Game Awards 2024 News Roundup

It’s that time again folks! We all know that in the gaming world, major announcements are split between Summer Game Fest, Gamescom, The Game Awards, and small directs scattered throughout the year. Now we’re back to The Game Awards, which means we get to recap the year while getting a glimpse of what is next. So how was this year’s show? Let’s get into it.

First, we start with the Pre-Show, which opened with a trailer for Dotemu and Koei Tecmo’s collaboration with the creators of Blasphemous. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound is the next iteration of the iconic action franchise, perfect for the creators of Blasphemous. The dev team already knows how to make visceral action combat, and this is a perfect project for them. The pre-show is already starting off strong here. With a 2025 release window, I can’t wait to hear more about this new action masterpiece in the making.

The first award was showcased for Best Fighting Game, which went to Tekken 8. I hate to tell Warner Bros. this, but Multiversus didn’t stand a chance. I’m a bit shocked it didn’t go to Sparking Zero though.

Anyhow, this led to a segment for Ramage Games’ cozy packing/moving game called One Move Away. I’m excited to see what the 2025 release window has in store for this cozy moving game. I have a feeling there will be some emotional moments involved too.

We moved directly to a trailer for Slay the Spire 2 next, which I’ve been keeping an eye on since its announcement a few months back. This trailer revealed a new character called the Necrobinder, which seems to rely on summoned allies. The art style and updated visuals are fantastic too. Slay the Spire 2 will enter Early Access in 2025.

The next award was for Best VR/AR game, which went to Batman Arkham Shadow. I’m not super surprised, though I don’t follow the VR scene much these days. This led to a trailer for Dave the Diver: In the Jungle, which seems to be taking your adventures out of the water and into a new frontier. We won’t know more about this new DLC until 2025 though.

A World Premiere came next, for a game by Warren Spector no less. Thick as Thieves is a new Stealth-focused multiplayer game where you’ll compete with other thieves to pull off successful heists. You can wishlist Thick as Thieves now on all platforms except Switch.

Now we dig into the more boring awards (in my opinion), the Esports categories. First was Best Esports Game which went to League of Legends, also known as Toxicity Simulator 20XX. I’ll accept hate mail from Keiran’s usual complaints box (the nearest bin) please. Best Esports Athlete went to Faker, congratulations to them and I hope they don’t live up to their name. Lastly, Best Esports Team went to T1, which sounds like a calculator I would have used in High School. Congrats to the award winners, let’s get on with it, shall we?

The next premiere trailer was for a new Metroidvania-esque title called Shadow Labyrinth. Despite the demonic Pac-Man, I don’t think there’s an official connection with Bandai Namco’s mascot. Regardless, it looks pretty cool.

Next came a trailer for Yu Suzuki’s next game, a Mobile title where he’ll release a fair bit of content, then leave everyone hanging for an unforeseen amount of time. No, I’m still not over the disappointment that was Shenmue III. Steel Paws is coming exclusively to Netflix Games, though we don’t have much more in the way of details.

My favorite award (Games for Impact) was next, which went to Neva. I haven’t had a chance to play the follow-up to Gris yet, but it is definitely on my radar.

We got a new cozy game trailer next, specifically for Tales of the Shire, a Hobbit-focused game in the Lord of the Rings universe. Tales of the Shire is coming on March 25, 2025.

Another trailer dropped immediately afterward for Stalcraft Operations, a cute (yet odd) shooter coming in 2025.

Velan Studios’ Midnight Murder Club also got a trailer that showcased its multiplayer gameplay. Midnight Murder Club will hit Early Access in February.

Next up came an award for Innovation in Accessibility (another favorite) which went to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment, and I really wish the game had gotten the appreciation it deserves.

A new World Premiere trailer came next from the developers of Core Keeper. Kyora seems like a very Terraria-esque multiplayer survival game that you can wishlist now on Steam. It’s nice and all, but I’ve seen similar projects that didn’t exactly grab attention.

The Best Family Game award was next, going to Astro Bot, which is well deserved. Honestly, this category was stacked, but Astro Bot really does have a family-friendly vibe that makes it perfect. This led directly to a world premiere for Rocket League: Soccer Edition (sorry, Futbol edition) also known as Rematch. Rematch looks gorgeous, and coming from the developers of Sifu gives it a solid pedigree. Rematch will be coming to PC and consoles this summer.

The last reveal of the Pre-show was for Solasta 2, an incredible-looking CRPG. I haven’t played the original game, but this trailer is making me consider it. It’ll be difficult to beat the high standards of Baldur’s Gate 3, but I’m definitely intrigued. Solasta 2 will enter Early Access in 2025.

Now we get into the main event of the 10^th Anniversary of The Game Awards. The main show kicked off with the award for Best Performance, presented by Harrison Ford, Troy Baker, and the man that Bethesda should keep chained up somewhere, Todd Howard. As previously stated, all hate mail can go to the usual spot. The award went to Melina Juergens from Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga. It was unintentionally funny that Harrison mispronounced her name, but her award was well deserved.

The first World Premiere of the main show was a shocker. The next entry in The Witcher franchise has finally been revealed. The Witcher IV kicks off the next chapter in Cirilla’s story, and by the trailer that was shown, I can’t wait to see more.

Next up was a trailer for Elden Ring: Nightreign, a new Co-op Action Adventure title coming to PC and Consoles next year. Then we got an announcement for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth coming to PC on January 23^rd, 2025. Now you’ll be able to enjoy FFVII Rebirth with higher resolutions and graphical settings.

The next award was for Best Action Game, which went to Black Myth Wukong, marking the first Chinese-developed game to win at the Game Awards. This led to a world premiere trailer for the next project from the developer of Shadow of the Colossus. It’s an interesting trailer, but we likely won’t see it for a few years considering it doesn’t even have a title yet.

Civilization VII took the stage next, with an orchestral reveal of its musical theme ahead of the February 11^th, 2025 release.

Afterward, another World Premiere was showcased, this time for The Outer Worlds 2, which looks like a blast. I loved the first game, but there was definitely room for improvement, so I’m very excited for the sequel.

Another world premiere came up next for a new co-op adventure from the developers of It Takes Two. Split Fiction is a game where you play two aspiring writers trapped in a simulation. It looks pretty cool, and I could see a lot of people having a blast with it. Split Fiction will be released on March 6^th, 2025.

After that announcement came a new trailer for Blackfrost: The Long Dark II, a post-apocalyptic survival game set during what seems to be a nuclear winter. It will be coming to Early Access in 2026.

Borderlands 4 got a moment in the spotlight next, showcasing a new trailer with gameplay and cinematic content. Looks like 2025 is the magic number for Borderlands 4, so I’m guessing we’ll find out more around time for the Summer Game Fest, with a possible Gamescom-centric release date.

Clive Rosfield is coming to Tekken 8 as the latest collaboration character. He will be available on December 16^th, so fans have that to look forward to. Honestly, I think Clive makes a better fighting game character than an RPG protagonist, but that’s just me.

The Most Anticipated Game award went to Grand Theft Auto VI, which is probably the blandest choice they could have made. The Best Multiplayer Game went to Helldivers 2… no comment there. The Best Community Support award went to Baldur’s Gate 3, which makes sense since Larian Studios has been hard at work with constant regular updates.

Continuing the awards, the Best Art Direction award went to Metaphor: ReFantazio, which is a great choice considering the Hieronymus Bosch references throughout. Yes, I’m letting my inner art snob show. With those awards out of the way, the show moved on to a trailer for Splitgate 2, set to be released in 2025.

The next segment was a tribute to the music from the Netflix series Arcane, set in the world of League of Legends. They moved right along into another announcement afterward. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has revealed a new Virtua Fighter game. I expected this was coming after the most recent announcement for the new Steam release, so this isn’t super surprising.

Ryu Ga Gotoku also announced Project Century, which looks like Yakuza/Like a Dragon set in 1915, which could be an interesting twist. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next with that. I’m sure we’ll find out more later in 2025.

Hideo Kojima dropped by to help present the Best Game Direction award, which went to Astro Bot. Admittedly it could have gone to any of the nominees (though Balatro didn’t stand a chance) but Astro Bot’s direction was well done and well deserved.

The next announcement came in the form of a trailer for Turok: Origins. That’s right, the classic franchise is returning for a new iteration, coming to PC and Consoles at a later date. I’m curious about this one, but I’ll need to know more.

Helldivers 2 took to the stage for a segment about the latest major update. A new update is available with a new enemy type and a good chunk of content to go with it. This led to a Warframe segment that covered the next major update for Warframe, titled Warframe: 1999, coming later today.

Palworld also showed off its next update, then the Best Debut Indie Game award was revealed. Balatro took home the award, and while I enjoy the game I don’t know that it was the most deserving nominee. Animal Well offered a truly unique experience, while The Plucky Squire provided a heartfelt, well-realized idea with unique mechanics. Balatro is a fun idea but I’m not sure it measures up.

A new world premiere was up next for a new game by Capcom. Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings back the iconic Onimusha franchise for a 2026 release. This led to an update on The First Berzerker: Khazan, which we saw during Summer Game Fest earlier this year. The new trailer revealed a March 27^th release date, which seems to be a common theme for this showcase.

Then we got another announcement for a game set in the same universe called Arad, which seems to be an Action RPG. I’m intrigued, but I’ll definitely need to see more. We also got to see more from Dying Light: The Beast, which was also showcased at Summer Game Fest this year. We have a Summer 2025 release window, but we don’t know much more than that at the moment.

The Best Action Adventure Game category went to Astro Bot. Personally I loved Astro Bot, but I think Prince of Persia was a bit more deserving. The absolutely stacked Best RPG category went to Metaphor ReFantazio, which was a highly deserving choice. Content Creator of the Year went to Caseoh, whom I have never heard of. Best Sports/Racing Game went to EA Sports FC 25, and Best Sim/Strategy Game went to Frostpunk 2.

With those awards out of the way, a weird Squid Game segment came next. This segment promoted Netflix Games’ Squid Game Unleashed, as well as promoting Squid Game Season 2. Squid Game Unleashed will be available on December 17^th while Squid Game Season 2 will be available on December 26^th.

Snoop Dogg and his son (creators of Death Row Games) dropped by to present Best Ongoing Game, which went to Helldivers 2.

The developers of Overcooked announced a co-op adventure game called Stage Fright. You can wishlist Stage Fright now, but not much else is known about it yet.

Next up is a game set in the Game of Thrones universe called Game of Thrones: Kingsroad. Coming 2025, you’ll play a new character who must rally the seven kingdoms against the Night Walkers. It looks interesting, and if done right it could be better than the actual series ending, though that isn’t saying much.

The Best Adaptation award was presented next, going to Fallout, which was a bit of a surprise for me. I enjoyed Fallout, but I expected the award to go to Arcane for some reason. Then Den of Wolves took the stage, a Co-op heist FPS game.

Then we got the obligatory Hoyoverse segment, showcasing a new character and trailer for Zenless Zone Zero. We also got a look at version 3.0 for Honkai Star Rail, coming next month. Version 3.0 will reveal the Grecian-inspired Amorphous world.

After a musical performance from Snoop Dogg, the award for Best Score and Music was presented to Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. Just like Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Rebirth’s soundtrack evolved from the original Final Fantasy VII, creating one-of-a-kind re-imaginings of classic tracks.

Sega is bringing a new Sonic Racing game to the track! Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is coming soon to all major platforms, though not much else is known about it yet.

Mafia: The Old Country also resurfaced after being teased at Summer Game Fest. Coming Summer 2025, Mafia: The Old Country looks to be a cinematic action game that will tell the origin story of the franchise.

Another round of awards was given out, starting with Best Independent Game which went to Balatro. Best Mobile Game went to Balatro, and Best Audio Design went to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Additionally, the Player’s Voice award went to Black Myth Wukong.

Infinity Nikki got a moment in the spotlight next, showcasing the theme song as well as a gameplay montage trailer. Next came an announcement trailer for Dispatch, a narrative game involving working dispatch for superheroes. Dispatch will be released in 2025.

The Best Narrative award was handed out next, going to Metaphor ReFantazio. The incredibly fitting part about this award going to Metaphor, is that the story of Metaphor ReFantazio revolves around the power of storytelling. There’s a sort of meta-textual symmetry, life imitating art, in a way.

Next up was an incredibly exciting announcement. Okami is getting a sequel, helmed by Hideki Kamiya himself! I have wanted a sequel for Okami for years now, and it is super exciting that one is officially announced by Capcom. Afterward, we got another look at Crimson Desert, which I keep forgetting exists. Crimson Desert is coming in Late 2025.

The final World Premiere trailer was for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the newest game from Naughty Dog. I’m intrigued by the Sci-fi meets Retrowave vibes, but I’ll need to see more. The Game of the Year Award went to Astro Bot, which has me absolutely shocked. I really like Astro Bot, but with the games on the nomination list I am not sure whether I agree with this assessment or not. Regardless, I am happy that a game with such heartfelt love and care built into it was rewarded.

That wrapped up the show, and I can honestly say that this year’s presentation was good. From heavy-hitting announcements and surprises to awards going to deserving developers, I’m very pleased with what I saw. Here’s hoping 2025 leads to even more great games.