The Game Awards started eight years ago, in 2014, with Geoff Keighley wanting to celebrate the industry as a whole and appreciate, recognize, and award the best games of the year just like the movie and music industries do. I mean, why shouldn’t we? Games have been around for quite a long time and are perhaps the best form of art there is, marrying storytelling, incredible visuals, sound and putting the controls right in the hands of the players. Not long after their inception, The Game Awards took off and became a ceremony that the entertainment industry as a whole looked forward to. With increasing popularity came bigger sponsors, grander and more cinematic moments, and new reveals for some of the hottest games being developed across the industry.
While the awards themselves are fine, I look forward to this night every year to see what’s on the horizon. With some of the biggest games that ever came out being revealed at The Game Awards, it’s a night just as big, if not bigger, than E3 or Gamescom. This year’s ceremony was no different. Though a little lighter than the last couple of years, The Game Awards 2022 still brought with them tons of new reveals and big “OMG” moments. This year’s show was also the most streamlined and cohesive one so far, as two and a half hours passed by in a jiffy without getting boring. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest reveals from The Game Awards 2022 and discuss them a little, while also quickly mentioning some of the winners towards the end of the article.
Reveals
Death Stranding 2
Earlier in the year, Norman Reedus revealed that he is working on a sequel to “Death Stranding,” and during The Game Awards 2022, Hideo Kojima took to the stage and announced, “Death Stranding 2” (a working title). Sam Bridges, the protagonist of the first game played by Norman Reedus, is back and looks much older this time around. The game is early in development for the PlayStation 5, so don’t expect to see it anytime soon. Hideo Kojima also mentioned how the COVID-19 pandemic made him rewrite the entire script and knowing the genius that is Kojima-san’s brain; we can be sure that this game will be another weird and thought-provoking tale.
Crime Boss Rockay City
A new Czech studio by the name of Ingame Studios revealed their first project to the world, titled “Crime Boss Rockay City.” A first-person action/stealth heist game that can be played solo or with up to 4 players in co-op. It looks like they took heavy inspiration from the “Payday” and “Grand Theft Auto” series, and the game is set in a fictional rendition of 1990s Florida. It looks like an open-world game, but there’s no confirmation on that yet. What caught my and perhaps everyone’s attention is how star-studded the cast for this game is, including big names like Michael Madsen, Michael Rooker, Kim Basinger, Danny Glover, Vanilla Ice, Danny Trejo, and Chuck Norris. WHAT!? The game comes out on March 28th, 2023, for the PC and on an unspecified date later in the year for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Hades 2
The biggest surprise announcement from the night has to go to “Hades 2.” It takes place after the events of the first game and will take players “beyond the underworld.” Supergiant games also showcased the hero, or should I say the new heroine of this story, Melinoe, daughter of Hades and sister of Zagreus. The developers mentioned they still have a lot of work to do, so no release date or window was given; however, they did say that the game will be released on early access on PC, just like the first game. “Hades” was the best roguelike released, probably ever, so take your time, guys; we know you’ll deliver a banger.
Hellboy Web Of Wyrd
Here is another major surprise announcement that probably no one saw coming. Developed by Upstream Arcade, “Hellboy: Web of Wyrd” is an action-brawler roguelike that lets you play as, you guessed it, Hellboy. The game takes heavy inspiration from comic books in its art style, and the story is being written by none other than Hellboy’s creator, Mike Mignola. It looks gorgeous, stylized, and crisp, it will be a third-person brawler and also a roguelike, and while Ron Perlman is not returning to voice Hellboy, Lance Reddick will be doing the voice this time, which is awesome. I knew that voice sounded familiar! “Hellboy: The Web of Wyrd” has no release date but is coming out in 2023 for PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Armored Core 6
After some leaks earlier this year, FromSoftware announced “Armored Core 6,” coming out sometime in 2023. Look, I’ll come clean here and say that I avoid Soulsborne games like the plague. Yes, I know, you can call me a filthy casual. I tried “Sekiro” and, more recently, the demo for “Wo Long Fallen Dynasty,” and I got destroyed so hard and so quickly that I don’t want to go anywhere near these games. However, this one did catch my attention, as what’s not cool about watching giant robots fight each other? It’s a FromSoftware game, so it’s guaranteed to be well-made; maybe that’ll be my entry point into this genre when it comes out. Who knows?
Banishers Ghosts Of New Eden
Another announcement that definitely caught my interest was “Banishers Ghost Of New Eden.” A third-person action RPG set in 1695 on the frontiers of North America, it features a pair of ghost hunters by the names of Antea Duarte and Red Mac Raith. The game will ask the players to fight and banish ghosts from across the lands and make difficult decisions that’ll impact the storyline. The reason this game stands out to me personally is because of its developers, Don’t Nod Studios. “The Life is Strange” series showed us what great storytellers these guys are, and “Vampyr” showed us how they can take those stories and put them in well-made action games as well. “Banishers Ghosts Of New Eden” comes out at the end of 2023 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC and has definitely made its way into my list.
Judas
Ken Levine, the creator of “SystemShock” and “Bioshock,” presented his next game, “Judas,” a narrative-driven first-person shooter. This will serve as the first game for his new studio, Ghost Story Games. If you have played “Bioshock” or “SystemShock,” then you already know how much of a genius this man is, both in terms of storytelling and game design. In Levine’s own words, this game will carry the legacy of games like “Bioshock” forward while exploring different approaches to narrative-driven, immersive first-person shooters. Needless to say, this game will be an interesting one when it comes out on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with no release date or window given.
Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League
“Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League” was announced two years ago in 2020, so this new trailer isn’t an announcement that’s new, but it features or confirms something we’ve been waiting for. Batman will return and will be voiced by none other than Kevin Conroy in what will be perhaps his last performance as the world’s greatest detective. May he rest in peace. We have discussed the trailer in detail and speculated a bit about it on our website, so you can check that out if you are interested. We also finally got a release date, as the game comes out on May 26th, 2023, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Rocksteady, I know you guys are busy giving this game the final touches, but please consider giving “Arkham Knight” a next-gen patch as well; that game is still gorgeous and one of the best superhero games ever made.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
CD Projekt RED also made an appearance with a new trailer for the upcoming expansion of “Cyberpunk 2077,” titled Phantom Liberty. While this announcement ain’t new either, what’s new here is the reveal of Idris Elba joining the cast of Cyberpunk and playing the role of Solomon Reed, an FIA agent. It looks like having Keanu Reeves alone wasn’t enough for CD Projekt. The expansion will take place in a new area of Night City called Dogtown, and the visuals sure do look better than before. “Cyberpunk 2077” was a decent game hidden under all the bugs and issues, so I hope this one comes out of the door firing on all cylinders when it launches sometime in 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Another reveal that wasn’t a new announcement but rather a follow-up or update on an already-announced game. Developed by Respawn, “Star Wars: Jedi Survivor” is a sequel to “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order,” one of the best Star Wars games ever made, and is a canonical story taking place between Episodes 3 and 4. We got to see the game in action for the first time, and it looks better than ever. Cal Kestis and BD-1 return alongside Cere, and the combat looks vastly improved and expanded upon, the areas are bigger and more gorgeous than before, and there seems to be a lot more enemy variety. It also seems like the tale being told this time will be much darker, featuring a more mature and well-versed Jedi in Cal Kestis. The visuals have also seen a major upgrade, considering the game comes out on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 17th, 2023, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
After Us
Private Division announced a new game being developed by Piccolo Studios titled “After Us.” A platformer in a post-human world where you play as Gaia, the spirit of life, exploring a lifeless wasteland to try and give it a second chance. It looks gorgeous in every sense of the word, with varying biomes and what looks to be an emotional and gripping narrative tying it all together. The game will come out in spring 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC and is the perfect example of how indie games stand out in terms of style, gameplay, and presentation when compared to their AAA peers.
Transformers Reactivate
Finally, we have “Transformers Reactivate.” There are very few details available for this one, and the only reason I mention it here is that it’s been way too long since we have seen a Transformers game, and we could go for one right about now. It’s being made by Splash Damage; it appears to be in first-person and will be an online game; it will feature an original story; it will let players play as some of the most iconic heroes of the series, and it will “immerse players in the universe of The Transformers like never before.” The game will come out sometime in 2023 for PC and consoles.
These have been some of the major reveals from The Game Awards 2022 that caught our eye. There are a few more games that were announced, but these have been some of the biggest. Which one caught your eye the most? Before we leave, let’s quickly take a look at some of the winners as well.
Winners
There are so many categories to go through here, so I’ll just quickly mention a few of the winners in the form of a list.
Game Of The Year 2022- “Elden Ring”
Player’s Voice Award- “Genshin Impact”
Best Ongoing Game & Best Community Support- “Final Fantasy 14”
Best Mobile Game- “Marvel SNAP”
Most Anticipated Game- “The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom”
Best Esports game- “Valorant”
Best Multiplayer Game- “Splatoon 3”
Best Narrative- “God Of War Ragnarok”
Best Performance- Christopher Judge, Kratos in “God Of War Ragnarok”
Best Racing Game- “Gran Turismo 7”
Best Fighting Game- “Multiversus”
Games For Impact- “As Dusk Falls”
Best Action Game- “Bayonetta 3”
Best Indie Game- “Stray”
These have been some of the biggest awards awarded during the night, with many more categories that I didn’t mention here. So, that was a quick recap of pretty much everything from the Game Awards 2022. Let us know what you think about the reveals and the winners from the night, and as always, congratulations to all of these studios and developers!
