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The Game Awards 2021 live report

UPDATE: And that's a wrap!

It's nearly Christmas, but before then here's a little videogame Christmas - it's Geoff Keighley and The Geoff Awards, where there'll be new game reveals alongside celebration of the very best of the last year. Join us at 1am GMT for the fun!

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Our live coverage of this event has finished.

Hi, hello and how do you do!

Martin Robinson

I regret to inform you I have been driiiiiiiiiiiiinkiiiiing.

Martin Robinson

But hey that's fine because the show doesn't start until 1am which is two and a half hours away so I've got plenty of time to sort myself out, right?

Martin Robinson

Right?

Martin Robinson

To be honest I'm more concerned with whether or not I've got the energy to head to the off licence to get some drinks in for later.

Martin Robinson

It's only a two minute walk away. But it's cold. And I'm tired.

Martin Robinson

Anyway! Lovely to see you all here!

Martin Robinson

Geoff has indeed confirmed it'll be a three hour show - plus there's a half hour pre-show which if you don't mind I'm going to politely ignore.

Martin Robinson

So that takes us up to 4am, at which point who knows what state we'll all be in.

Martin Robinson

Crack's a morning thing isn't it? Seems like a breakfast drug more than anything.

Martin Robinson

I'm going to log off and try and get some rest over the next couple of hours, and I'll catch up with you all before the show starts!

Martin Robinson

(Although really I'm just ragging around in VR with the Merc W12 that just landed in iRacing and having such a good time I don't quite know how to stop just yet).

Martin Robinson

Have you played Unpacking yet? It's probably a bit too close to home for you right now, but it's also probably my own game of the year. A lovely, ingenious, quietly melancholy yet also uplifting thing.

Martin Robinson

I'm holding out hope we'll get the name of the new Zelda game announced.

Martin Robinson

I'm an overly optimistic fool, tho.

Martin Robinson

Hello! Martin is stuck in some virtual reality racing marathon, so I'm going to pick up our live report of The Game Awards. Sorry for the delay!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Although to be honest, I can't see anything at the show topping the pre-show announcement of The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Anyone else big into The Expanse? I bloody love it!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Hellblade 2 looks suitably grim, doesn't it? I wonder when it will come out.

Wesley Yin-Poole

themightyant: Hi Wes

Hello!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Kami: I'll be honest, not watched The Expanse at all.

Get on it. It's great!

Wesley Yin-Poole

That's a fancy trailer for Quantic Dream's Star Wars game (this had leaked), but it's Quantic Dream, you know?

Wesley Yin-Poole

(And no, I'm not in favour of game companies that sue journalists)

Wesley Yin-Poole

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-09-21-heavy-rain-developer-quantic-dream-successfully-managed-to-sue-french-newspaper-le-monde

Wesley Yin-Poole

I'm guessing those game codes are real. Good luck!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Well, I was not expecting a Wonder Woman game from Monolith, that's for sure!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Monolith is the studio behind Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, the much-loved Lord of the Rings games.

Wesley Yin-Poole

That trailer tells us nothing, really. What kind of game do we expect?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Best performance had to be Maggie Robertson for Lady Dimitrescu, didn't it?

Wesley Yin-Poole

And this is clearly Alan Wake 2!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Alan Wake 2 was expected - it looks like an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC (coming to consoles as well).

Wesley Yin-Poole

Alan Wake 2 is Remedy's first ever survival horror game, Sam Lake says. That's a crowd-pleaser.

Wesley Yin-Poole

2023 feels like a long way away. Sam Lake says more will be revealed summer 2022. Imagine that. The summer...

Wesley Yin-Poole

When will this guy stop talking?

Wesley Yin-Poole

I do like Jim Carrey. That film when he fell out of a rhino's arse? Nearly shit myself laughing at that one.

Wesley Yin-Poole

This Sonic movie is going to be so much better than the Mario movie, isn't it?

Wesley Yin-Poole

When these shows do a live music bit it gives all the journos reporting on it a mini-break. Thanks Geoff!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Never been into Horizon. Not feeling Horizon 2. But! I can see why people love it.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Thanks for telling us what music you listen to on Spotify, Geoff.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Final Fantasy 7 Remake PC release had leaked, but it's good to see it finally confirmed.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I'm guessing that's a timed Epic Games Store exclusive, given the Epic logo platsered over the trailer. Sorry Steam users!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Microsoft rebranding Xbox Game Pass on PC to PC Game Pass. I guess that makes sense? I mean, Age of Empires 4 doesn't have much to do with Xbox.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Dare I hope for some sort of Street Fighter 6 announcement?

Wesley Yin-Poole

I thought Shang-Chi was pretty good for an hour, but fell off a cliff in the third act. The fight scene on the bus is great!

Wesley Yin-Poole

I know our Chris Tapsell was rooting for Returnal for best action game. He'll be pleased.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I can't help but say Returnal like Snow says Informer. Sorry.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ah, Destiny, my old friend... like a war I fought a lifetime ago...

Wesley Yin-Poole

Have the Darkness actually shown up yet? I've been waiting for a meaningful story development from Destiny for 100 years now.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Well, Bokeh's new game looks horrific and kind of fun? Silent Hill with some action elements?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Nightingale looks pretty cool! Survival crafting game in a shared world. Portals to different worlds looks like a big part of it.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Aaryn Flynn was boss of BioWare (he quit in July 2017, just months after Mass Effect Andromeda's disastrous launch).

Wesley Yin-Poole

I'm not getting much BioWare from Nightingale though. Perhaps that's a good thing.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ah, here's a fresh look at that Gollum game.

Wesley Yin-Poole

More here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-03-why-you-should-care-about-that-gollum-game

Wesley Yin-Poole

It's after 2am now. How we holding up everyone?

Wesley Yin-Poole

So, PUBG going fully free-to-play in January. That makes sense! I'd forgot it was still a premium game on PC.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Gamer_cool123: No work tomorrow. That's the only reason I'm here!

JEALOUS

Wesley Yin-Poole

Velocikitty: *laughs in america*

Curse you

Wesley Yin-Poole

Music break!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Here's the new Sonic game!

Wesley Yin-Poole

As expected, it's called Sonic Frontiers.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Looks like Sonic is going open world sort of? Will be interesting to see gameplay of this one.

Wesley Yin-Poole

There was a weird baby thing in the trailer for that Del Toro movie that reminded me of the mutant baby from Total Recall. Just me?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Deathloop for best art direction is a good shout. Well deserved!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Although I loved Artful Escape!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Estumas: You mean Quaato? The thing on the guys chest @ Wesley?

Yes!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Did Geoff just confirm no Josef Fares rant this year? What's the bloody point of all this then?

Wesley Yin-Poole

More Vermintide 2 is always a good thing. And I think that was our first Warhammer anything at The Game Awards tonight? GIVE ME MORE!

Wesley Yin-Poole

I've heard very good things about Guardians of the Galaxy from a story point of view. Apparently the dialogue is great.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I didn't expect it to win best narrative though.

Wesley Yin-Poole

This Suicide Squad skit is making me cringe into my gamer chair. Just show the gameplay please before I cease to exist.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Suicide Squad looks a bit Insomniac, doesn't it? There's some Sunset Overdrive in there for sure.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Forspoken looks a little... drab to me? It's more about the environments, I think. It's all a little flat.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Warhammer 40k! Finally!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Wow! I did not expect Space Marine 2!!!

Wesley Yin-Poole

iceytoa1: I'm guessing I'm hoping too much but man I want this to be space marine 2...

Good call!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Forgive me for going on about Space Marine 2 for a bit, but that's Ultramarines versus the Tyranids, with some Imperial Guard thrown in. What I thought was cool about the trailer was the Guard soldier seemed almost terrified of the Space Marines who came to save them. I quite liked that vibe there. The Space Marines aren't the good guys!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Sorry, I'm too busy pondering Space Marine 2. Missed the Saints Row thing. Any good?

Wesley Yin-Poole

It's 2.45am and someone just said "there's plenty of show left". RIP...

Wesley Yin-Poole

It's Doug Bowser!

Wesley Yin-Poole

I still can't believe Nintendo America's boss is called Bowser.

Wesley Yin-Poole

And the guy Nintendo sued is called Bowser. What a world.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ah, this is Funcom's new Dune game.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Dune 4X RTS sounds right up my street! Looking forward to seeing gameplay of that one.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Highlights for me so far are The Expanse, Space Marine 2 and Dune RTS. Have there been any other announcements?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Oh wow, Among Us VR. Unexpected!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Can someone explain to me what the fudge I'm watching?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Is this supposed to be cute? It looks terrifying to me.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Well, that's a nightmare I'm not gonna shake for a while. Thanks, Geoff!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Okay crew. It's 3am. My eyes are starting to bleed. I'm not sure what's real and what's not. How are we all doing?

Wesley Yin-Poole

The Starfield downgrade is real.

Wesley Yin-Poole

That was a pretty poor fake Spock.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I do like Star Trek! I dunno about whatever that was.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Reggie, free from the shackles of his Nintendo overlords, about to drop some truth bombs. Let us have it, Reggie!

Wesley Yin-Poole

That wasn't as explosive a speech I had hoped for, Reggie.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Final Fantasy 14 is doing so well right now. Well deserved!

Wesley Yin-Poole

I don't know what this is but I know it is very much not for me.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ugh, Rumbleverse. Please stop!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Geoff said Techland like you'd say a surname. Like, Techlnd. Just thought I'd point that out.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ah yes, Crossfire. The game Remedy is making for Smilegate. Xbox exclusive I think?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Remedy does Call of Duty, basically. It's a work-for-hire project. Helps keep the lights on!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Fortnite still trucking along, still one of the biggest games on earth.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Remember when CliffyB was working on Fortnite? That was 10 years ago...

Wesley Yin-Poole

Okay, I'm paying attention to this music bit. Love Supergiant songs!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Arcane is seriously good though, isn't it? Who knew a League of Legends animation show would be the best telly of 2021?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Markusdragon: We have Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett here. Why are we not just listening to the Hades vocal tracks?

Truth

Wesley Yin-Poole

Random footballer knee slide on-stage there from the Imagine Dragons fella. Weird.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I have a soft spot for Jacksepticeye. He seems like a good egg. Also Irish!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Iamhurtin: Arcane is shit Wesley

uwot8

Wesley Yin-Poole

Important award. Well done, Playground!

Wesley Yin-Poole

GTFO out now after two years of early access.

Wesley Yin-Poole

GTFO is a co-op alien shooter from Payday lead designer Ulf Andersson.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Kami: Having said that, I'm secretly looking forward to the League of Legends fighting game.

Me too!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Okay Geoff, time to wrap this up. My kids are gonna wake up for the day soon.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Imagine how much money Jeff Goldblum got for promoting Raid Shadow Legends. Imagine!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Right, I want your showstopper predictions. What's the "one last thing" moment this year? Go!

Wesley Yin-Poole

I'll start: Street Fighter 6. I BELIEVE!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Was that meant to be narration from Halsey? Now she has a British accent?

Wesley Yin-Poole

Not sure what to make of that Halo TV series trailer. Master Chief looks good, but the rest looks a little off. Need more data!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Deathloop doing well here at The Game Awards. And so it should!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Love Microsoft-owned Arkane dev thanking Sony.

Wesley Yin-Poole

The Game Awards doesn't spend enough time on the actual awards, does it?

Wesley Yin-Poole

The Oscars doesn't have pot friend.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Does The Game Awards really need a new trailer for Elden Ring, a game people have already played? Perhaps it would have been better to spend this time on giving out an award?

Wesley Yin-Poole

I mean ultimately all this comes down to money. The Game Awards wouldn't happen without money coming in from companies paying to advertise their games. I suspect Geoff is aware of the balance that needs to be struck. Just feels like the balance is pretty off!

Wesley Yin-Poole

People compare The Game Awards to the Oscars but really they're nothing alike.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ad break. Just gonna grab some wasabi peas brb.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Back.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Ozziw: So, I have to wake up 5:45 for work. The clock is 4:54 here right now. I've made some poor choices.

Oh no...

Wesley Yin-Poole

This game looks cool (sci-fi MOnster Hunter?) but the trailer music is... not what I'd have gone with.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Oh, it's called Arc Raiders.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Hmm. The Matrix Resurrections. I'm just not sure! Why does Neo look like John Wick? I don't UNDERSTAND!

Wesley Yin-Poole

4am. It's 4am. 4am.

Wesley Yin-Poole

It's available right now! Right now! It's available right now! RIGHT NOW!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Please let there be "one last thing" and please let it be Street Fighter 6.

Wesley Yin-Poole

Music break!

Wesley Yin-Poole

It Takes Two is 2021 game of the year! That's a surprise!

Wesley Yin-Poole

Josef Fares, here we go!

Wesley Yin-Poole

That was dissapointing Josef. Was hoping for a Take-Two fuck you.

Wesley Yin-Poole

So, that's a wrap. At 4.10am.

Wesley Yin-Poole

There was some cool-looking stuff in there, right? Space Marine 2. Dune. The Expanse. But, overall? Lacked a mega wow moment for me.

Wesley Yin-Poole

And the awards part of The Game Awards felt rushed.

Wesley Yin-Poole

I'm gonna wrap this up. Thank you so much, dear readers, for staying up so late to watch The Game Awards with us. See you next year!

Wesley Yin-Poole

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