Finalists announced for the 4th annual G.A.N.G. Awards

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) has announced the finalists for its fourth annual awards ceremony, which will take place in San Jose this March as part of the 2006 Game Developers Conference.

Designed to honour "outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment", the awards are voted on and judged by G.A.N.G. members and professionals within the game audio industry, and voting for the 2006 winners will close on March 5th at midnight.

Following on from its total dominance of the recent Interactive Achievements Awards, where it was nominated in twelve categories and scooped seven separate awards, Sony's action epic God of War has been nominated in nine different categories, including Audio of the Year, Best Original Soundtrack Album, Music of the Year and three separate entries for the finalists in the Best Original Vocal/Choral category.

Other notable entries include Majesco's Advent Rising, also nominated in nine categories, and Ubisoft's King Kong, which is up for six awards. The winners will be presented with their awards on March 23rd, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Live videogame music performances throughout the evening will be provided to compliment the event.

Tommy Tallarico, president and founder of G.A.N.G. commented: "Each year it amazes me how far the game audio industry has come in such a short period of time and this years entries rival anything I've ever heard in a motion picture. The G.A.N.G. Awards provide an important showcase for recognition of the amazing talent our industry has to offer."

Established in 2002 and regularly presenting its awards ceremony at the GDC since 2003, the Game Audio Network Guild is a non-profit organisation designed to promote the advancement of audio in the interactive entertainment industry. Over 1,200 members have signed up since its inception, and the membership continues to grow year-on-year.

For a full list of the 2006 finalists, and more information on G.A.N.G., its ambitions, resources and members, please visit the official website.