Naughty Dog’s new game!
Ueda’s new game!
A new Elden Ring spin-off!
It’s The Game Awards 2024 and you might’t miss it.
Don’t leave us on our own.
But don’t worry, that’s why we’re here.
So: what are we expecting to happen tonight?
Some pretty exciting things, actually.
Can Balatro beat its blockbuster brethren to get Game of the Year?
We will have to wait and see.
See you later on?
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
How can you not be when Geoff has been tweeting things like this.
The stage is set.
Have we really been doing this for 10 years already?
Oh good grief yes we have - here’sour TGA live report from 2014.
Wesley Yin-Poole wrote that one.
He since left and joined IGN.
And then IGN bought Eurogamer.
I’m not saying the two things are connected but Wesley’s a pretty suspicious character.
Funnily enough, 10 years ago when The Game Awards started, Bloodborne was on show.
A remaster announcement tonight would certainly be poetic.
Haha - what a description!
It did, it did.
Maybe we’ll get a Half-Life 3 and Bloodborne Remaster double-drop.
Time moves differently during The Game Awards.
We might have been watching for an entire year.
There’s aninteresting roundup of Naughty Dog rumours on Reddit.
Nothing is confirmed for tonight but there’s a wind blowing, as it were.
What’s going onnnnnn!
Good evening, good morning, good night.
How are you all doing?
I’ve been playing Path of Exile 2 to keep me up.
That’s an excellent game, that is.
You’ve got to give him credit, Geoff, for building what he has.
It’s a proper annual fixture now, not to mention the summer shows he does.
You heard it here first!
Let’s do a quick Geoff watch on Twitter shall we.
I bet he’s tweeting about something different this-
Oh, no, it’s Hideo Kojima again.
(To be fair, he looks very trendy.
He never ages, does he?
It’s that special chair of his.)
What else has Geoff been tweeting?
A spooky corridor of some kind and a microphone.
No, don’t be silly Bertie, it’s probably SingStar.
Do they even make SingStar any more?
See you on stage in a bit.pic.twitter.com/TvSQj92OGJ
One minute to go until the preshow begins.
Let’s do this!
The Preshow Begins
And we’re off with the Opening Act.
Sydnee Goodman is on stage and the auditorium looks relatively empty to me.
She’s bigging up the preshow.
She would, wouldn’t she?
It’s samurai themed and anime styled so far.
Which ninja game is this!
Ninja Gaiden Ragebound by Dotemu and the Rage Kitchen.
It’s coming in Summer 2025.
Haha, touche, touche.
Harada-san is here to accept it.
Gosh he’s a cool-looking guy.
I wonder if he can fight.
Some indy folk music is strumming along pleasantly in the background.
It’s called Home?
It’s like Unpacking but first-person.
First look at Slay the Spire 2
No way - is this Slay the Spire 2!
Be still my beating heart.
I wonder what we can glean from it.
Necrobinder class and some ?
classes - so I guess that’s new.
It’s coming to early access in 2024.
Boy do I love Slay the Spire.
Another award now for best Ian Higton game (VR).
It’s got to be Batman, said Ian, and it is!
He’ll be happy - he’ll be jumping around in his shorts.
And here’s Batman to receive the award.
No, no, it’s not really batman - missed opportunity if you ask me.
You’ve got to feel for the other guy stood there, holding the award, not saying anything.
He almost got a word out at the end there, only to be shuffled off instead.
He’ll be gutted.
Well, he won an award so he won’t be that gutted, but still.
This looks like Dave the Diver.
But is it a sequel?
Is it - ah it’s Dave the Dive: In the Jungle.
It’s coming late next year.
Another world premiere now from Warren Spector, one of the original minds behind Deus Ex.
This is Thick as Thieves.
Nice smooth, slightly stylised look to it.
There’s what looks like character classes, all of which presumably bring something different to the heist table.
There’s some kind of grappling hook.
It’s coming to PC and consoles.
No mention of whether it’s single-player or multiplayer.
I’d expect the latter, which slightly concerns me.
Is it multi-teams against each other?
An alternate take on a legendary series by Bandai Namco apparently.
It’s a 2D, platforming take.
Wow, it really is.
An edgy Pac-Man platformer.
Shadow Labyrinth it’s called, and it’s coming next year.
Now we’re seeing a new mobile game from the legend Yu Suzuki (Virtua Fighter, Shenmue).
It’s called Steel Paws.
The award for Games for Impact goes to Neva, which Victoria really likes.
Another cosy game now and it’s Tales of the Shire - the Hobbiton game.
Ooh I’ve played this, Midnight Murder Club.
It’s got a great atmosphere; shame there weren’t other people around to play it with me.
This - innovation in accessibility - is the only award Dragon Age is up for, I think.
And Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown gets it.
The Core Keeper team’s new game now.
A co-operative spelunking game, it looks like.
Kyora, it’s called.
Best family game now, and it seems to be a popular category.
Huge cheers as Astro Bot wins it.
The first of many tonight, I expect.
This is the game whose name I couldn’t remember.
Sifu team reveals new football game
A new game from the makers of Sifu now - Sloclap.
It’s a football game - ooh I’ve heard about this.
It’s a third-person over-the-shoulder football game.
It looks a wacky - think Rocket League but for football games, obviously without the cars.
It’s not trying to be ultra realistic.
Rematch, it’s called, and it’s an online game.
So maybe we play one player on the pitch each?
Good luck getting a whole team together.
Now some in-engine footage - it’s a pretty looking game with bright, vibrant jungles and roasted deserts.
Our Rogueywon says the original was overlooked - I guess there are others who feel similar!
There you have it.
The main show begins
Here’s Geoff and he’s pumped.
He’s looking suave with what looks like a diamond-encrusted flower on his lapel.
I bet it’s not diamonds.
I hope it’s not.
He’s not the bloody Queen (but maybe he thinks he is?).
A nod to the challenges the industry is facing there, but it’s optimism all the way here.
Special guests tonight include Ken Kutaragi, the “father of PlayStation”, as Geoff introduced him.
He’s shouting out Ella Purnell.
Geoff must love this - this glitz and glamour.
It’s almost the Oscars he always wanted.
And of course he’s singling out Josef Fares.
Did Ken Kutaragi just try and get on stage there and security stopped him?
It’s Todd Howard and Troy Bacon sorry Baker.
Wow the height difference is quite something.
Troy is a very tall man, and Todd is on the slightly smaller side.
I’ve met them both too, although only Troy in passing.
He seemed nice, you know.
He’s looking very stylisy, Baker.
Those floaty trousers are all the rage.
And how many buttons is it safe to have undone.
And hold on - it’s Harrison bloody Ford!
The Indiana Jones music plays and out he comes.
I wonder if he’s had a big joint backstage.
He’s skipping some lines on the teleprompter.
Troy and Todd look a bit concerned, like they’re ready to jump in should he falter.
But we get to the awards all the same.
Wow, best performer goes to Melina Juergens again for Hellblade 2.
I’m pretty sure she won for Hellblade 1.
And also that she hadn’t done anything before Hellblade 1, either.
Geoff’s excited about this announcement.
It comes from a Game of the Year studio.
Is this The Witcher 4?
“Here’s a look at the unexpected.”
It sounds like The Witcher!
We’re seeing a character get bathed and change for some kind of ceremonial moment.
They’re sharpening a sword.
A fatherly figure is saying something nice about them.
The first Witcher 4 cinematic trailer shown
It’s CGI and some kind of folklore ritual, it seems.
Is this girl being sacrificed for something?
It’s all bit Midsommar.
But there’s a Witcher in the crowd and now the crowd are turning.
It’s - is that Ciri?
Ciri is older, obviously, and giving some Geralt vibes of her own here.
Her medallion is humming - a monster is coming from the cave.
Two swords, she draws one.
Voices play in her head.
Claws swipe at her from the mist.
She can’t see what she’s fighting.
She’s picked up and dragged.
Is that a Kikimora?
It’s some kind of spider beast.
She takes a poition.
Her veins show and her eyes turn catlike.
She’s a blur of action, swiping and striking.
The armed, beaked, haggy thing grabs her and leans in close.
Then she’s back in, and back on top.
She lops off a limb.
She gets out some kind of flail to tie the beast up and then ignites it.
Me thinks that head is coming off.
The question, as you’re rightly asking, is whether this is real-time or pre-rendered.
“Time for a new saga.
See you on the path.”
Those last words sounded like Doug Cockle’s.
Ciri, as expected, will be the protagonist.
I’m excited but I’m a bit disappointed that we’re not making our own witchers.
Elden Ring: Nightreign announced
Another new, standalone game now - standalone being the operative word I think.
What the snot is this?
It looks like there’s multiplayer.
Is it Elden Ring, isn’t it Elden Ring?
The emphasis is on banding together.
Elden Ring: Nightreign.
Geoff adds that it’s a new co-op game from FromSoftware.
And now: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is coming to PC with all the fancy graphical trimmings.
And Sephiroth’s hair.
21st January, I think that said.
Wonderful golf clap for Sydnee then.
He’s here to present best action game.
And the winner is: Black Myth Wukong.
The subtitles say “Blacksmith Wukong”.
There are a million people watching the livestream I’m watching on YouTube at the moment.
That’s pretty impressive.
This acceptance speech is definitely longer than 45 seconds, although there’s obviously translation to do.
Fumito Ueda’s new game revealed
Geoff is telling us about his star-studded lunches now.
Five years ago he had lunch with this person.
I wonder what he ordered.
We’re going to see gameplay footage from this mystery game.
From the creator of Ico.
Holy shit it’s Ueda!
There’s some kind of inky black wave rolling in.
They’ve climbed up to the top of a huge… head?
The head is now taking off like a rocket.
Oh, the head was on a big body.
Below the body, the inky tide has wrecked whatever was below.
And the trailer ends.
It’s the untitled next project from Fumito Ueda.
And that’s all we know.
It’ll be fascinating to see what Ueda’s first non-Sony game will be like.
I wonder if it will matter at all.
I’m sure Epic has thrown money at the studio to make what it will.
I met Fumito Ueda once, too, at the same conference Josef Fares was at, funnily enough.
Raul Rubio from the now closed Tequila Works was there too - the studio that made Rime.
He was quite gentle and very friendly actually.
The Outer Worlds 2 shown
Haha.
Obisidian being Obsidian and having a wonderful dig at its own history of making sequels to BioWare games.
It’s The Outer Worlds 2.
“Like every good sequel, we’re including everything that should have been in the first game.”
It’s two times bigger did they say?
I think the first was a proof of concept?
This could really bring it home.
It’s coming out next year.
I wonder if 2K will have anything to do with this or if it will be Microsoft/Xbox.
Xbox Studios named there.
PS5 listed, too, though.
It’s a co-op game coming 6th March, is the topline news.
Think It Takes Two, which was genuinely brilliant, only moreso.
More co-op, more over-the-topness, and more fun.
And it’s not far away.
Geoff doing a segment on layoffs here it sounds like.
He’s very carefully reading his very carefully prepared autocue.
He’s admitting the show has struggled to address these topics.
This is The Game Award’s first “game changer”.
Amir Satvat, they’re called.
Amir sounds like a bit of a legend, to be fair.
Amir is here with a cool Zelda jacket to get the first Game Changer award.
Nice - I like that.
Standing ovation for Amir.
That’s quite moving, that is.
“No, you’re breathtaking.”
Nice, Amir, nice.
Ah gosh, he’s welling up a bit as he’s thanking his family.
“Growing up, all I ever wanted was to be a part of the video game community.”
Well, you’re on the TGA stage now, Amir - I’d say you did it.
Yeah I thought he’d glossed over it again but that was much better.
Steel Hunters from Wargaming flit by then.
you’ve got the option to playtest it now on PC.
It’s a bit like Transformers.
A beautiful game now developed by a team up in Canada.
Is this The Long Dark… 2?
There’s a nuclear reactor of some kind.
Backfrost, this is called.
It IS The Long Dark 2.
Coming to early access 2026.
“Live together, die alone.”
Randy Pitchford shows Borderlands 4
Randy Pitchfork!
So, not to story-drop again, but I once went to a party in his house.
I know, weird right?
It was around QuakeCon.
He was actually very nice.
Anyway, here’s Borderlands 4!
It still looks very Borderlandsy, but it’s definitely had a facelift in terms of visuals.
That slight comic book sheen is still there on everything but it’s bulkier.
The action looks good.
The world looks large.
An exciting an unexpected announcement from a legendary RPG franchise now.
God, what an anticlimax.
Clive from Final Fantasy is in Tekken 8.
Guess what the most anticipated game award goes to?
Best multiplayer game though, come on Helldivers 2.
It’s Helldivers 2!.
Wow these are whipping by .
Best community support goes to: Baldur’s Gate 3!
Is it even an award show without BG3 winning?
Best art direction goes to: Metaphor!
Yeah, it’s weird isn’t it?
Strange to just mash them together like that all of a sudden.
Another disappeared post, darnit.
We’re getting an Arcane music spot now.
Good performances and a great show but do we need this?
Apparently all the songs were made especially for the series.
I don’t know anything about League and I loved it.
I hope you’ve seen the show and didn’t spoil it for yourself there.
Onto a new game announcement!
It’s the Yakuza studio.
There’s the dull thud of a punch.
Two characters are fighting on a dusty street.
“Virtual Fighter is back!”
It’s a new, full instalment in the series.
Yakuza game Project Century announced
1915.
We’re in… Japan?
There’s fighting in another street - this time a rainy one.
It’s Yakuza again.
And that’s it.
It’s Hideo Kojima time!
Little jog down the stairs there.
What a brooch he’s wearing - that is some serious bling.
Maybe Geoff is low-key competing with him?
Maybe Kojima inspired him?
Has Kojima been at every single Game Awards?
Kojima is talking up The Game Awards as a bridge between games and films and movies.
He is, of course, working on a bit of a game-film project of his own.
You could argue that all of his games have been game-films, of course.
What are you actually here to announce, Kojima?
Oh, an award.
Big one, this.
Best game direction goes to: Astro Bot.
All that just to present an award.
Did anyone else see that?
They were not budging.
A person running through a jungle and throwing a small axe.
Turok Origins announced
Holy crap it is Turok.
And that’s it - there’s not much else to know for now.
A Helldivers 2 moment here.
An expansion, perhaps?
Helldivers 2 major update out now.
Rebecca Ford the creative director of Warframe on stage now, looking rather fabulous I have to say.
We’re going to see the final trailer for Warframe 1999, and get a release date.
Warframe 1999 is out today
This looks great.
But it’s very handsome.
It’s coming out later today!
Maybe now it will.
Totally glossed over a Palworld update there, apologies.
And I’ll gloss over this Wuthering Waves update too.
Come on, Geoff, get us back on board.
You’ve hit some high notes so don’t slump now.
Yacht Club Games, the makers of Shovel Knight, are here to announce another award.
That’s a powerful moustache they’re wearing.
Nice velvet jacket too.
Nice style in general.
It’s best indie game time.
It has to be Balatro, right?
And best debut indie goes to: Balatro!
The award is being picked up on Localthunk’s behalf.
Sounds like they’re really not keen on awards.
I can respect that.
I wonder if they protested at being there.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword announced for 2026
A big announcement now, it sounds like.
It’s very in fashion right now.
Floating orbs of red light.
A warrior is sucking the orbs into their hand.
It’s a samurai game with lots and lots of blood.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
The Russo brothers here to give us an update on The First Berserker.
Wow they did not seem happy to be announcing the trailer!
Or maybe that’s just their disposition.
I’m not really sure what their involvement with this project is.
Are they presenting it?
Are they bankrolling it somehow?
The First Berserker: Khazan coming 27th March 2025.
Not sure what to make of this anime fantasy game at all.
Is it just derivative?
It’s Arad: Dungeons & Fighter.
Or, as Herr says, “A rad dungeon & fighter” - very good!
Dying Light: The Beast now, and a brand new look at it.
It’s coming in the summer of 2025.
This is in-game footage apparently.
We are seeing some gameplay.
That dark forest moment was scary!
It looks rather handsome actually.
Best action/adventure game now: Astro Bot!
That’s three for Astro Bot.
Best RPG goes to: Metaphor!
Huge cheers from the audience.
Big awards that just whizz by.
I don’t undertand!
Best sports/racing game goes to: EA FC.
Best sim/strategy goes to: Frostpunk 2!
It’s a cracker.
It’s like Geoff suddenly puts the awards on fast forward in those moments.
Crytek’s logo shows up.
This must be Hunt: Showdown.
Oh that was Post Malone!
It’s Post Malone’s Murder Circus.
For Hunt: Showdown.
Fortnite is getting some 5v5 tactical mode there.
Ooh, now we’re getting some Squid Game.
They’ve created a Fall Guys-like simulation of Squid Game that we can play.
It doesn’t look great.
We’re getting a sneak peek at Squid Game Series 2, which is coming 26th December I think.
The Netflix Squid Game game is coming 17th, I think it said.
Here’s Snoop Dogg and his son to present best ongoing game.
They launched Death Row Games this year and they’re here to plug it abit.
They’re very serious looking - or stoned looking, I can’t work out which.
Um, did I tell you I met Snoop once?
There’s a video and everything.
Snoop pulling out some charisma now.
And Helldivers 2 wins best ongoing game!
That’s two for Helldivers.
I didn’t think I had any material but now I’m questioning it!
It’s not my fault they’re all my best friends!
I joke, I joke.
A brand new game from a beloved game developer now.
It’s Ghost Town Games the makers of Overcooked.
A fancy fourth-wall breaking announcement here.
The game is a world split horizontally.
It’s called Stage Fright.
It’s Ghost Town Games and Hello Games, funnily enough - I guess Hello is publishing.
Game of Thrones music!
They’re in the North, at Castle Black.
A third-person hack and slash - maybe an RPG - based on A Game of Thrones.
There’s a dragon!
There’s Jon Snow!
There’s a White Walker!
It sounds like it might have the proper voices - or maybe they’re just good impersonations.
So you defend the Wall?
Game of Thrones: Kingsroad.
What an amazingly bland main character, though.
There were some great ones.
I always meant to play more War in the North - the spin-off co-op action RPG.
you’ve got the option to’t call a game Solo Levelling!
What are they doing.
That’s not a game name, that’s something you do in an MMO.
Some nice cars here.
Interposed with some anime shots.
It’s a car game called… Screamer.
I’m not even joking.
Who names these things?
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC.
The best adaptation award here.
It’s a hotly contested category this year with Arcane and Fallout, both of which are excellent.
And the winner is: Fallout!
I suppose Ella Purnell had to be here for something, right?
Todd Howard, Jonathan Nolan and Ella Purnell take to the stage.
Why does Todd hang around with such big people?
That’s the question.
Look I don’t want to scare anyone but we’ve cruised past 3am.
PayDay creator’s new game here.
And it’s like PayDay?
People with masks on are breaking into something, somewhere.
They’ve got a job of some sorts to do.
They look like NPCs that they’re battling.
Den of Wolves it’s called.
Early access is coming in 202…
They didn’t say.
I’ve never seen that approach before.
I think we’re all thinking the same thing.
Geoff should take a cue out of his own book here and wrap it up.
I don’t need a look at Honkai 3.0 right now.
I need you to wrap this up!
I wonder what the big show-closer will be.
Oh, we’re getting a Snoop Dogg performance of a new song.
So that’s another few minutes.
I’m not sure this is the crowd you’re after, Snoopy.
Oh, no, hang on, someone has their hand up!
Maybe they want to ask a question?
Is Snoop taking questions?
Now he’s doing a medley?
We’re going right back to his earliest hits - is this one from the Chronic album?
I can’t remember.
Right, good, that’s over with.
I love him but come on, let’s get on with this.
“That right, we are far from done.”
Oh no, Danny, no!
#DarthVader
So, what have we still got to see?
Maybe that’s the closer?
Best score and music award time.
Who’s it going to be, who’s it going to be?
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth!
Well, this is awkward.
Oho, there’s Matt Mercer and Marisha Rey in the audience.
Well since you mention it…
No, no, I haven’t.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds announced
A tease of what’s next for a legendary gaming franchise now.
Sonic Racing, it looks like!
A first look at Mafia: The Old Country
Mafia: The Old Country first look now.
Set in Sicily in the early 1900s.
Nice scenery, as you’d expect from sun-baked Sicily.
But nice variety in scenery too.
A mix of horses and early cars.
Some breathy voices, a la Marlon Brando.
A bit Al Pacino-esque.
Mafia Oranges - yes!
Best independent game goes to: Balatro!
It’s now won best indie and best debut indie.
Best mobile game: Balatro!
Best audio design: Hellblade 2!
The player’s voice - player’s choice - award goes to Black Myth Wukong.
How are you all holding up out there - anyone nodded off yet?
Laura Bailey and Aaron Paul are on the stage now.
That’s Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, and Laura Bailey from Last of Us and Critical Role.
They’re here to announce the game Dispatch - I don’t know what that is.
They’re doing a fairly forced skit here, but Bailey is good at this stuff.
What on earth is this game though?
It’s an adventure game?
It looks like it - made by some of the people who made The Wolf Among Us.
They’re really stretching this latter part of the show out.
We’re getting a voice over inner-head monologue now.
That’s quite cool.
It’s like a noir detective moment.
Right, come on, let’s pick it up, Geoff!
One last special announcement, we’re told.
“If you truly love video games like I do, this moment is for all of us.”
What on earth does that mean.
A person banging a big drum (on the stage).
Is it another bongo-banging game?
No, it’s another orchestral performance.
It sounds like music from Asia?
Directed by Hideki Kamiya!
And he’s got a new studio called Clovers - hah!
I interviewed Kamiya once…
This is Pearl Abyss’s frankly gorgeous-looking Crimson Desert.
Is that Patrick Stewart doing a voice over?
It sure sounds like him.
This has been in development for what feels like ages.
I hope it’s actually good.
Geoff having an emotional “thank you” moment.
It’s a bit like an acceptance speech, but again, he has grown this into a Thing.
We’ve got one more announcement!
It has to be Naughty Dog, right?
“The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our end.”
We see a planet and pull back through rocky asteroids.
Now we see a spaceship - a Porsche spaceship.
Presumably we’re inside it now and a character is buzzing their hair.
They’re heading to the cockpit and the video feed follows them.
It’s a kind of touchable sci-fi - an almost retro sci-fi.
From the studio that brought you Uncharted and The Last of Us - it’s Naughty Dog.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Project.
It’s directed by Neil Druckmann.
It’s been in development since 2020.
Larian’s Swen Vincke is here to present the best game award now.
He’s not in a suit of armour this time.
He’s talking about people controlling their own destinies - developers not being treated like numbers by big companies.
That’s what Larian does and it’s worked for them, but is it idealistic or realistic?
I wish it could be this way for everyone.
I was just thinking this.
I wonder if Localthunk is watching.
They must be, right?
Astro Bot wins game of the year
So, here we are, game of the year.
And it goes to Astro Bot.
A great night for Astro Bot.
It’s nice to see a relatively new IP be so rewarded.
It didn’t exist before PS5, and I like that.
I’ll blame the time.
Team Asobi giving a shout out to Nintendo and Mario there, while picking up the best game award.
Show closes
That’s it thank god.
It was long but it had some genuinely stunning announcements.
Thank you everyone for joining us tonight and keeping me company.
I bid you a good morning or good night, depending on how you look at it.
But maybe wait until you’ve had some sleep to read it.
