Viviana Smith/Fourth Estate
A recap of the 2024 Game Awards, including Game of the Year
BY VIVIANA SMITH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Dec. 12, the 10th anniversary of The Game Awards (TGA) was hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Canadian video game journalist, Geoff Keighley hosted the event.
TGA was streamed on multiple platforms, including Twitch, YouTube and the TGA website. The gaming community was buzzing with excitement over the award show, with multiple creators hosting their own watch parties, including IGN.
Besides game developers and gaming influencers, the crowd was thrilled by major appearances such as “The Father of the Playstation,” Ken Kutaragi, American actor Harrison Ford, and Muppet duo Stalter and Waldorf, who teased the host at the beginning of the show.
The night was filled with entertaining musical performances from the TGA orchestra, Twenty One Pilots, D4VD, Royal & The Serpent and Snoop Dogg.
Between each award, the audience was presented with the world premieres for upcoming games expected to be released in 2025.
During the main award show, 19 awards were announced.
Actress Melina Juergens won “Best Performance” for her work in Senua’s Sage: Hellblade II, developed by Ninja Theory. Juergens gave thanks to the studio, staff, crew, TGA, and most importantly, the fans. This makes for Juergens’ second win in the category, with her first win being at the 2017 TGA.
“Best Action Game” went to Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science. “A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to every player…Our game isn’t hard at all, it is perfect for players new to action games,” game designer and director Baicun Jiang said with the help of a translator.
Amir Satvat received a standing ovation from the audience as he went on stage to accept the “TGA Game Changer” award, the first of its kind. Satvat is the founder of Amir Satvat’s Gaming Community, a free online resource to assist prospective game makers in finding jobs in the industry.
“I love video games with all my heart,” said Satvat. Satvat spoke about his journey from a young, hopeful boy who dreamed of being in the industry to making a large and unexpected impact on the future of games. “To all game makers everywhere, you are seen and treasured, and our community will always be there to help you.”
Afterward, “Most Anticipated Game” was awarded to GTA IV with little surprise. Next, Keighley announced the winners in three categories: Helldivers II received “Best Multiplayer,” Baldur’s Gate III won “Best Community Support” and “Best Art Direction” went to Metaphor: ReFantazio.
“Best Debut Indie Game” was awarded to Balatro by developer LocalThunk. The games’ publisher, Playstack, accepted on behalf of the developer. PR manager Wouter Van Halderen and Marketing Manager Liz Cheng-Moore accepted the award with a Balataro jester plush in hand.
“Best Action/Adventure Game” went to Astro Bot, Metaphor: ReFantazio won “Best RPG,” “Best Sports/Racing Game” went to EA Sports FC 25, “Best Simulation/Strategy Game” was won by Frostpunk 2 and “Content Creator of the Year” went to streamer and gamer CaseOh. Case Baker, who goes by the alias “CaseOh,” shouted with confusion and excitement during a stream as Keighley announced his win.
Snoop Dogg announced the “Best Ongoing Game” award, which went to Helldivers II, securing its second win of the night.
“Best Adaptation” was awarded to the 2024 series “Fallout.” Game Director Todd Howard accepted the award on stage alongside Director Jonathan Nolan and actress Ella Purnell, who stars as the main character “Lucy MacLean” in the series.
“I can’t believe [Fallout] beat ‘Arcane’,” American YouTuber Charles White Jr., also known as “Cr1TiKaL” or “MoistCr1TiKaL,” said on stream.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won “Best Score and Music.” Director and video game programmer Naoki Hamaguchi accepted the award onstage. “This is my very first time attending the Game Awards today, and I am so honored and pleased to receive this award,” Hamaguchi said with the help of a translator.
Senua’s Sage: Hellblade II won “Best Audio Design,” while Black Myth: Wukong won “Players’ Voice.” Balatro won two more awards by 10:30 p.m., snagging “Best Independent Game” and “Best Mobile Game.”
The award for “Best Narrative” went to Metaphor: ReFantazio, securing another win later in the night. Katsura Hashino accepted the award on stage, giving thanks to the studio, the audience, and TGA. “I think storytelling is a really important part of games…knowing that we’ve been honored here in this way today is really honoring,” translated Hashino’s interpreter.
At 11 p.m., the long-awaited announcement for “Game of the Year” was here. As the audience anxiously waited, the TGA orchestra built up suspense for the award with an epic medley featuring music from the nominated games.
The PS5-exclusive Astro Bot took home the award, with a tearful yet joyful team proudly collecting the trophy. Art Director Sebastian Brueckner gave a heartfelt speech, thanking TeamASOBI and other key studio staff members. “It’s amazing, and we’ll see you again,” Brueckner said.
“More than anything, I hope tonight made you believe the future of our medium is brighter and greater than ever,” Keighley said, wrapping up the award-filled night.
A full list of the winners and nominees can be viewed on the TGA website.
