The Game Awards, an annual ceremony celebrating the year’s top and most anticipated games never fails to be a strange event.
For instance, this year’s ceremony, held on December 12 at Los Angeles’ lavish Peacock Theater, saw an appearance from The Muppets — specifically professional hecklers Statler and Waldorf. Throughout the show, the two puppets chimed in to roast host and organizer Geoff Keighley, calling him out on his long-winded speeches, tendency to play out award winners, and overall sell-out-y nature. For those familiar with the Game Awards, the Muppets thing isn’t surprising; Keighley has booked the puppets at his award show every year since 2018.
Next, there were the celebrity hosts who may have had more time onstage than the award winners themselves. American actor Harrison Ford showed up to promote The Great Circle, the latest Indiana Jones game, and seemingly waved off the teleprompter’s script for him. Metal Gear Solid series game designer Hideo Kojima tried to muffle a huge fart while onstage announcing an award. Snoop Dogg sang hits “Gin & Juice” and “Thank You,” but was really onstage for a Fortnite promo.
Amid all the meme-worthy moments and unhinged chaos, the Game Awards remains a celebration of the year’s best games, as well as a glimpse into the future of gaming. With so much going on, it’s easy to forget some of the major announcements. So, we’ve compiled a list of the upcoming titles we’re most excited about.
‘The Witcher 4’
Game creator CD Projekt Red officially unveiled The Witcher 4, treating fans to a stunning six-minute trailer. While the developers remain tightlipped about the game’s storyline, they have revealed that it will still be a single-player open world RPG that will center around fledgling witcher Ciri’s character arc.
‘Elden Ring Nightreign’
Japanese video game development company FromSoftware has announced Elden Ring Nightreign, the first in the Elden Ring franchise to be a multiplayer co-op. The game will also be a stand-alone spin-off, set in a world parallel to the one in Elden Ring, with players being able to explore a condensed map of Limgrave.
‘Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’
Naughty Dog, the creators of The Last of Us and Uncharted, is branching out to outer space with their latest sci-fi adventure game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The story follows bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun (played by You’s Tati Gabrielle) who ends up stranded on a dangerous, seemingly uninhabited planet. Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted a newspaper clipping showing a blurred photo of Kumail Nanjiani, who is set to appear in the game as well.
‘Borderlands 4’
Gearbox Software has released the first gameplay footage of Borderlands 4, the next addition to the co-op looter-shooter series. The two-minute video shows an epic boss battle with a first look at playable characters. The series’ popularity led to a recent film adaptation starring Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Hart, but with a dismal ten percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and harsh reviews, it seems Gearbox might prefer we forget this flop.
‘Game of Thrones: Kingsroad’
Developed by Netmarble, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is an action-adventure game set in the world of the hit HBO TV series. The game will feature familiar faces, such as Jon Snow, Varys, and the Lannister twins. Players will be able to customize their character, a bastard of House Tyre, and will get the chance to explore Westeros as either a Knight, Sellsword, or Assassin.
‘Outer Worlds 2’
Released by developer Obsidian Entertainment, best known for creating Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Fallout New Vegas, Outer Worlds 2 is set to be a first-person shooter RPG that promises to outdo its predecessor.
‘Mafia: The Old Country’
Mafia: The Old Country will have players exploring the earliest days of the Sicilian mafia in early-1900s Sicily. The Old Country takes place before all the other games in the Mafia series, and developer Hangar 13 promises that this latest installation will be a linear, narrative-driven sequel.
‘Honkai: Star Rail’
Gacha role-playing game Honkai: Star Rail explores a high-tech space age universe where players can collect playable characters and control them in turn-based combat. The trailer announced at the Game Awards showed a new look at the Amorpheus region, where the main gameplay will be set.
‘Dispatch’
Developed by former TellTale Studios developers (known for The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us), Dispatch is an original, choice-based game that its developers describe as a “superhero workplace comedy.” The game will follow two retired superheroes who must come out of retirement to protect the planet. Dispatch also sees a number of stars in its voice acting line-up, including Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Laura Bailey (The Last of Us Part 2), and streamer Jacksepticeye.
‘Project Century’
Project Century promises to be a brawler set in 1915 Japan, where players can play as the yet-unnamed protagonist who can engage in brutal, gorey street fights. Very little is still known about the game, and even its title will most likely change once its developer, RGG Studio, officially releases more details.
‘Onimusha: Way Of The Sword’
The Onimusha series is composed of bloody hack-and-slash action games all set in a dark alternative reality of Meiji-era Japan. Way Of The Sword, the latest addition to the series, seems to honor its predecessors by featuring brutal, violent combat sequences against a number of horrifically mutated boss battle enemies.
