Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards, has announced that the event will go through a much longer list of new games than it has in previous years.
In an exclusive interview with former Kotaku and Polygon co-founder Brian Crecente, as shared on Epic Games’ website, Keighley said he expects the show to cover 40 to 50 games in “some way or another,” including games that are expected to be released between 2022 and 2023.
Keighley noted that the massive influx of new games in the announcement and premiere lineup may be tied to the pandemic because most games, if not all, were delayed due to changes to game production schedules. This is further compounded by the and cancellation of video game conventions and other events where games can experience some level of exposure. “It’s definitely a very busy year in terms of the number of games we’re being pitched,” he said. “We’re blessed that pretty much every developer and publisher wants to have some degree of content on the show.”
As far as the pandemic is concerned, Keighley said since The Game Awards 2021 will return to an in-person event, people attending will be required to wear masks, get vaccinated, and that live attendance will be cut in half to ensure the safety of the audience. After all, according to him, “things are still evolving.”
With viewership climbing from 45 million to 83 million last year, Keighley said that the show’s organizers are already experimenting with the metaverse aspect of the experience. Viewers will be able to watch it on VR headsets from Oculus and PSVR, and in virtual worlds like Fortnite Creative and Core. However, the one thing they don’t want to tinker with is NFTs.
“We are not doing any NFT stuff,” Keighley proclaimed.
NFTs have caused some controversy within the gaming community in recent months due to claims of the environmental impact that blockchain technology inflicts. Yesterday, Discord teased that it may integrate cryptocurrency and NFTs into the platform, which prompted users to cancel their Nitro subscriptions.
The Game Awards will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and will air on December 9 at 8 PM ET.
