Aside from the unique situations, Keighley says the core elements of every Game Awards event will still be there, which include the awards themselves, world premieres, huge reveals and live musical efficiencies. When it comes to those performances, Keighley says theyre still determining what that will appear like, along with searching for a way to get their orchestra back securely.
Furthermore, this years ceremony will present the new innovation in accessibly award, acknowledging software and/or hardware developers that are pressing the medium forward by including functions, innovation and material to help video games be played and taken pleasure in by a broader audience. The Game Festival, very first launched last year, will also return, featuring a weekend of playable video game content, in-game drops, live-streams and demos.
” The thing that Im worried about more than anything is that– theres a lot anticipation for the program– is that we do not have big video games to announce to the fans, then that ends up being a dissatisfaction too. So I spoke with all the video game companies and theyre like no, weve got terrific material to kind of show fans around video games, and theyre truly thrilled to show that,” he says. “So yeah, its gon na be an extremely intriguing at the end of the year to see what comes out at the top.”
” The reaction back from everyone was like, no, its actually really, really essential that we do The Game Awards this year,” he says.
Hes likewise been listening to fans: last Friday, he held a Zoom call with 100 of them to discuss what they wished to see. Primarily, he states, hes been hearing that they want “to make certain that the show properly represents just how much video games indicate to them.” They likewise desire to see how it shows video gamings function in society– consisting of the more difficult topics.
Not just are The Game Awards still happening this year– theyre taking place in three different areas.
The 2020 event will stream live from Los Angeles, London and Tokyo on Dec. 10, it was announced on Wednesday, airing in 4K UHD from audience-less, in-studio places. It will stream across 45 international video platforms and, barring a live audience, see fans “take part and practically connect with the show throughout social networks, through live in-game experiences, and through interactive extensions on leading streaming platforms,” according to the announcement.
That was really the impetus for the idea– we would never usually be able to do that, to have 3 cities live. I think it sends out an actually fantastic message, and I think its what I d like to do more of.”
And thankfully, the video gaming market has actually continued to churn out items in the middle of the pandemic, making it possible to protect some of the big statements The Game Awards has become known for. It likewise produces a diverse mix of potential video game of the year nominees– Keighley indicates whatever from “Animal Crossing” to “The Last of Us Part II” to “Fall Guys” to “Ghost of Tsushima” as possible prospects in that race (” Cyberpunk 2077″ comes out on Nov. 19, right on the edge of eligibility, “so were still finding out how thats going to work out,” he keeps in mind).
For inspiration, he points to in 2015s “Death Stranding,” Hideo Kojimas hit that saw the gamers reconnecting the United States.
The Game Awards definitely isnt the first awards show to take place amid the pandemic. Theres been the Video Music Awards, virtual conventions for San Diego Comic-Con and DC FanDome and even this past weekends Emmy Awards, which Keighley applauded for its ability to connect everybody technically. And Keighley himself even hosted Gamescom Opening Night Live, which happened late last month, as well as the Summer Game Fest.
” The thing that Im worried about more than anything is that– theres so much anticipation for the program– is that we do not have huge games to announce to the fans, then that becomes a frustration too. I talked to all the game business and theyre like no, weve got excellent material to kind of show fans around video games, and theyre really thrilled to reveal that,” he states.
He and his team have actually been enjoying all these virtual occasions, he says, to glean whats working and not working, and notes that The Game Awards might do something similar to the Emmys, where each city has isolated guests that provide on stage alone, with nominees on video.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change the method live occasions run, the constraints are undoubtedly apparent. Host and executive producer Geoff Keighley informs Variety that The Game Awards were going to take place regardless, even if it had to simply be him providing awards from his home set-up. When he reached out to his board, made up of the heads of the leading video game companies, the message was clear: do it, and do it big.
Keighley states he previously had fun with the idea of having the program, which has actually occurred at L.A.s Microsoft Theatre for the past 5 years, in a various city, comparable to the Olympics. Once it became clear that the state of the COVID-19 pandemic still wouldnt permit for big, in-person occasions by December, it enabled a various kind of chance.
” We look at some of the issues and some of the concerns around Ubisoft and the culture there– you look at some of the difficulties in the streaming world and all that, some of the challenges this market has actually had this year,” he states. Its like, whats the voice of the program, and how do we sort of represent the industry accurately and do some great?”
Host and executive producer Geoff Keighley informs Variety that The Game Awards were going to take place regardless, even if it had to just be him presenting awards from his home set-up. The Game Awards definitely isnt the first awards show to take place in the middle of the pandemic. And Keighley himself even hosted Gamescom Opening Night Live, which took location late last month, as well as the Summer Game Fest.
” The message was also like, no, you should still attempt and do the show in a big way. So its not like were doing it with a significantly lowered budget or its just gon na be me in one area,” he includes. “Lets do three cities. Lets attempt and make it a big moment for the industry.”
