.

"Because we were forced to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a slow-life experience in this game in which you can do everything freely became a comfort to people all over the world," a press statement explained. "Communication with close friends through the game and interaction with other players in events went beyond the bounds of a single game, and the game showed the power of entertainment from Japan, acquiring overwhelming support from many users of all ages, from children to senior citizens, in general voting, and won both the Award for Excellence and the Grand Award with unanimity."

Nintendo also won the Minister of Economy's Trade and Industry Award of the Japan Game Awards, which is given out to "an individual or organization that has made a great contribution to the growth and development of the Japanese computer entertainment software industry."

Other winners of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association excellence awards this year included 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Death Stranding, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Nioh 2, Persona 5 Royal, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Ring Fit Adventure, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare grabbed the Global Prize for Overseas Works, Baba is You won the Game Designer Prize, and Dragon Quest Walk was given the Special Ward. More Animal Crossing content is on the way from September 30 with the fall update, two big seasonal events, and another update in late November.