The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) announced the finalists for the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which will be held at Rain in the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, March 4, 2004. Leading the finalists was Electronic Arts with 29, followed closely by Ubisoft and Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) with 23 and 21 finalists respectively. The Academy will present awards in 36 craft, console, computer and online categories, including an overall "Game of the Year" and Game of the Year honors in various genres, as well as the prestigious Hall of Fame Award.

"We are looking forward to recognizing truly outstanding achievement in videogames at our 7th Annual Awards event," said Gordon Bellamy, exec director of the AIAS. "The developers and publishers who will be honored at this event have helped to establish the videogame industry as the fastest growing form of entertainment throughout the world."

Below is a complete list of the nominees. Each game is followed by the developer then publisher – if only one company is listed then they served as both developer and publisher.

Game of the Year
COMMAND & CONQUER: GENERALS (Electronic Arts)
CALL OF DUTY (Infinity Ward, Activision)
MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar)
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
RATCHET & CLANK: GOING COMMANDO (Insomniac, SCEA)
RISE OF NATIONS (Big Huge Games, Microsoft)
SSX 3 (EA Canada, Electronic Arts)
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Bioware, LucasArts)
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER (Nintendo)

PC Game of the Year
COMMAND & CONQUER: GENERALS (Electronic Arts)
CALL OF DUTY (Infinity Ward, Activision)
MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar)
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
RISE OF NATIONS (Big Huge Games, Microsoft)
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Bioware, LucasArts)

Console Game of the Year
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
RATCHET & CLANK: GOING COMMANDO (Insomniac, SCEA)
SSX 3 (EA Canada, Electronic Arts)
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Bioware, LucasArts)
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER (Nintendo)

Innovation in PC Gaming
CALL OF DUTY (Infinity Ward, Activision)
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
RISE OF NATIONS (Big Huge Games, Microsoft)
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Bioware, LucasArts)
TRON 2.0 (Monlith Studios, Buena Vista)

Innovation in Console Gaming
EYE TOY (SCEA)
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
SSX 3 (EA Canada, Electronic Arts)
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Bioware, LucasArts)
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER (Nintendo)

Console Action/Adventure
CRIMSON SKIES: HIGH ROAD TO REVENGE (FASA Studios, Microsoft)
SIMPSONS HIT & RUN (Radical, VU Games)
MAX PAYNE 2: THE FALL OF MAX PAYNE (Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar)
MANHUNT (Rockstar North, Rockstar Games)
METAL ARMS: GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM (Swingin' Ape Studios, VU Games/Sierra)

Console Fighting
DEF JAM VENDETTA (Electronic Arts Canada, Electronic Arts)
SOUL CALIBUR 2 (Namco)
DRAGONBALL Z: BUDOKAI 2 (Dimps, Atari)
VIRTUA FIGHTER 4: EVOLUTION (Sega - AM2, Sega)
SMACKDOWN: HERE COMES THE PAIN (Yukes, THQ)
WAR OF THE MONSTERS (Incognito Studios, SCEA)

Console First Person Action
DEUS EX: INVISIBLE WAR (Ion Storm, Eidos)
TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX 3 (Red Storm, Ubisoft)

Console Platform Action/Adventure
JAK II (Naughty Dog, SCEA)
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (Ubisoft)
RATCHET & CLANK: GOING COMMANDO (Insomniac, SCEA)
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER (Nintendo)
VIEWTIFUL JOE (Capcom, Capcom Production Studio 4)

Console Racing
BURNOUT 2: POINT OF IMPACT (Criterion Games, Acclaim)
F-ZERO GX (Nintendo)
MARIO KART: DOUBLE DASH (Nintendo)
NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND (Electronic Arts)