The Game Awards 2021: Nominees, how to watch, and upcoming game announcements
After last year’s virtual show due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Game Awards will once again be held in person at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 9.
The Game Awards, an annual event that commemorates the year’s greatest games, has been conducted since 2014 under the production of media entrepreneur Geoff Keighley.
In a recent podcast, Keighley shared some hints from the show. “More than half of the show will be focused on announcements of new games,” Keighley said, “This year’s catalog is going to be pretty good. I think we have a ton of games for 2023 and beyond that will be announced.
This year’s show presenters will include actors such as Simu Liu of Shang-Chi, Keanu Reeves, and Carrie-Ann Moss from Matrix: Resurrections, as well as former Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime. Imagine Dragons and Sting will perform live with Sting performing “What Could Have Been” from the Netflix series Arcane: A League of Legends Story.
Although there are not many confirmed presenters and performers listed at the moment, you can expect it to grow significantly as we get closer to December 9.
Start time and streaming platform
At 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET, the Game Awards 2021 livestream will begin with a 30-minute pre-show, followed by the main program at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. For viewers in the UK, the show starts at 1 a.m., while those in Australia get the show at 1 p.m. AEDT.
In addition, to live streaming on its official YouTube and Twitch channels, GameSpot will offer direct feeds on social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. Oculus Venues will deliver an immersive 180-degree virtual reality experience and Steam is also reported to take part in streaming as well, while the Game Awards Festival will provide select demos from future releases.
Multiple Twitch streamers, YouTube channels, and Facebook Live streamers have been chosen as Official Co-Streamers of the Game Awards. As the event draws closer, the list of selected channels will be updated.
Nominations, award categories, and game teaser
It’s still unclear what the event’s exact lineup will look like, but games nominated for Game of the Year include “Deathloop,” “Metroid Dread,” “Psychonauts 2,” “It Takes Two,” “Resident Evil Village,” and “Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.”
As the nominations were announced, social media responses showed a lack of excitement, coupled with more traditional complaints about why their favorites were overlooked. In spite of the absence of certain games, Geoff Keighley makes use of his experience as a producer and assures that “as long as you have two or three good things, the Internet forgives you.”
There will be over 30 award categories across general gaming and esports, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Esports Team of the Year, and Esports Player of the Year. Keighley also mentioned that “40 to 50 games” would be announced during the event, with the number of brand-new titles announced, “probably in the double digits.”
As of now, the only game teased for the show is The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum from Daedalic Entertainment.
