The Game Awards 2021

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Game Awards 2021
Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles
CountryUnited States
Hosted byGeoff Keighley
Preshow host(s)Sydnee Goodman
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominationsDeathloop (9)
Game of the Year It Takes Two
Websitethegameawards.com
Online coverage
Runtime3 hours, 12 minutes[1]
Viewership85 million
Produced by
  • Geoff Keighley
  • Kimmie Kim
Directed byRichard Preuss
← 2020 · The Game Awards · 2022 →

The Game Awards 2021 was an award show that honored the best

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing
on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination in July 2021; Keighley's comments about the company received some criticism.

Alan Wake II, The Expanse: A Telltale Series, and Sonic Frontiers, and the first full trailers for Halo and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiered. The show was viewed by over 85 million streams, the most in its history to date.[a]
It received mixed reviews, with some praise directed at new game announcements and criticism for its length and focus on announcements over awards.

Background

A man with brown hair smiling to the right
A woman with light brown hair smiling into the camera
As with previous iterations of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley (left) hosted the main show while Sydnee Goodman (right) hosted the preshow.

As with previous iterations of

COVID-19 variants or other issues.[5] Keighley noted an excitement to return to the in-person event, stating it was the first time in two years the industry was able to gather.[4]

The Game Awards partnered with

Deck Nine Games narrative director Felice Kuan.[9]

The show was executive produced by Keighley and Kimmie Kim, with LeRoy Bennett serving as creative director and Richard Preuss as director.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun described the experience as "dead boring", which she said "seems perfectly fitting" for The Game Awards.[14]

Relationship with Activision Blizzard

Keighley said he was reevaluating the show's relationship with

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination in July 2021, adding he wanted the show to support employees and developers without diminishing individual achievements;[15] Kotaku's Ethan Gach characterized Keighley's statement as a refusal to "take sides", and noted the show's advisory board included Activision president Rob Kostich.[16] After some criticism, Keighley stated Activision Blizzard would not be part of the ceremony outside of its nominated games, and wrote the show was committed to "work together to build a better and a more inclusive environment".[17]

Before the event, some Activision Blizzard employees and supporters stood outside the Microsoft Theater in protest of the company's recent laying off of around 20 workers at subsidiary company Raven Software.[8][18][19] Early in the show, Keighley denounced abuse in the industry;[20] Kotaku's Gach criticized Keighley's statement, noting he did not refer to Activision Blizzard by name and his statement failed to "meaningfully expand" on his promised commitments,[21] and PC Gamer's Rich Stanton described it as a "statement you expect from a producer who doesn't want to take any position that will threaten valuable industry relationships".[22] Stanton and Bloomberg News's Jason Schreier identified the hypocrisy of following up Keighley's statement with the announcement of a game by Quantic Dream, a studio accused of a hostile workplace culture of racism, sexism, and misconduct.[22][23] Keighley stated he wanted to ensure that spreading a message was balanced with the show's upbeat nature; he said using its platform to reprimand poor behavior is "always something worth thinking about, but it's not a referendum on the industry".[19]

Announcements

According to Keighley, the show featured around 50 games, with new announcements "probably in the double digits";[4] he later claimed there would be six major reveals and several film trailers.[15] He said it was a busy year for announcement pitches, noting the show's popularity and accessibility meant more developers and publishers sought involvement.[4] Keighley claimed some studios had specific requests for the placement of their announcements within the show, but he decided about a month prior to allow for all submissions. He felt some of the game announcements were taking advantage of the new generation of consoles for the first time.[5] Keighley noted the show would attempt to include related media, including television shows and films;[5] the first full trailers for the television series Halo and film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiered during the show.[24][25] Keighley described the show as "half an awards show and half a look into the future".[12] Announcements on released and upcoming games were made for:[26]

New games announced during the ceremony included:[26]

Winners and nominees

Nominees were announced on November 16, 2021.

direct messages on Twitter.[33] More than 23.2 million votes were submitted on the official website, a 27 percent increase over the previous year.[34]

Keighley found his ownership of the show led to him receiving blame for snubs in nominations, despite not being involved in the voting process.

adaptations and user-generated content, but felt "there's just not enough yet".[5]

Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[36]

Video games

Josef Fares, game director of It Takes Two, accepted the show's Game of the Year award.
Mary DeMarle won the award for Best Narrative for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside Jean-François Dugas.
Maggie Robertson won Best Performance for her role as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village.
Game of the Year Best Game Direction
Best Narrative Best Art Direction
Best Score and Music Best Audio Design
Best Performance Games for Impact
Best Ongoing Game Best Independent Game
Best Mobile Game Best Community Support
Best VR / AR Game Innovation in Accessibility
Best Action Game Best Action / Adventure Game
Best Role Playing Game Best Fighting Game
Best Family Game Best Sports / Racing Game
Best Sim / Strategy Game Best Multiplayer Game
Best Debut Indie Game Most Anticipated Game
Players' Voice[b]

Esports and creators

Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun
s1mple and kkOma won Best Esports Player and Best Esports Coach, respectively.
Deere
Samira Close
Kahlief Adams
Deere, Close, and Adams were named Global Gaming Citizens in 2021 alongside Anisa Sanusi (not pictured).
Best Esports Game Best Esports Player
  • Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
    ‡
    • Chris "Simp" Lehr
    • Heo "ShowMaker" Su
    • Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
    • Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
Best Esports Team Best Esports Coach
  • Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun
    ‡
    • Airat "Silent" Gaziev
    • Andrey "Engh" Sholokhov
    • Andrei "B1ad3" Horodenskyi
    • James "Crowder" Crowder
Best Esports Event Content Creator of the Year
Global Gaming Citizens[c]
  • The Drag Stream Community
    • Deere
    • Samira Close
  • Kahlief Adams (Spawn on Me)
  • Anisa Sanusi (Limit Break)

Games with multiple nominations and awards

Multiple nominations

Deathloop received the most nominations with nine. Other games with multiple nominations included It Takes Two and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with six, and Psychonauts 2 and Resident Evil Village with five. Xbox Game Studios[d] led the publishers with thirteen nominations, followed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Electronic Arts with eleven, and Bethesda Softworks[d] and Square Enix with ten.[27][33]

Games that received multiple nominations
Nominations Game
9 Deathloop
6 It Takes Two
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
5 Psychonauts 2
Resident Evil Village
4 Forza Horizon 5
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
3 The Artful Escape
Far Cry 6
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Metroid Dread
Returnal
2 Apex Legends
Back 4 Blood
Cyberpunk 2077
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Inscryption
Monster Hunter Rise
Valheim
Nominations by publisher
Nominations Publisher
13 Xbox Game Studios[d]
11 Electronic Arts
Sony Interactive Entertainment
10 Bethesda Softworks[d]
Square Enix
8 Capcom
7 Nintendo
4 Annapurna Interactive
Devolver Digital
Sega
Ubisoft
3 Bandai Namco
Ember Lab
Riot Games
2 Activision
CD Projekt
Coffee Stain Studios
Epic Games
miHoYo
The Pokémon Company
Valve
WB Games

Multiple awards

Forza Horizon 5 and It Takes Two led the show with three wins each, followed by Deathloop, Final Fantasy XIV, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits with two awards each. Square Enix and Xbox Game Studios won a total of five awards each, while Electronic Arts won three.[36]

Games that received multiple wins
Awards Game
3 Forza Horizon 5
It Takes Two
2 Deathloop
Final Fantasy XIV
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Wins by publisher
Awards Publisher
5 Square Enix
Xbox Game Studios
3 Electronic Arts
2 Bandai Namco
Bethesda Softworks
Ember Lab

Presenters and performers

Presenters

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or introduced trailers. All other awards were presented by Keighley or Goodman.[2][8][3][38]

Name Role
Giancarlo Esposito Presented the award for Best Independent Game
Laura Bailey Presented the award for Best Performance
Ashley Johnson
Sam Lake Presented the announcement trailer for
Alan Wake II
Ben Schwartz Presented the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Simu Liu Presented the award for Best Action Game
Aaryn Flynn Presented the announcement trailer for Nightingale
Hideo Kojima Presented the trailer for Nightmare Alley
Guillermo del Toro Presented the award for Best Art Direction
Aerial Powers Presented the award for Best Mobile Game
Ming-Na Wen Presented the award for Best Narrative
Debra Wilson Presented the gameplay trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League[39]
Ella Balinska Presented the trailer for Forspoken[40]
Pollyanna McIntosh
Clive Standen Presented the announcement trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2[41]
Tim Willits
Paul George Presented the award for Best Action/Adventure Game
Will Arnett Presented the trailer for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Ashly Burch
Reggie Fils-Aimé Presented the award for Best Ongoing Game
Morgan Baker Presented the award for Innovation in Accessibility
Jacksepticeye
Simon Viklund Presented the release trailer for GTFO[42]
Donald Mustard Presented the award for Best Game Direction
Carrie-Anne Moss Presented the reveal trailer for The Matrix Awakens
Keanu Reeves
Neil Druckmann Presented the award for Game of the Year

Performers

Sting
Imagine Dragons
JID
Darren Korb
The Game Awards 2021 featured performances from several artists, all of whom were backed by the Game Awards Orchestra.[e]

The following individuals or groups performed musical numbers.[2][8][3][38] All performances were backed by the Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe.[10][8]

Name Song Game(s) / show(s)
Sting "What Could Have Been" Arcane
Julie Elven "Promise of the West" Horizon Forbidden West
Lia Booth "The Delicious Last Course Overture"
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Adryon de León
Natalie Hanna Mendoza
Luena[f] "ROCKSTAR" DokeV
Ashley Barrett "Build That Wall (Zia's Theme)" Bastion
Darren Korb
Imagine Dragons "Enemy" Arcane
JID
The Game Awards Orchestra[e] Game of the Year medley Deathloop
It Takes Two
Metroid Dread
Psychonauts 2
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Resident Evil Village

Ratings and reception

Nominees

Some journalists felt Forza Horizon 5 and

Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077.[48] Rachel Kaser of VentureBeat praised the diversity of the Best Performance nominees.[49]

Ceremony

The show received a mixed reception from media publications.

Push Square's Liam Croft enjoyed the new announcements, noting they continued to improve each year.[50] BBC's Steffan Powell considered the announcement of Wonder Woman the biggest surprise,[51] and Kotaku's Ari Notis found Have a Nice Death to be among the best reveals.[52] VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi praised the announcements, describing The Matrix Awakens as "one of the most inspiring demos of the show", and felt the winners were well-deserved and focused on "innovation and gameplay over brands"; he noted the show proved the mainstream success of the video game industry with presenters and performers like Reeves, Liu, Sting, and Imagine Dragons.[18] Kellen Browning of The New York Times called the show "a victory lap of sorts for the video game community", identifying its crossover with other entertainment mediums.[19]

Schreier of Bloomberg News described the show as "an exhausting experience" after 2020's virtual ceremony, and heard in-person audience members complaining about the "non-stop barrage of trailers" and the show's length.

Nintendo Life disliked that, despite the show's length, several awards were presented during the preshow.[54]

Viewership

Over 85 million livestreams were used to view the ceremony, the most in the show's history to date.

tweets were made about the event—the most in the show's history—and it topped the trends for the eighth year in a row, with a peak of 11 of the top 30 trends related to the show.[56]

Notes

  1. ^ a b The viewership record was beaten in 2022 with 103 million streams.[55]
  2. ^ 100 percent public-voted award with a three-round nomination process that began with 30 games[31]
  3. ^ Presented in conjunction with Facebook Gaming
  4. ^
    parent company.[37]
  5. ^ a b Conducted by Lorne Balfe[10]
  6. ^ Virtual performance with dance choreography by 1MILLION Dance Studio[43]

References

  1. ^ Young, Rory (December 4, 2022). "The Game Awards 2022 to Be Shorter, Have Fewer Games". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Van Boom, Daniel (December 9, 2021). "The Game Awards: Winners, live updates and new trailers". CNET. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Robinson, Martin (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 live report". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Crecente, Brian (November 11, 2021). "Geoff Keighley details The Game Awards 2021 and Beyond". Epic Games. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Reiner, Andrew (November 19, 2021). "An Interview With Geoff Keighley About The Game Awards 2021 And The Game He'd Love To See Announced". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Game Awards 2021 teams up with Spotify". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  7. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (November 22, 2021). "Geoff Keighley Hosting 'Inside The Game Awards' Podcast In New Partnership With Spotify". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  8. ^
    Nash Holdings. Archived
    from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  9. ^ "Future Class". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop,' 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Game Awards 2021 to air on Indian networks". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. November 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (December 9, 2021). "The Game Awards Creator & Host Geoff Keighley Talks Leveling Up Gaming Ceremony To Celebrate An Ever-Evolving Industry". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 6, 2021). "Geoff Keighley launches his own 'metaverse' for The Game Awards in Core". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  14. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archived
    from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  15. ^
    Nash Holdings. Archived
    from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  16. ^ Gach, Ethan (December 3, 2021). "The Game Awards Won't Take Sides On Activision Fallout To Focus On Reveals". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  17. ^ Scullion, Chris (December 4, 2021). "Activision 'will not be a part of' The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley says". Video Games Chronicle. 1981 Media. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (December 10, 2021). "The DeanBeat: The Game Awards and the game industry are back". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c Browning, Kellen (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards Returns With Glitz and an Industry Asserting Its Muscle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards begins with brief statement on industry and online abuse". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  21. ^ Gach, Ethan (December 9, 2021). "Geoff Keighley Opens Game Awards With Disappointing Vagueness". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c Stanton, Rich (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards is becoming the biggest single gaming event of the year". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Schreier, Jason (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards Were a Test of Endurance and a Peek Into the Future". Bloomberg News. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  24. ^ Plant, Logan (December 7, 2021). "First Full Trailer for Halo Will Premiere at The Game Awards". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  25. ^ Moore, Jared (December 8, 2021). "Sonic 2: Movie Trailer Coming Tomorrow, New Poster Revealed". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Ankers, Adele (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 Nominations Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  27. ^ Beresford, Trilby (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards: 'It Takes Two,' 'Deathloop' Among 2021 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  28. ^ a b c "FAQ". The Game Awards. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  29. ^ Nelson, Will (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards category nominees have been announced". NME. BandLab Technologies. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  30. ^ a b Devore, Jordan (December 7, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 audience award will go to one of these five finalists (Update)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  31. ^ McKeand, Kirk (December 9, 2021). "Halo Infinite wins Player's Voice at The Game Awards". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  32. ^ a b Nunneley, Stephany (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021: Deathloop, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, It Takes Two and Psychonauts 2 lead nominations". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  33. ^ a b Beresford, Trilby (December 20, 2021). "The Game Awards Claims High of 85M Views". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  34. ^ McKeand, Kirk (December 6, 2021). "Game Awards interview - 'there are four or five' reveals on the scale of Elden Ring". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Bankhurst, Adam (December 9, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  36. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (July 9, 2021). "Sony Will Lose Another Big PS5 Exclusive In September 2022". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  37. ^
    Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived
    from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  38. ^ Carson, John (December 9, 2021). "Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Gameplay Debuts At The Game Awards". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  39. ^ King, Andrew (December 9, 2021). "Forspoken Release Date Confirmed For May 2022 At The Game Awards; New Trailer Released". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  40. ^ Carr, James (December 9, 2021). "Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Announced At The Game Awards". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  41. ^ Capel, Chris J. (December 10, 2021). "GTFO has left Early Access, and you can get it on sale this week". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  42. ^ Carr, James (December 9, 2021). "Colorful Monster Collector DokeV Reveals New Music Video During The Game Awards". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  43. ^ O'Gorman, Shane Michael (November 21, 2021). "Forza Horizon 5 Game Awards Snub Doesn't Make Any Sense". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  44. ^ a b Byrd, Matthew (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 Nominations: Biggest Snubs and Surprises". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  45. Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived
    from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  46. ^ Higgs, John (December 2, 2021). "Unpacking is One of the Biggest Game Awards Snubs". Game Rant. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  47. ^ Coulson, Josh (November 20, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021: This Year's Biggest Snubs". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  48. ^ Kaser, Rachel (November 16, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 nominees revealed, Deathloop leads nominations". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  49. Push Square. Hookshot Media. Archived
    from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  50. ^ Powell, Steffan (December 10, 2021). "Game Awards 2021: It Takes Two wins game of the year". BBC. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  51. ^ Notis, Ari (December 10, 2021). "The Quietest Surprise From The 2021 Game Awards Is A Cross Between Hollow Knight And Dead Cells". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  52. ^ Martens, Todd (December 10, 2021). "Game Awards, with audience in the millions, must now be bold and address industry issues". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  53. Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. Archived
    from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  54. Fandom, Inc. Archived
    from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  55. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (December 20, 2021). "The Game Awards Reaches New Viewership High With 85M Livestreams". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Game_Awards_2021&oldid=1228705503"