12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

The 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards was the 12th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2008. The awards were arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and were held at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 20, 2009. It was also held as part of the Academy's 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit, and was hosted by stand-up comedian Jay Mohr.

The award for "Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction" was introduced this year. Even though the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design" was not listed in the rules & procedures for the 12th annual awards, there were still finalists named for the category. Separate awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Story" were offered for original material and adapted material. "Downloadable Game of the Year" was not offered this year. Finalists were named for "Fighting Game of the Year" and "Casual Game of the Year" this year.

Gears of War 2 and LittleBigPlanet were tied for the most nominations, with the latter winning the most awards, including "Overall Game of the Year". Sony Computer Entertainment was the most award-winning publisher. Electronic Arts had the most nominated and award-winning games. Spore won the "Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering", while the mobile spin-off Spore Origins won "Cellular Game of the Year".

Bruce Shelley, creator of Age of Empires, was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

Winners and Nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).

Hall of Fame

 * Bruce Shelley