The Game Awards is returning this year in a slightly different format, with the show being streamed live from three different locations around the world. LA, London and Tokyo will host the awards in empty studios, which will air on 45 different platforms.
Geoff Keighley, who spent the summer trying to become a human E3, told Variety that he was always going to do Game Awards this year, even if it meant he had to present it in his home. That proved to be unnecessary, and this year's event is a large-scale affair.
Apparently he's taken inspiration from Death Stranding and his bud Hideo Kojima. The Game Awards is mostly a vehicle for trailers and announcements, but like Sam Bridges' journey across America, Keighley reckons it could reconnect people, but on a global scale. They'll have to be some pretty amazing trailers.
📣🎉 SAVE THE DATE 🎉📣THE GAME AWARDSThursday, December 10LIVE FROM🔴 Los Angeles🔴 London🔴 TokyoA Multiworld Of Wonder Awaits... #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/mORkXshPUdSeptember 23, 2020
Interestingly, Keighley also discussed his desire for the show to highlight the challenges facing the industry. The coronavirus has obviously had a big impact, but so have the revelations about the inappropriate and abusive behaviour of many members of the industry.
“How do you be aware of that and reflect that in the show in the right way? I feel as a show, we have an obligation," he said. "We have so many people watching the show. It’s like, what’s the voice of the show, and how do we sort of represent the industry accurately and do some good?”
Last year, The Game Awards peaked at 7.5 million concurrent viewers, so it's a great platform to shine a spotlight on issues with the culture and topics beyond the games themselves.
The show will take place on December 10, so there will still be a while before we start getting clues about what's going to be featured. As always, there will be reveals, world premieres, musical performances and, of course, the awards themselves. This year will also see the addition of a new award for innovation in accessibility, recognising the work that's been done to help more people get into gaming through new features and technology.
