“The Game Awards were a great event with a deserving winner,” says Dennis.
When I crawled out of bed at 2 p.m. today after a long night of watching the Game Awards live, there was still one thought in my head: What a fantastic hobby we all have! Gaming is pure love and this year's awards show was once again a celebration of video games.
After the Geoff Keighley awards ceremony, like many other gaming events, has often been a pretty slow affair in recent years, tonight's show was a real spectacle in comparison. One that had its lengths in the second half, but which were completely pushed into the background by so many positive impressions.
What fireworks and great gaming
If it wasn't clear beforehand, it is now at the latest: the next two years are bursting with interesting games. And I don't even mean all the big blockbusters that were unveiled last night. Of course I'm also excited about the new game from Naughty Dog, about Ciri as the new main character in The Witcher 4, about the co-op game from Hazelight that looks so fun again or Elden Ring: Nightreign, which I still can't believe This wild mix exists.
But there were also a number of highlights among the “smaller” announcements. Capcom is finally pulling Onimusha out of the action box again, Fumitu Ueda exudes his incomparable Ico charm in his new project and my absolute favorite: a new Okami. The fact that Wolf Amaterasu is coming back is such a nice surprise.
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The Witcher 4: The first 'real' trailer for the new RPG is here
In recent years there have certainly been one or two highlights at the Game Awards, including the unveiling of Hades 2 and Death Stranding 2 two years ago. However, these were more like individual points of light in a show that otherwise seemed rather stretched out and was garnished with unpleasant moments – such as the rushed speeches of the winners, who were literally chased off the stage with a timer.
The fact that the Game Awards do not take time for the development teams behind the games has long been a point of criticism. But here too, this year's Game Awards finally sent a positive signal.
What a beautiful message
In addition to all the great announcements, I particularly remember one moment that I no longer believed in at an event hosted by Geoff Keighley. Namely the speech by Amir Satvat, who was awarded the Game Changer Award for his work.
With his company, Satvat ensures that laid-off developers can gain a foothold in the industry again, and in his speech you could feel how much his passion for video games is close to his heart. After Keighley was criticized, especially last year after so many waves of layoffs, for not giving the topic enough of a platform at his shows, this was a really great moment and an important sign – especially in a year in which so many people lost their jobs .
Amir Satvat's speech was a great moment during the Game Awards.
More events like this please
Of course, this year's Game Awards weren't perfect either. The show is still too long and flooded with commercials. But as someone who loves to sleep at night, when I look at the clock for the first time at 5:30 because of all the exciting announcements, then that's damn high praise. The fact that my GamePro overview article consists of more highlights than “further announcements” underlines once again how much the show gripped me.
This year, the Game Awards showed me why I used to like events like E3 so much: namely because, at their best, they celebrate video games and the industry and let us experience this wonderful hobby with others.
I've included our Game Awards poll in the article above and I'm really excited to hear how you liked the show. With that in mind, I'll curl up in bed again and wish us all a hell of a gaming year in 2025.
