The Game Awards Will Take Place In December

This year’s The Game Awards will push through and, just like the rest of the events that were canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, will take in place in a virtual setting.

Despite the gaming industry struck hard by the pandemic, organizers were still able to manage to continue with their gatherings but with global health guidelines in place. Virtual events took the place of traditional in-person conventions in such a way that the audience still feels like they’re part of the extravaganza.

The Game Awards is produced and hosted by Canadian game journalist Geoff Keighley that honors the achievements in the video games history. The Axis in Las Vegas hosted the first The Game Awards in 2014, while five succeeding events were held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

This year’s gathering will be different. It will be streamed and aired in 4K UHD from “audience-less, in-studio locations” in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo on December 10. The Game Awards will also be aired across 45 global video platforms and will see fans “participate and virtually interact with the show across social media, through live in-game experiences and via interactive extensions on leading streaming platforms,” Variety reported.

The Game Awards will likewise present “Innovations in Accessibility,” a new award that acknowledges developers who continue to push “the medium” and present new game features, technology and content and help titles “be played and enjoyed by a wider audience.

The Game Festival, which was announced last year, will make a comeback and will feature a weekend of playable game content, in-game drops, demos and live streams, the outlet added.

Fans could see awards presentation, musical performances and new game announcements, said IGN, but Keighley said “it’s too early to talk about world premieres for the show this year.” However, he is still discussing with publishers and developers included in this year’s lineup.

“We’re looking forward to a big night of announcements and surprises for the fans,” Keighley added.

Keighley admitted that he was concerned that the pandemic has caused developers to slow on potential Game of the Year titles. Yet, game companies assured him that they have “great content” to show and that they are “really excited to show that.”

“So year, it’s gonna be a super interesting at the end of the year to see what comes out at the top,” Keighley told Variety.