The nominees for this year’s Game Awards have recently been announced. Admittedly, the nominees this year seem rather timid with just a few heavy hitters compared to the powerhouse of titles that were nominated last year. However, that is not going to dampen the festivities during the show as this year’s show promises plenty of reveals and surprises. Considering the state of E3, The Game Awards could well be the biggest video game-oriented event this year, at least from a gamer’s perspective. And to that effect let us do what we do best when such an event is on the horizon. Speculate, predict and discuss. To wrap all of these things in a neat list, here are five predictions for this years Game Awards.
No.1 Bigger than ever
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. This year’s show is going to be the biggest yet. Since it’s inception five years ago, The Game Awards has slowly but steadily grown in terms of scope, reach and recognition within the industry. Hats off to Geoff Keighley and his team for that. 2018 proved to be a pivotal point for the show as it was the best yet in its short history. With industry giants sharing the same stage, and Hollywood icons making the announcement, and the show presenting its very own theme composed by none than Hans Zimmer himself, the show reached new heights.
The only way one could top that is by being bigger and better and there is no reason why the team would hold back from the position it is in today. As mentioned earlier, the nominees this year don’t look as strong as last year’s which would only mean that the other aspects of the show would make up for it. So, one wouldn’t be wrong to expect more big-name appearances, world premiers and stellar musical performances than ever before.
No.2 Rocksteady/WB Montreal unveil their new game
Now, this is long overdue. Rocksteady’s last outing was during the early days of the PS4 and ever since wrapping up the DLCs for Arkham Knight, they have been quite coy with their new project with just a few teases here and there. It is more so the case with WB Montreal who last worked on Arkham Origins. It is a known fact that both studios work in tandem, but rumours have suggested that they are working on two different projects.
Whatever they have been cooking up should be ready, at least for a reveal. With WB Montreal stepping forward with a cryptic tease on twitter a few months ago, The Game Awards could well be the right place for them to finally unveil their project. This would make perfect sense, as more could be shown at E3 next year for the game to be released alongside the new line up of consoles the following holiday season. A look back in history makes this a stronger possibility as Arkham City was heavily featured in the VGAs the year prior to its release. Here’s hoping.
No.3 Next-Gen Console Related News Will Be Shared
This is a long shot, but within the realms of possibility. E3 2020 is expected to be a stage for the big blowout of what is in store for us with the next Xbox and PlayStation. However, it is unlikely that much will be kept concealed until E3, at least in terms of system specs and functionalities. Both Microsoft and Sony held a special event to unveil the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 respectively. But they seem to take a different strategy this time around by revealing snippets every now and then. So, a special event focused on the console games is unlikely this time around.
However, it does sound logical to make an appearance on a stage like The Game Awards to throw some information towards eagerly anticipating fans. Especially for Sony who have been doing this on interviews with various outlets. So, them revealing something of significance in this year’s show may not be farfetched. We will have to wait till December 12th to find out.
No.4 Josef Fares Makes an Appearance
The eccentric Josef Fares made quite the splash in The Game Awards 2017. And the show was better for it. His personality can only be outshined by his passion for the games he makes. Fares returned last year acknowledging his antics in 2017 in his own weird way, which was once again quite the moment in the show.
Not much has been heard from the Lebanese born developer since. This year’s show could well be a stage for him to speak about his next project since A Way Out was released a year and a half ago. His enthusiasm and passion sure do pump up the energy every time he makes an appearance on screen. He might almost certainly be part of the audience, but it would be a missed opportunity to not have him on stage or during the mini interviews that happen during the show.
No.5 Game of The Year Winner
What would a Game Awards prediction list be without predicting the game of the year? This year’s list of nominees comprises of Control, Death Stranding, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Resident Evil 2 remake, Sekiro and The Outer Worlds. All strong competitors and definitely some of the best games to come out this year. Predicting the winner based on their strengths and weaknesses is nice and all but historically GOTY winners have been a bit unpredictable when we look back right from the days of the VGAs. Take last year, for instance, Red Dead Redemption 2 picked up the bulk of awards, but the Game of The Year went to God of War. The jury could see something special in a game that makes it more than the sum of its parts, thus bagging the big one while leaving out the many others. So, it really comes down to spinning the bottle and hoping for the best. Or, backing your favourite game and praying to your favourite Gods.
I prefer the latter, so in my case, it would have to be Control. A surprise package that no one saw coming, Control had all the ingredients that would make a great game of the year contender with satisfying combat, eerie atmosphere, a compelling story and tons of lore, all in a brand-new IP. Granted, we have three other nominees that are also new IPs, but Control seems to have the perfect blend of elements for the genre it caters and hence, is the most deserving in my books. Keeping my fingers crossed for Control.
