Xbox Excellence Awards Presented for First Time, With Two GSA Winners
– 2 min read
Microsoft has presented the Xbox Excellence Awards for the first time, in four categories ranging from sales to player engagement. Two GSA companies were among the winners.
Giants Software, based in Schlieren near Zurich, has won two Xbox Excellence Awards for Farming Simulator 25. The simulation game was named a winner for both units sold on the Xbox and Microsoft Store and player engagement in the first six weeks after launch.
Publisher Plaion received an award in the Daily Active Users category for Dead Island 2, likely boosted by the game's availability on Xbox Game Pass. Also published by Plaion, Nobody Wants to Die, developed by Critical Hit Games of Poland, is one of the highest rated games in the store based on user ratings.
Microsoft: "Now, more screens than ever can be an Xbox, and those screens are lit up by the incredible portfolio of games brought to life by talented developers around the world. These teams create unforgettable gaming experiences that engage and inspire players of all ages. As a thank you to the creators of those games, and to shine a light on the games that players loved in 2024, today we're announcing the recipients of the 2024 Xbox Excellence Awards."
A total of 15 awards were presented in each of the four categories. The list of winners represents developers and publishers from 15 different countries around the world. All will receive their trophies 'shortly'. The games in the four categories are listed in alphabetical order.
Units Sold
(Top-selling content across Xbox and Microsoft stores)- 7 Days to Die - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero - Dragon's Dogma 2 - EA Sports College Football 25 - EA Sports FC 25 - EA Sports Madden NFL 25 - Farming Simulator 25 - Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - MLB The Show 24 - NBA 2K25 - NHL 25 - Palworld - Phasmophobia - Star Wars Outlaws - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - WWE 2K24
Daily Active Users
(The highest single-day active users in 2024)- Apex Legends - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Dead Island 2 - Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred - EA Sports College Football 25 - EA Sports FC 25 - Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree - Fallout 4 - Fortnite - Forza Horizon 5 - Grand Theft Auto Online - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Marvel Rivals - Minecraft - MLB The Show 24 - Palworld - Roblox - Rocket League - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl - Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Player Engagement
(Games with the highest average hours per player within the first six weeks of release)- Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Dragon's Dogma 2 - EA Sports College Football 25 - EA Sports FC 25 - F1 Manager 2024 - Farming Simulator 25 - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail - House Flipper 2 - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Metaphor: ReFantazio - MLB The Show 24 - NBA 2K25 - New World: Aeternum - NHL 25 - Path of Exile 2 - Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance - Skull and Bones - Star Wars Outlaws - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 - WWE 2K24
Store Rating
(Highest-rated content released in 2024, with a minimum of 500 Ratings)- Balatro - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Botany Manor - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Little Kitty, Big City - Lollipop Chainsaw RePop - Metaphor: ReFantazio - Nobody Wants to Die - Persona 3 Reload - Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, 2, 3 - Return to Grace - Rounds - Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance - Sonic x Shadow Generations - Still Wakes the Deep - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria - The Outlast Trials - Unicorn Overlord - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
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