The Game Awards just wrapped up, and as always, they were filled with lots of cool announcements and celebrations for the video game industry, as well as the community as a whole. Below you will find a list of all the awards categories and who won them, as well as some of the biggest news and reveals from the show. Enjoy!
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Award Winners
We’re gonna start with a list of winners for The Game Awards. The biggest winner this year was The Last of Us Part II. With a total of six victories, it stood out as the show stealer this year. Outside of that, however, no other game managed to pull out more than a couple of wins. Lots of great games this year, from so many different categories. But enough of me, let’s give you the winners here:
Game of the Year: The Last of Us Part II
Game Direction: The Last of Us Part II
Most Anticipated Game: Elden Ring
Best Narrative: The Last of Us Part II
Art Direction: Ghost of Tsushima
Score and Music: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Audio Design: The Last of Us Part II
Performance: Laura Bailey –The Last of Us Part II
Games for Impact: Tell Me Why
Ongoing Game: No Man’s Sky
Indie Game: Hades
Debut Indie Game: Phasmophobia
Mobile Game: Among Us
Community Support: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
VR/AR Game: Half-Life: Alyx
Innovation in Accessibility: The Last of Us Part II
Action Game: Hades
Adventure Game: The Last of Us Part II
RPG Game: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat Ultimate
Family Game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Sim/Strategy Game: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Sports/Racing Game: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2
Multiplayer Game: Among Us
Content Creator of the Year: Valkyrae
Esports Athlete: Heo “Showmaker” Su
Esports Coach: Danny “Zonic” Sorensen
Esports Event: League of Legends World Championship 2020
Esports Host: Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
Esports Team: G2 Esports
Phew. The Game Awards are giving out more and more of these every year it feels like. But that’s ok. These awards are all well earned. So much hard work goes into every game, event, and performance that a multitude of people put into all of the above winners. So congratulations to everyone who got nominated or won! With The Last of Us Part II doing some heavy lifting when it comes to the number of awards it’s carrying into 2021 – seven in total if you lost count.
Announcements
The Game Awards aren’t only about the celebration of what’s been achieved. It’s also a great get hype moment as some of the biggest games of tomorrow get shown to players for the first time. Here is just a sampling of the biggest announcements that filled this event.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Sephiroth is coming
That right everyone. The previously teased new character for Nintendo’s epic brawler is Final Fantasy VII’s very own one-winged angel! With the limited support that Cloud got in Smash, I have to admit I’m surprised Square Enix let another charter enter Nintendo’s fighting arena. Make no mistake though, it is a pleasant surprise for sure. I imagine the character will have some insane reach with his classic sword as well as some sweet smashes to stir up the scene with.
Sea of Solitude: Director’s Cut is coming to Nintendo Switch
Sea of Solitude was my game of the year last year, so I cannot tell you how much hype I have for a director’s cut of this unique and emotional experience. Game director Cornelia Geppert made an appearance at the show for the announcement. During which she states that the game is not just a simple port. It has been redesigned with the Nintendo Switch hardware in mind and has had additional scenes added to it, as well as a photo mode. I cannot wait to spend some more time with Kay.
A New Perfect Dark game from Xbox Studios’ The Initiative
Since its inception a couple of years ago, Xbox Game Studios has been extremely tight-lipped about what it’s built from the ground up the first-party studio The Initiative has been up to. Fans finally got their first look at it at The Game Awards as a cinematic trailer teased Joanna Dark waging a one-woman war against corrupt corporations in an attempt to discover the truth.
Disco Elysium Final Cut coming to consoles
Last year indie hit Disco Elysium is getting its final cut brought to the consoles next year. This upgrade to the original adds voice work for every line of dialogue as well as added quests for players to enjoy.
Mass Effect will continue
The final reveal of the night came just before the Game of the year was announced. In it, we get a sweeping view of the galaxy, as audio plays in the background tracking man’s steps into space, as well as the confrontation with the Reapers. Lastly, we see what appears to be an Asari woman, possibly Liara, brushing snow of of the iconic N7 logo in a pierce of scavenged scrap. A small smile plays across her lips. The teaser ends with the Mass Effect logo and The words “will continue” beneath it. BioWare has long stated that Commander Shepard would not be involved in any future games in the series. This teaser feels like it might be eluding to a change of heart. Given the franchise’s struggles, they might be opting to bring back the gaming icon to bolster hype for the game. Only time will tell.
These are just a few of the highlights from a stacked night of hype at the Game Awards. With all this news coming out, and the new generation of consoles off to a roaring start, it looks like the future is bright for gaming.
