Annual Game Music Awards 2019 Nominations

The team at VGMO: Video Game Music Online are proud to present the nominations for the Annual Game Music Awards 2019. These panel-voted, officially-recognized awards provide a thorough and wide-reaching recognition of achievement in game music over the last year.

A panel of experienced and knowledgeable journalists have determined the nominations of these awards. The panelists have selected their choices by carefully considering the merit of the game music created this year — as art and entertainment, as part of in-game experiences and as part of stand-alone albums. All game music first released between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 was eligible for consideration. Games that were first released in Japan before January 1, 2019, but have since been localized were only eligible in the “Best Western Localization” category.

The eighth awards ceremony of this kind, the AGMAs are intended to celebrate achievement across the game audio industry and give recognition to the incredibly creative people working in it. While ‘best music’ and ‘best sound’ categories are featured in other video game awards, the majority of these awards only commemorate top-selling video games and overlook other often-excellent productions (e.g., import and indie soundtracks). The winners will be announced in early February.

Scores of the Year

1.1. Traditional / Acoustic
Elsinore
Ghost Giant
Sea of Solitude
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

1.2. Cinematic / Orchestral
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Code Vein
Death Stranding
Erica
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

1.3. Rock / Electronic / Hybrid
Devil May Cry 5
Katana Zero
Oninaki
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Team Sonic Racing

1.4. Retro/Synth
Dicey Dungeons
Earthnight
River City Girls
Sparklite
Tangledeep: Legend of Shara

1.5. Western Localization
Caravan Stories
CRYSTAR
Etrian Odyssey Nexus
God Eater 3
SaGa: Scarlet Grace Ambitions

1.6. Fan Favorite
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Devil May Cry 5
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Sayonara Wild Hearts

1.7. Writers’ Choice
Eastshade
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Indivisible
Wargroove

1.8. Score of the Year 2019
To be selected from pool of winners in above categories

Artists of the Year

2.1. Japanese Composer
Go Shiina (CODE VEIN, God Eater 3)
Hiroki Kikuta (Indivisible)
Keiki Kobayashi (Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown)
Masayoshi Soken (Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers)
Yuka Kitamura (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)

2.2. Western Composer
Guy Jackson (Sea of Solitude)
Jesper Kyd (Borderlands 3)
Ludvig Forssell (Death Stranding)
Oliver Deriviere (Greedfall, Plague: An Innocence Tale)
Will Roget (Mortal Kombat 11)

2.3. Independent Composer
Adam Gubman (Elsinore)
Ari Pulkkinen (Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince)
Chipocrite (Earthnight)
Megan McDuffee (River City Girls)
Tee Lopes (Team Sonic Racing)

2.4. Newcomer/Breakthrough
Andrew Prahlow (Outer Wilds)
British Sea Power (Disco Elysium)
Jay Tholen (Hypnospace Outlaw)
Joseph Bailey (Devil Engine)
Satoshi Igarashi (Astral Chain)

2.5. Soloist
Ali Edwards (Vocals: Devil May Cry 5)
Devin Mooers (Shakuhachi: Eastshade)
Jenny Plant (Vocals: Death Stranding)
Laura Custodio Sabas (Violin: Sea of Solitude)
Stella Angelika (Vocal: Sea of Solitude)

2.6. Ensemble
Bortre Rymden (Ghost Giant)
F.A.M.E.’s Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra (Erica)
Manabe Strings (Oninaki, Code Vein)
Nashville Scoring Orchestra (Days Gone, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne)
Orchestre national d’Île-de-France (Greedfall)

2.7. Artist of the Year 2019
To be selected from pool of winners in above categories

Audio of the Year

3.1. In-Game Music
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Cadence of Hyrule
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Hypnospace Outlaw
Outer Wilds

3.2. Main Theme
CODE VEIN (Main Theme) (CODE VEIN)
Darksiders Genesis Main Theme (Darksiders Genesis)
Days Gone (Days Gone)
Katana ZERO (Katana ZERO)
ONINAKI (Oninaki)

3.3. Vocal Theme
Amber Journey (CODE VEIN)
BB’s Theme (Death Stranding)
Devil Trigger (Devil May Cry 5)
Rainbow Summer (Atelier Ryza)
Shadowbringers (Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers)

3.4 Instrumental Theme
A Final Waltz (Death Stranding)
Discover the Past (Sea of Solitude)
Farewell (Celeste: Farewell)
Fódlan Winds (from Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
The Tiffmoor Bluffs (Eastshade)

3.5. Audio of the Year 2019
To be selected from pool of winners in above categories

Albums of the Year

4.1. Soundtrack CD
CRYSTAR Sakuzyo Complete Soundtrack
Kirby Star Allies Original Soundtrack
ONINAKI ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
SHADOWBRINGERS: FINAL FANTASY XIV Original Soundtrack
Skies of Arcadia Eternal Soundtrack

4.2. Official Arranged Album
Alchemy of Sounds ~Atelier Arranged Tracks~
Hollow Knight Piano Collections
Octopath Traveler Arrangements –Break and Boost–
R4 –The 20th Anniv. Sounds–
SQUARE ENIX ACOUSTIC ARRANGEMENTS

4.3. Fan-Arranged Album 
Disclaimer: While some of our writers are involved in the fan remix community, those writers are not involved in the nomination or voting in this category.

Chamber Works: NieR Automata
Club Ocarina: An EDM Tribute to the Legend of Zelda
Cross Symphonic – A Symphonic Tribute to Chrono Cross
EIDOLON: Music From Final Fantasy IX
Mother Fucking Earthbound

4.4. Chiptune Album
Ai o yorokobu machi (English Translation: Town That Delights in Love) – Chroma
Klingsardry – Kplecraft
Magnetosphere – Guérin
Moon – Wool Pool
[USA] – Anamanaguchi

4.5. Original Album
Bound Together: An RPG–Inspired Journey – Chris Porter
Kuabee Music – Jukio Kallio
Oneknowing – Lena Raine
PIRAMIRiSE – Various Artists
TUNED SCAPE – Hiroto Saitoh

4.6. Album of the Year 2019
To be selected from pool of winners in above categories

Organizations of the Year

5.1. Music Studio
BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc.
Capcom Sound Team
KOEI TECMO GAMES GUST Brand
Noisycroak Studios
SEGA Sound Team

5.2. Record Label
Disclaimer: Once again, while some of our writers have worked with record labels we considered or nominated, those writers are not involved in the nomination or voting in this category.

noisycroak Records
Scarlet Moon Records
Suleputer
Supersweep
Wayo Records

5.3. Organisation of the Year 2019
To be selected from pool of winners in above categories

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 16, 2020.

Tags: AGMA, Awards

About the Author

Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.

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