You read that right.
The Game Awards 2023 is tonight and we’ll be reporting it live, right here.
Oh, and this year there’s bingo.
We think you’ll like it.
But think of all the announcements!
In fact - tease - we know of a few things.
So what will it be?
That’d be exciting.
I love a stealth drop.
And surely Kojima will be there, but to do what - properly unveilDeath Stranding 2?
Then, of course, there are the awards themselves.
Will Baldur’s Gate 3 take the armful we think it will?
Whatever happens, The Game Awards will likely be the last big gaming event of the year.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Only seven hours to go.
How will I ever concentrate on anything else?
What do you think of the bingo card?
Nice touch, isn’t it.
I wish these shows weren’t so long but there’s a lot of interest tonight for various reasons.
Some of them I touched on above, but others, we can talk about together down here.
I wonder, for instance, whether there’ll be any remark made about the situation in Gaza.
I know there’s pressure on Geoff and the show to say something, but will he?
Worth staying awake for?
I’ve backed myself into an awkward corner here haven’t I?
That’s about all I can say!
Well, take a load off and eschew sleep tonight to be with us.
We’ll take your mind right off it I promise!
So does this VHS.
I’m off for a bit.
Off to get my hair permed and nails done for later.
See you in a while, crocodiles.
That’s why this studio is in the running for Game of the Year, people.
Well don’t worry, we’ll round it all up for you.
I hope you feel better soon!
Go get yourself a hot water bottle.
If you could make everyone a starter that would be wonderful.
I somewhat unexpectedly had a nap.
That’s what happens when you get over 40 I think.
How are you all doing?
Oh, yes indeed!
The word is that it could even be a new IP.
But in which genre I wonder?
Hang on, there’s aniceenergy drink?
But no, I don’t blame you.
We’ll be envious in the morning.
That’s the spirit!
We started doing them for E3, and it was back when PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were unveiled.
I thinkthis Sony 2006 live reportmight be the first.
Anyway, back then, they provided an invaluable service.
Video wasn’t broadcast as easily from American conferences then as it is now.
So having a live, blow-by-blow account from the conference itself was exciting!
Doubly-exciting because you never knew if you’d have enough internet at the event for it to work.
Oh all the technical workarounds we tried - dongles, sim cards, you name it!
So much has changed now, of course, but the DNA remains!
Oh good shout, good shout.
The Live report legend.
Who did them before him?
I think it must have been Tom Bramwell.
Big shoes to fill; literally - Brammers had canoes for feet.
I hope everyone gets better soon.
It’s really going round, huh?
It’s nearly Christmas!
You mean Major Nelson…wasn’tan AI?!
Good shout, and thanks!
Hideo Kojima has entered the building.#TheGameAwards
Shh don’t tell anyone that!
But I respect you bowing out with a pun.
The live stream is about to begin.
Not the show, just the live stream.
That’s the kind of excitement I’ve been reduced to clinging onto.
Well, I was hopingsomethingwould have happened by now - a bit of hold music, a swirly background.
Maybe Geoff is doing his vocal warm-up and is frightened we’ll hear.
Oh gosh go FULL STEAM on that thing!
You made it to midnight - that is a hell of an achievement!
What will Arnie say!
But no, you made the right choice.
Disadvantages of a mechanical keyboard: it’s not very stealthy for a middle-of-the-night live report.
I have been relegated to my laptop.
Oh my good god I forgot about Pacino.
HANG ON SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!
The Game Awards 2023 begins
The clock ticks down and we are about to begin.
Now then Geoff, lets make it worthwhile, eh?
It’s a woman on Geoff’s stage!
It’s Sydnee Goodman.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons remake revealed
BINGO!
It’s “World Premiere”.
It’s the remake of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
I wonder how much they’ve changed.
On PC, PlayStation and Xbox, by the looks of it.
I thought that looked good.
We’re straight into the award for Best Family Game, and the winner is Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Inscryption dev reveals Pony Island 2
BINGO BINGO BINGO - three “world premieres” in a row now.
First, the new game from Inscryption maker Daniel Mullins - I am very excited about this.
It’s got a similar cursed vibe, and that same voice over sound effect.
It’s a blend of genres again - it’s hard to make out what the defining one is.
It looks like you discover a cursed arcade machine.
It’s Pony Island 2!
What’s this second game?
We’re seeing a bedroom with a murder board of string and post-it notes attached to it.
The Rise of the Golden Idol.
I’m not sure what that is.
And the third game.
It’s Tunic and it’s a 3D action adventure game.
We’re following a modern-styled teenager in a kind of ghost world.
Usual June, the game is called, and it’s coming in 2025.
Well, that was quite a start, eh!
It’s often the pacing of these things that leaves a lot to be desired, though.
Let’s hope it can keep the momentum up.
It is unusual - and quite refreshing - not to have seen Geoff yet, though!
More or less - well remembered!
I will need some reminding.
A few games flashing by now, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR in there.
Ian will be pleased.
Forza Motorsport picks up the award for best accessibility.
It is brilliant, and this whole category is brilliant, as the people accepting the awards say.
The change has been incredible.
I’m really impressed he’s stayed off camera so far.
We’re going to see a game called Harmonium: The Musical by The Odd Gentleman now.
It’s billed as an accessible music journey, and it’s built fundamentally with sign language in mind.
There’s also sound for people with hearing.
It’s coming to Game Pass and Netflix.
A few eSports awards are being handed out in a row now.
I think the fact the show is not dwelling on them speaks volumes.
Dead Cells dev’s new game Windblown revealed
Windblown now, from the creators of Dead Cells.
There’s the sumptuous isometric gameplay, and co-op with up to two others it looks like.
I’m getting strong Bastion vibes from it.
It’s hard to tell, though.
Still, lovely art direction all the same.
It’s coming to PC early access in 2024.
We’re seeing a kind of rhythm game now, it looks like.
It’s bizarre - it actually reminds me a lot of Flow.
But this one is called Thrasher, and it’s coming in 2024.
Thrasher is from the same artist/composer as Thumper.
It seems like it - yep!
We’re romping onwards here.
It’s Persona 3 Reload.
Coming 2nd Feb next year.
She’s doing really well, isn’t she?
Very confident and no cringe so far, as far as I can tell.
- world premiere now.
A team-up between two other nominated games apparently.
Is that Dave the Diver and… Dredge?
And it’s coming 15th December.
Oh wow People Make Games are in this category - best content creator.
Oh no Ironmouse wins.
No shade on Ironmouse but I really wanted Chris, Anni and Quinns to win.
They do incredible work.
Okay so Sydnee is here to do the pre-show, it sounds like.
Another world premiere 15 years in the making.
Is this World of Goo?!
Still scratching my head about the decision.
That was World of Goo 2 by the way.
We’re now seeing a new RPG from the makers of Persona 3, 4 and 5.
It looks like Persona - it’s got the same aesthetic.
But the setting is older.
But it does look sprawling and ecclectic and pretty good, actually.
Metaphor: Re Fantazio, the game is called.
It’s coming to PC and Xbox next year.
I thought we were getting through it.
But now here’s Geoff delivering an opening speech.
Is he going to mention something political?
Aonuma is here from Nintendo - Mr Zelda!
Mark Cerny from Sony is here, the person behind the latest PlayStation.
Melina Jurgens from Hellblade is here.
It’s a stacked audience.
Now we’re going to the Best Performance award.
Christopher Judge is here to award it oh god.
Haha - he’s parodying himself!
The orchestra is playing over him as if he’s about to waffle off on a huge speech again.
“I’m gonna stick to the script!
No eight minute speech like last year.
But fun fact - my speech was actually longer than this year’s Call of Duty campaign.”
Sick burn, Judge!
My money is on Neil Newbon for Astarion for this award.
Best Performance goes to Neil Newbon
He’s milking that joke about the length of his speech.
And the award goes to Neil Newbon!
A shot of Larian leader Swen Vincke in the audience there, who is WEARING THE ARMOUR!
Neil is looking wonderful tonight in a kimono and flowing shirt and trousers.
He is keeping it super-brief.
He’s thanking the community and he’s getting a little teary-eyed.
He’s here to premiere a video game that he’s “a part of”.
Here’s our first ever look at Exodus by Arctight.
Does Matthew count as an old actor?
I don’t think so.
This sci-fi game is giving off Returnal vibes.
We’re seeing an astronaut called Max who it seems gets stranded in space alone.
She goes through a jump-gate and lives a whole live in what seems like moments.
This is all CGI - it’s hard to get a sense of what the game actually is.
Ah, now we’re seeing gameplay!
Mass Effect vibes, Destiny vibes.
But also a bit slow?
God of War Ragnarok DLC surprise drops next week
Another world premiere and it’s PlaySTation Studios now.
A chair in the water and… KRATOS!
It’s Sony Santa Monica, it’s God of War: Ragnarok - Valhalla.
And it’s coming 12th December 2023.
Apparently it’s got Roguelike elements in.
And it’s free.
Untitled Goose Game dev reveals new game
Now we’re going over to Australia to a small dev.
It’s the creators of Untitled Goose Game!
We’re seeing shots of a jungle and we’re hearing animals.
Now we’ve zoomed out to see some… ants?
It’s hard to tell - they’re very low-fi.
But they’re walking on hind legs and talking like humans.
They sound like plucky Australians.
Now they’re jumping into a kind of toy world.
This is… strange.
But it all seems fundamentally multiplayer in how you come across other people.
It’s Called Big Walk, it’s by House House, and it’s coming 2025.
This is the new Prince of Persia we’re seeing now - The Lost Crown.
It’s coming 18th January.
We’re on a bit of a montage.
Expect his thoughts as soon as we can publish them.
Melina Jurgens is on the stage now - a former Best Performance winner for Hellblade.
It’s all appropriately folky and Scandinavian flavoured.
Not a bad start so far, eh?
What do you think?
There was also another woman on the stage - bingo alert!
Give us a Hellblade 2 date you cowards!
It’s a dark and atmospheric new trailer for Hellblade 2.
The game looks as good as we think it will - that face tech looks icredible.
But when is it coming out?
Boo, just a 2024 date for Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga.
Best Narrative goes to Alan Wake 2
Best Narrative award now and it is Alan Wake 2!
I thought that would go to Baldur’s Gate 3.
Sam Lake goes up to receive the award.
He’s very handsome isn’t he.
And the song makers - because they are here to perform of course.
It’s Ikumi Nakamura who was full of energy last year, and she’s radiating it again.
She’s here to reveal her game that apparently doesn’t have a publisher yet.
It’s some kind of urban-mythical adventure called Kemuri.
The CGI trailer was nice, but what does the game look like?
Wow, this looks great.
It looks like an action RPG in a pirate’s nightmare of a world.
No Rest for the Wicked, it’s called.
We’ll learn more 1st March.
Look out for a bit more information on the site later this morning.
What a combo - Eurovision and TGAs!
There is usually the big sag in the middle.
Oh here comes Gonzo from the Muppets…
This is actually quite funny.
And YES, Herr!
This does count as an old actor on stage bingo!
It’s Best Debut Indie Game award time.
Who’s it going to be, who’s it going to be?
Of course, Annapurna published it so is it really indie?
Oh stop it Bertie.
What an awkward acceptance speech.
Sega remaking Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage and more
Sydnee is back!
And it’s another world premiere.
We had another woman on stage there too, didn’t we.
Not that, as 35antonio says, they let her speak much.
This is some classic lifestyle ad trailer for… A load of old games remade?
Was that Golden Axe?
Was that Jet Set Radio?
This must be Sega’s big announce!
So there are five new games all to release over the next several years from Sega.
Supermassive Dead by Daylight crossover announced
I love me a Supermassive game and their party-horror vibe they bring.
This looks like a trailer for a new one.
A group of teens exploring dark tunnels and cursed areas: check.
Oh it’s a Dead by Daylight game!
A single-player experience called The Casting of Frank Stone.
New Mana game announced
We’re now seeing a world we haven’t seen in a while.
It’s Secret of Mana, but new!
It’s a new Mana game!
Visions of Mana it’s called.
The adventure begins in 2024, whatever that means.
It looks like Ghost of Tsushima but not quite as nice?
Don’t be mean, Bertie.
It’s Rise of the Ronin and I think it’s from Team Ninja.
It’s coming out 22nd March 2024.
And Best Action Game goes to Armored Core 6.
Then we’re straight into Best Art Direction, which goes to Alan Wake 2.
That’s two for Alan Wake 2 now.
Best VR/AR goes to REsident Evil Village.
Best Mobile Game goes to Honkai: Star Rail.
Evidently they weren’t the very popular awards.
Totally switched off there.
I saw a bunch of content creators getting scared.
It’s The Outlast Trials, coming 5th March.
What a strange nicotine advert that was!
Kojima working with Jordan Peele on new horror game OD
It’s Hideo Kojima time!
We’re seeing a feminine character recounting tongue-twisters.
The facial animation is incredible.
This is how the game’s cast is being announced.
OD, the game is called.
Hideo Kojima is on stage now.
Look at that incredible Kojima Productions brooch he has on.
Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer were the actors whose names I missed in the trailer.
“I always like to challenge groundbreaking things.”
It sounds like he’s working with Xbox Game Studios, on their cloud technology.
Is that the Luniz music the orchestra is playing?
“kindly welcome Jordan Peele to the Kojima-verse,” says Geoff.
“What’s up?
How’s it going?”
Apparently he’s a huge fan of Kojima’s games, but then he would say that.
Kojima and Peele are praising each other on stage.
You’re the best, no you’re the best - that kind of thing.
Peele says Kojima’s new game is terrigfying.
Telling that Kojima walked through a very PT-like door, maybe?
We’re following an unfamilliar character though - a young woman.
I wonder if she’s supposed to represent us.
Maybe it’s a VR experience of some kind?
Ah, no, it’s a first-person, cinematic game.
It’s Jurassic Park: Survival.
So, some kind of survival horror then I suppose?
And we were getting a glimpse at the threats.
Best Audio design now, and the award goes to Hi-Fi Rush!
It’s slow in the backend too.
We are going to raise it with tech in the morning - in the later morning.
2nd February 2024 for this.
Two more women on the stage!
How many of you play Warframe, incidentally?
It continues to look incredible.
This update, Whispers in the Wall, is coming next week - 13th December.
Yeah the tide has turned on this one.
It’ll be interesting to see what reaction it gets when it comes out.
Awwkward trailer for Strarfield there - the game that’s not up for Game of the Year here.
We’re back with Sydnee on stage now.
It’s last year’s Games for Impact award winner from the As Dusk Falls team, Carolina Marshall.
As Dusk Falls was great - I really liked that.
It’s coming to PlayStation in March next year.
She’s going to be presenting the Games for Impact award this year.
Oh hang on, that’s another woman on the stage!
Some absolute bangers in this list.
Let’s see who it is… Donlan will be chuffed!
Abubakar Salim is on stage now - he from Assassin’s Creed.
He says he remembers watching The Game Awards when he was younger, like it was a childhood thing.
Christ, Abu - way to make us feel old!
Four years ago it prompted him to take a risk.
He’s going to show the game his studio has been making.
It’s a game for his “old man”, as he puts it.
Supported by Ridley Scott and Critical Role, this game.
It looks colourful and energetic.
Zau: Tales of Kenzera - 23rd April 2024.
A group of teens and some found footage, maybe?
27 years later, the same teens are back.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, coming late 2024.
And they’re playing music from a game we don’t know about yet.
The music is written by Nobuo Uematso.
It’s the theme song from FF7 Rebirth!
It did, didn’t it?
I couldn’t quite bring myself to write about it.
But it also sort of looks fun?
You and many others!
Ooh but that’s not all for Final Fantasy fans.
We’re hearing a Scottish accent and is that Cloud’s sword?
It’s an Apex Legends crossover event.
“Limits are made to be broken,” Keighley says, sneaking an awful marketing slogan in.
More awards including Best Music
More awards now.
Best Score & Music goes to Final Fantasy 16.
I thought Baldur’s Gate 3 would get that.
Best Independent game goes to Sea of Stars!
Best Community Support goes to Baldur’s Gate 3.
Best Fighting Game goes to Street Fighter 6, unsurprisingly.
Most Anticipated Game goes to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
There have been some good moments.
But yeah, it’s starting to drag a bit now.
Awards-wise, it’s not the clean sweep I was expecting for Baldur’s Gate 3.
I wonder if Swen feels self-conscious in his suit of armour now.
What is this pirate game we’re seeing?
Is this finally Skull & Bones?
This has been in development for ages.
And now it’s coming out 16th February!
Looks a bit… ropey.
There’s a closed beta coming 15th-18th December.
you might sign up for it now.
Arkane Lyon’s new game is Blade
Now we’re seeing Arkane Lyon’s new game!
Holy crap it’s Blade!
As in Marvel’s Blade!
Dinga Bakaba from Arkane is here to talk about it.
It’s a mature action adventure game where you get to play Blade your way.
I mean, yeah, why not?
It’s immersive THIRD-person adventure - that’s a key difference.
I didn’t see the original.
But I loved him as Marvel’s Falcon!
Or do we call him the new Captain America?
I’m not sure.
He’s here to announce the award for Best Ongoing Game.
Although an expansion is a weird entry in an ongoing category, maybe?
There’s that hurry-up orchestral music again!
Is it realy there to hurry people along?
Steve C Martin from Lightspeed now, a former Rockstar dev, is here to unveil a new project.
A triple-A futuristic open-world game.
Women and children are cowering inside a temple of some kind.
Oh, the woman is a robot too.
Now a demon has arrived, which is presumably the player character.
They leap off a motorbike and annihilate everyone.
It’s a female lead character.
It’s a futuristic Tokyo maybe?
Last Sentinel, the game is called.
Ah, that next trailer was The Last Descendant from Nexon, which is launching next summer.
I think they’re slowly changing people’s minds!
That new one looked interesting.
We’ll have to wait and see though!
It’s very similar in tone.
But it’s Helldivers.
Coming out in February.
This is the in-game song that’s created a bit of a stir!
There’s Alan, in the middle of some shadows spiralling around him.
Respect for the live singing!
Oh you definitely did!
I take back what I said about the live singing.
The cast aren’t, the band is.
Sam Lake is on the stage now living his best life.
An update on GTFO.
The final chapter is coming and there’s a free weekend coming.
We’re going to see a trailer.
Den of Wolves, the game is called.
There’s no date.
That game was Exoborne by the way, and we have a story going up about it soon.
Matt Mercer is coming to the stage!
He’s here to talk about Asgard’s Wrath 2, a VR game.
It actually looks quite good?
Mercer voices Loki in the game.
I hear you spooky about the Asura’s Wrath mix-up!
Ooh ooh, we’re about to get our first look of the Fallout TV show!
The cast of the show are on the stage now.
The show is coming to Prime in April.
It looked… okay to me?
Castlevania: Nocturne was good too!
The Mario film was pretty good as well, actually.
The Last of Us wins.
Shame there’s no Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay to pick it up!
The system is lagging pretty bad and it’s getting quite hard to use!
So, what’s new?
Sean Murray, boss of Hello Games, is with Geoff Keighley.
Something very different, something maybe very ambitious…"
“Here we go!”
jokes Geoff - and it’s a good joke!
He’s talking about building a world this time, not a universe, I don’t think.
He’s talking about generating a detailed world, with mountains that are miles high.
He’s calling it, and wait for this, “The first real open world.
A place with no boundaries.”
And they’re going to let everyone play in it together.
He hasn’t lost his talent for hyping things up, eh!
We’re going to see the first trailer.
We’re seeing a very colourful, procedural, fantasy earth.
We’re underwater with multiple characters swimming and it is packed with vibrancy.
Now we’re emerging from the water and the land is tall grass of manay colours - autumnul colours.
And there are buildings.
One player just got on the back of a humming bird.
Others are now mounting dragons and flying above green lakes.
There are those huge mountains Murray talked about.
There’s a floating island.
Now we’re with bulkier characters exploring a swamp, or a rabbit character inside a temple.
The game is called Light No Fire.
There’s no date that I heard.
And, I suppose most of all, is a pure MMO - how is it handling that?
Gosh that came out this year, didn’t it?
More awards inc. RPG and Action
Speeding through another few awards.
Best RPG goes to Baldur’s Gate 3!
It’s first proper award of the night.
Best Sim/Strategy goes to Pikmin 4!
Best Sports/Racing game goes to Forza Motorsport.
Best Multiplayer goes to Baldur’s Gate 3!
Player’s Voice - the community vote - goes to Baldur’s Gate 3!
Well, BG3 certainly scooped up a few there.
Not long to go now.
We’re approaching the business end.
What are the big announcements Geoff has up his sleeve?
FF16 DLC out today!
Another world premiere from Square Enix this time.
Echoes of the Fallen - coming today!
The Rising Tide - coming next year.
Vince Zampella is here to announce Best Direction which goes to Alan Wake 2!
Good night for Remedy.
Sam Lake is on stage to say thank you, and he looks quite emotional.
The Finals releases today!
It’s the closest we’ve come tonight.
The Finals time now!
Prepare yourself for an announcement!
Launch build you say?
Because as we’re finding out now, it’s out TODAY!
Monster Hunter Wilds announced
We’ve got Game of the Year to come, and maybe one more thing?
This is the final world premiere.
We see some monsters that look a bit like dinosaurs.
A character riding on the back of one of an ostrich-like creature.
Monsters are fighting all around them.
There’s a big sword on their back.
It’s Monster Hunter.
And it’s coming to PS5 and Xbox Series S/X in 2025.
Game of the Year goes to BG3
We’re going to hear more next summer.
We’re going to hear a medley of music from the games before we hear who the winner is.
In full swing there.
It’s a great performance.
Swen is thanking the team at Larian who spent six years making the game.
I wonder what happened there.
Baldur’s Gate 3 out on Xbox now!
It’s out now.
Larian has announced it on Twitter, it just didn’t say anything at the show!
And that really is a wrap.
But otherwise, what did you think?
Go try The Finals, which is out today - I thought it was great when I played it.
And how about that new Hello Games game?
Let’s catch up again in the morning.
Good night for now and thanks for joining us!
Here’s how our bingo card did.
I guess you’ve got the option to say we were pleasantly surprised then?
