The Game Awards 2018: What will we see at annual celebration turned game announcement hotbed?

Despite its overly corporate sheen, the annual Game Awards show has slowly become one of the key dates on the gaming calendar.

Taking over from Spike TV’s long-running Video Game Awards show in 2014, The Game Awards began life as a celebration of the year’s best games, but is now more anticipated as a glimpse into the next. With most of the year’s games on shelves by the time the December show rolls around, The Game Awards has become the venue of choice for publishers to announce new titles and shed more light on upcoming ones.

Away from the throng and pressure of E3, The Game Awards has seen teasers and trailers for games as big as Metal Gear Solid V, Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding and From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In its inaugural year, it was the first showcase to demo gameplay from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

It is hosted and arranged by former game journalist Geoff Keighley, the erstwhile host of the Spike VGAs. Wanting to take the format on, Keighley managed to wrangle support from major publishers such as Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Rockstar, EA, Ubisoft and Activision.

As such, there is an overwhelming commercial bent on the public-voted awards, but the turnaround for the initial 2014 show was quite startling, particularly with that Breath of the Wild gameplay premiere. With its initial success, The Game Awards have fast become an anticipated fixture. And this year is no different, with Keighley promising ten new game announcements threaded throughout the award show on 6 December. Some of them can be expected to be major reveals, with many teased ahead of time.

Alien Blackout

Widely expected to be announced at the show is Alien: Blackout, the first-person shooter based on the famous sci-fi series. Fox acquired the newly founded Cold Iron Games in January specifically to work on a new shooter in the Alien universe.

While we know the game is in development, what exactly it will entail remains under wraps. But The Game Awards official Twitter tweeted an image with the slogan ‘Worlds Will Change’ that features a familiar 80s screen and a font reminiscent of the series malevolent corporation Weyland-Yutani.

Superheroes?

There had been recent rumblings that UK-based Rocksteady, the developers behind the brilliant Batman: Arkham series, are working on a new game in the DC universe called Superman: World’s Finest. However, Rocksteady co-founder took to Twitter to say the developer was working on a new game, but it wouldn't be at the Game Awards at that it was most definitely not Superman.

the diea alwasy felt like a long shot, unless The Game Awards were looking to set up some kind of comic book battle royale,  as the Russo brothers, directors of the Avengers are at the show to present an award. This could point to a reveal of Square Enix’s anticipated Avengers game, or even a glimpse of the follow up to Infinity War ahead of its May release. With film trailers appearing at last year’s show, it seems little is off the table. 

Obsidian’s new RPG

Obsidian, the developers behind Fallout: New Vegas and a slew of great RPGs, has confirmed that their new game will be revealed at the game awards. The studio has recently been acquired by Microsoft, but this is the project that Obsidian have been working on with Private Division, the new independent label from Rockstar and 2K’s parent company Take-Two.

Either way there is plenty of intrigue over this. With a faux-50s advertisement teaser revealed with Auntie Cleo’s “Better Than Nature!” range. The Americana optimism will doubtless draw comparisons to both Fallout and Bioshock.

Dragon Age

Amid fresh news of its shared world sci-fi shooter Anthem, developer Bioware has said that it is working on 'secret Dragon Age stuff' via a blog from general manager Casey Hudson. "Dragon Age is an incredibly important franchise in our studio, and we’re excited to continue its legacy," said Hudson. "Look for more on this in the coming month (though I won’t tell you where to look…)"

The Game Awards is the obvious candidate to reveal new Dragon Age info. But what that might be, I daren't speculate in case it's a mobile game and causes a riot. In any case, Bioware will definitely be there, with it confirming a new Anthem trailer for the show.

Death Stranding

Hideo Kojima is a personal friend of Keighley’s and has routinely used the Game Awards to reveal more on his latest projects. Metal Gear Solid V was first teased at the show, while a new trailer for Death Stranding, Kojima’s bizarre upcoming game starring Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelson appeared last year.

Expect another at the Game Awards 2018 and, dare we suggest it, maybe a release date too.

Oh… and awards, of course

While much of the focus of the Game Awards comes on the new announcements, there is the small matter of trinkets to give out to the best games of the year in amongst the advertising sizzle reels.

From shortlists chosen by selected media outlets, The Game Awards are voted for by the public. You still have time to cast your vote, should you wish, by visiting the official site. Rockstar's Wild West epic Red Dead Redemption 2 and Sony's sprawling Norse adventure God of War are leading the way with eight nominations each.

When is The Game Awards 2018 and how do I watch?

The Game Awards is streamed live on multiple devices, including game consoles and YouTube. The show begins at 1:30am on 7 December in the UK. That’s the evening of 6 December 5:30pm PT/8:30pm EST in the US.

Game of the Year

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)

• Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Ongoing Game

• Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie / Activision)

• Fortnite (Epic Games)

• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

• Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)

• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)

Best Game Direction

• A Way Out (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

• Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Narrative

• Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Art Direction

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Octopath Traveler (Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

• Return of the Obra Dinn (3909 LLC)

Best Score/Music

• Celeste (Matt Makes Games) – Lena Raine

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment) – Bear McCreary

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment) – John Paesano

• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Level-5 / Bandai Namco Entertainment) – Joe Hisaishi

• Octopath Traveler (Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo) – Yasunori Nishiki

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games) – Woody Jackson

Best Audio Design

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch / Activision)

• Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best Performance

• Bryan Dechart as Connor in Detroit: Become Human

• Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War

• Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

• Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2

• Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man

Games for Impact

• 11-11: Memories Retold (Digixart / Aardman Animations / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

• Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

• Florence (Mountains)

• Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)

• The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories (White Owls / Arc System Works)

Best Independent Game

• Celeste (Matt Makes Games)

• Dead Cells (Motion Twin)

• Into the Breach (Subset Games)

• Return of the Obra Dinn (3909 LLC)

• The Messenger (Sabotage Studio)

Best Mobile Game

• Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)

• Florence (Mountains)

• Fortnite (Epic Games)

• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Lightspeed & Quantum / Tencent Games)

• Reigns: Game of Thrones (Nerial / Devolver Digital)

Best VR / AR Game

• Astro Bot: Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Beat Saber (Beat Games)

• Firewall: Zero Hour (First Contact Entertianment / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Moss (Polyarc Games)

• Tetris Effect (Resonair / Enhance Games)

Best Action Game

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch / Activision)

• Dead Cells (Motion Twin)

• Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie / Activision)

• Far Cry 5 (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)

• Mega Man 11 (Capcom)

Best Action / Adventure Game

• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)

• God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

• Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Eidos Montreal / Crystal Dynamics / Square Enix)

Best Role-Playing Game

• Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Orca / Square Enix)

• Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)

• Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Level-5 / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

• Octopath Traveler (Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo)

• Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire (Obsidian Entertainment / Versus Evil)

Best Fighting Game

• BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Arc SYstem Works)

• Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

• Soulcalibur VI (Bandai Namco Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

• Street Fighter V Arcade (Dimps / Capcom)

Best Family Game

• Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning / Nintendo)

• Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

• Overcooked! 2 (Ghost Town Games / Team17)

• Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft)

• Super Mario Party (NDCube / Nintendo)

Best Strategy Game

• The Banner Saga 3 (Stoic Studio / Versus Evil)

• Battletech (Harebrained Schemes / Paradox Interactive)

• Frostpunk (11 bit studios)

• Into the Breach (Subset Games)

• Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Sega CS3 / Sega)

Best Sports / Racing Game

• FIFA 19 (EA Vancouver / EA Sports)

• Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)

• Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning / Nintendo)

• NBA 2K19 (Visual Concepts / 2K Sports)

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (PES Productions / Konami)

Best Multiplayer Game

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch / Activision)

• Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bugnie / Activision)

• Fortnite (Epic Games)

• Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)

• Sea of Thieves (Rare / Microsoft Studios)

Best Student Game

• Combat 2018 (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences – Norway)

• Dash Quasar (UC Santa Cruz)

• JERA (Digipen Bilbao, Spain)

• LIFF (ISART Digital, France)

• RE: Charge (MIT)

Best Debut Game

• Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)

• Florence (Mountains)

• Moss (Polyarc Games)

• The Messenger (Sabotage Studio)

• Yoku’s Island Express (Villa Gorilla)

eSports Awards Best eSports Game

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)

• DOTA 2 (Valve)

• Fortnite (Epic Games)

• League of Legends (Riot Games)

• Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)

Best eSports Player

• Dominique “SonicFox” McLean (Echo Fox)

• Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi

• Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao (Royal Never Give Up)

• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere)

• Sung-hyeon “JJoNak” Bang (New York Excelsior)

Best eSports Team

• Astralis (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)

• Cloud9 (League of Legends)

• Fnatic (League of Legends)

• London Spitfire (Overwatch League)

• OG (DOTA 2)

Best eSports Coach

• Bok “Reapered” Han-gyu (Cloud9)

• Cristian “ppasarel” Bănăseanu (OG)

• Danny “zonic” Sørensen (Astralis)

• Dylan Falco (Fnatic)

• Jakob “YamatoCannon” Mebdi (Team Vitality)

• Janko “YNk” Paunovic (MiBR)

Best eSports Event

• ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018

• EVO 2018

• League of Legends World Championship

• Overwatch League Grand Finals

• The International 2018

Best eSports Host

• Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez

• Alex “Machine” Richardson

• Anders Blume

• Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere

• Paul “RedEye” Chaloner

Best eSports Moment

• C9 Comeback Win In Triple OT vs FAZE at ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018

• G2 Beating RNG at the League of Legends World Championship

• KT vs. IG Base Race at the League of Legends World Championship

• OG’s Massive Upset of LGD at the DOTA 2 Finals

• SonicFox Side Switch Against Go1 in Dragon Ball FighterZ at EVO 2018

Content Creator of the Year

• Dr. Lupo

• Myth

• Ninja

• Pokimane

• Willyrex

Favorite Moment of The Game Awards 2017

• Carol Shaw (Industry Icon)

• The Game Awards Orchestra (Performance)

• Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro (Moment)

• Josef Fares (A Way Out)

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Game of the Year Award)