The Game Awards are done and the video game marketing machine is winding down for the year, but this industry never fully stops. This week, we’re taking a look at what The Game Awards could have done better (a few things, it turns out) and breaking down some of the biggest announcements from last week’s show. Light No Fire, a new title from No Man’s Sky studio Hello Games announced The Game Awards. It’s a planet-sized, multiplayer game about exploration and community-building, and it uses procedural generation to fill every valley and mountaintop with life. Hello Games has been working on it for five years, but there’s no release date announced yet.
Also at The Game Awards, the announcement of a Blade game from Arkane Lyon, OD from Kojima Productions, Windblown from Dead Cells studio Motion Twin, and Exodus from Archetype Entertainment. The award winners took up just 10 minutes, and developers were told to ‘please wrap it up’ after just 30 seconds, while celebrities had ample stage time. The Game of the Year award was presented by actor Timothee Chalamet. Keighley rushed through the show by reading off winners and announcement trailers without giving time for relevant industry issues.
There are a bunch of other events that give time to video game creators and broader conversations throughout the year. With E3 officially dead, Keighley’s two big shows — Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards — are now the premier industry events on the gaming calendar. There’s a responsibility that comes with that position, and his organization clearly needs to strike a better balance.
