An Interview With Geoff Keighley About The Game Awards 2021 And The Game He'd Love To See Announced

Last year’s The Game Awards amusement was the biggest yet successful presumption of viewership. Growing much than 84 percent year-over-year to the tune of a staggering 83 cardinal livestream views, The Game Awards has go 1 of the video crippled industry’s biggest events. But we aren’t conscionable tuning successful to find retired which rubric volition beryllium crowned Game of the Year; we are besides determination for the World Premieres, which radiance the spotlight connected caller games we’ll beryllium playing successful the years ahead. Some publishers prevention their biggest surprises for The Game Awards, a amusement that astir didn’t exist.

For a decade, Keighley was the shaper and big of Spike TV’s Video Game Awards, a amusement that started beardown successful the aboriginal 2000s, but fizzled retired successful 2013 owed to mediocre viewership numbers and disapproval implicit the show’s format. For the 2014 show, Spike wasn’t going to broadcast it connected TV, opting alternatively to watercourse it online. Keighley didn’t hold with Spike’s absorption and dropped retired of the presentation. For chartless reasons connected apical of Keighley’s departure, Spike canceled that year’s lawsuit successful the eleventh hour. That didn’t halt Keighley from having an awards amusement that year. He worked with publishers to money a caller amusement simply titled The Game Awards. Given the diminishing returns of Spike’s show, helium didn’t cognize if this caller programme would gully radical in. That year’s livestream netted astir 2 cardinal views – a respectable fig – but the existent triumph was the format and code of the show. This was the format radical were intelligibly looking for. In each pursuing year, The Game Awards’ viewership has doubled and is present 1 of the highest viewed programs of immoderate amusement medium.

Sean Murray accepts accolades for No Man's Sky, which won Best Ongoing Game past year

In October, I caught up with Keighley arsenic helium was finalizing plans for this year’s show. He erstwhile again serves the dual duties of shaper and host. He has ever been unfastened astir the ups and downs of The Game Awards, and ever seems relaxed, nary substance however adjacent the amusement is to airing. This year, helium tells maine helium has excessively galore World Premiere reveals and feels unspeakable turning publishers down.

The Game Awards grew from 45 cardinal viewers to an unfathomable 80 cardinal successful 1 year. Given we were sheltering successful spot during the Covid-19 pandemic, tin you talk to however the maturation was perchance tied to that?
I’m inactive amazed we were capable to bash the amusement past year. That happened close erstwhile the 2nd lockdown was conscionable starting. We were successful Los Angeles, and successful the days starring into the show, we were unsure what was going to happen. We had a outer motortruck parked extracurricular my location conscionable successful lawsuit I would person to broadcast the amusement from home. We had this acceptable we were gathering each time and were disquieted [the show] would get canceled if the authorities was going to unopen down the city. [The pandemic] was getting progressively worse, astir each time arsenic we led up to the show. I didn’t judge the amusement was happening until the time before. I was like, “I conjecture we’re truly going to get a accidental to bash it.”

It was truly challenging to propulsion it unneurotic and bash things implicit Zoom and fig retired however to bash it safely with our squad with each the investigating and everything astir it. The triumph was conscionable getting to bash the show. I was benignant of depressed for months reasoning that we weren’t going to beryllium capable to bash it. The information that it really did truthful good was incredible. Seeing it turn was truly heartwarming.

There are ever 2 sides to the coin, though. Success connected one, and connected the other, the unit for this year. Can we support growing? We ne'er deliberation astir the assemblage numbers. We don’t beryllium astir and crippled a strategy to get different 10 cardinal viewers. We conscionable absorption connected making an awesome amusement for the community.

For information concerns, the pandemic continues to propulsion kinks into unrecorded events. At this constituent successful time, you are readying connected returning to an in-person format with an audience. Does it consciousness similar concern arsenic usual, oregon are you readying connected having that outer motortruck successful waiting again?
The large quality this twelvemonth is we person vaccines. We had a twelvemonth of learning the process astir however to bash these things. We decided beauteous aboriginal that we’re going to spell backmost to the Microsoft Theater, and we’re going to physique our acceptable and person our orchestra there. There are a batch of protocols and costs about, like, doing a amusement similar this, and the investigating and everything progressive successful doing it. We’re readying to bash a full-scale amusement astatine the theater. This volition beryllium our biggest acceptable yet. It’s our biggest production. We’re going afloat tilt with the afloat experience, but keeping information successful mind. We bash person contingency plans if determination is different variant oregon issues popular up. How tin we pivot and benignant of bash thing different?

We’re doing a accepted amusement with immoderate capableness restrictions connected the assemblage and immoderate different requirements. We person to spot if radical are comfy traveling, including internationally. We are unsure astir that. That’s everyone’s idiosyncratic decision. I’m excited to beryllium backmost successful a venue. Most of the crippled companies, erstwhile we speech to them this year, they each similar the thought of yet being capable to get backmost to doing thing successful person. I’m honored that we’re benignant of the archetypal lawsuit that’s going to bash thing with radical gathering successful a harmless and controlled way.

Nolan North presents the grant for Best Multiplayer successful 2020

Given past year’s success, I person a feeling each steadfast and developer is jumping astatine the accidental to beryllium a portion of the show.
Generally, radical are truly affirmative connected wanting to beryllium a portion of the show. And I spot immoderate of that is carnal presence, but a batch privation to lend content. One of the top things past year, was successful the mediate of a pandemic, each these developers were capable to marque awesome trailers and springiness america contented to enactment successful the show. In presumption of things to beryllium announced astatine the show, we person much games this twelvemonth than ever before. We’re successful a bully presumption that radical privation to beryllium a portion of the show. And you know, it’s an grant show, but increasingly, I deliberation much we privation to usage it arsenic a conveyance to benignant of stock quality connected games. So that’s this benignant of interior equilibrium that we’re striking.

The different happening that is successful the inheritance is there’s a batch of these streaming shows and movies based connected games. We’re trying to fig retired however to navigate immoderate of that, similar The Witcher and the Cuphead shows, arsenic good arsenic the Uncharted movie. This is the archetypal twelvemonth we’re trying to navigate however to see immoderate of that stuff. They are based connected games, but not really games.

You said you person much reveals than ever. What tin we expect from them?
As always, we effort and equilibrium things betwixt brand-new games to updates connected games that radical truly attraction about. There are besides live-service games that could person contented dropping the nighttime of the show. This year, we person a batch of worldly being announced for the archetypal clip astatine the show, which is exciting. I consciousness similar adjacent procreation has started but it hasn’t truly successful a way. And I don’t mean that to disparage immoderate existing games, but there’s [new stuff] coming down the tube from first- and third-parties. The instal bases of the existent consoles person constricted however overmuch worldly is coming out. I judge 2022 is erstwhile the jets truly get turned on. We’ll person a mates things successful our amusement that I deliberation are going to beryllium genuinely next-gen. Experiences that I deliberation volition excite radical astir the aboriginal and wherever games go. And I’m not conscionable saying conscionable first-party games. There are method showpieces that I’m excited about. And past we besides person a equilibrium betwixt large franchises with tiny developers, and smaller teams are doing truly absorbing things. It’s a perpetually moving target. I’ve said this before, but immoderate things driblet retired the week earlier the show, and determination are besides caller things that amusement up connected my doorstep a week earlier the show.

I ever archer the communicative of In the Valley of the Gods from Campo Santo, the workplace with Valve now. They came to maine 2 weeks earlier the show. I’m like, “This is amazing. Where was this trailer 3 months ago?” People deliberation [the show] is each plotted retired good successful advance. Sometimes it is, but oftentimes things are conscionable shifting. I consciousness beauteous assured that we person a truly bully lineup that’s going to excite people. I’ve besides learned that you person to negociate expectations due to the fact that everyone has a antithetic crippled successful their mind’s eye.

I deliberation adjacent twelvemonth is going to beryllium truly breathtaking for games overall. There’s truthful overmuch contented coming out.

The 2020 amusement had to marque galore accommodations for the ongoing pandemic; Innersloth celebrates Among Us winning Best Multiplayer Game from a distant location

Figuring retired wherever the reveals spell has to beryllium a large jigsaw puzzle. Have you figured retired what the archetypal and past uncover volition be? They ever look to beryllium 2 of the large ones.
Good question. I deliberation I benignant of cognize the past thing, which is going to beryllium truly cool. And the archetypal thing, I deliberation I know, but it mightiness displacement astir a small bit. The positioning of things successful the amusement is ever interesting. Some companies are precise circumstantial astir wherever they privation to beryllium successful the show. I honestly bash not marque those calls until astir apt astir a period earlier the amusement erstwhile we truly spot everything that comes in. The infinitesimal I accidental yes to something, thing other mightiness amusement up. We support it fluid. We decidedly person a bully consciousness of the worldly that’s aboriginal and precocious successful the show. And past there’s a clump of chill worldly successful the mediate of it arsenic well. We privation to astonishment radical with worldly they aren’t expecting.

Any caller awards this year?
We don’t person immoderate caller awards. The accessibility grant volition beryllium backmost this year. We’ve been toying with a mates categories that I deliberation we’ll adhd successful the future. We’re not rather determination yet, though. I deliberation yet we mightiness bash an grant for champion adaptation with each these streaming shows, movies, comic books, and different things coming out. I deliberation there’s thing absorbing there. There’s conscionable not capable yet. I deliberation successful the adjacent mates of years, that’ll beryllium something. And we’re besides reasoning a small spot astir user-generated contented being made successful games similar Fortnite, Core, and Roblox. Again, I don’t deliberation we’re rather determination yet, but that’s 1 that I deliberation is connected the radar for the future. This year, it’s beauteous overmuch the same.

Geoff Keighley has been the big and enforcement shaper for The Game Awards since its inception successful 2014

You mentioned you’re gathering the biggest acceptable yet. I can’t adjacent wrapper my encephalon astir what it could be. You already person elephantine statues connected it, 1 of the biggest screens retired there, and a implicit orchestra. What is the abstraction for?
We conscionable support adding much each year. We person a truly chill video level that we’re doing that’s benignant of a video screen. It’s truly interesting. We haven’t revealed immoderate of the philharmonic guests, but we’ve got amazing, immense names doing that. Every twelvemonth I deliberation we’re dilatory gathering this amusement into what I anticipation is the biggest grant amusement successful entertainment, which conscionable happens to beryllium astir games. We’re cautious this twelvemonth evidently due to the fact that of Covid, but that has not stopped us. I deliberation you’ll spot it’s decidedly our astir ambitious set. We’re upping the standard and scope. It’s a small spot of a unsafe crippled to play, but yeah, we privation to support building, make much of a spectacle.

How constricted volition capableness be?
It volition fig successful the thousands, but it’s not going to beryllium a afloat house. We’re conscionable trying to power the numbers a small bit.

Recent years person seen accrued progressive from Hollywood talent. John David Washington (Tenet) presented past year's Best Narrative category

You highlighted thing a batch of radical are feeling astir PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X: a deficiency of games that are built conscionable for those machines. What are your thoughts connected next-gen gaming truthful far?
I mentioned earlier that I deliberation next-gen has started, but we haven’t truly seen a ton of showcases, right? I would accidental Forza Horizon 5 is truly spectacular. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is simply a chill showcase, and I emotion the DualSense – that controller conscionable gives radical truthful overmuch accidental to deliberation of wherever games are going to go. We haven’t seen a batch of caller next-gen IP yet. Returnal is astir apt the champion illustration of that truthful far.

These systems are truthful powerful, and there’s truthful overmuch accidental there, but this has been a hard twelvemonth for developers to marque these games portion moving from home. A batch of worldly has been delayed. I person games that we were going to denote past twelvemonth astatine The Game Awards, and we’re astir apt going to denote this year. They were delayed astatine slightest a afloat year. Some radical mislaid a twelvemonth oregon 2 successful development. There are a batch of delays that person affected next-gen and that pipeline of content. It was inactive a bully year, but I deliberation adjacent twelvemonth and beyond are going to beryllium exciting. The happening that I deliberation has happened with a batch of these next-gen boxes is radical bargain them yet play their aged games connected them. They look better, right? It’s a amended prime of life. The connect complaint with these caller systems has not been great, partially due to the fact that of the Game Pass thing, but besides to play Warzone oregon Fortnite oregon worldly they already have. Even though radical are buying the systems, they don’t person those existent next-gen showcase titles to play. They are coming. Those are the ones that person been delayed. Performance seizure is truly hard to bash successful the mediate of Covid. All of these communicative games that we emotion instrumentality a batch of clip to make.

Of immoderate crippled that hasn’t been announced, what is 1 crippled franchise that you privation to spot travel back? What would you emotion to person arsenic a World Premiere?
I would emotion to spot BioShock travel back. I’ve missed that franchise a lot. Infinite, I inactive deliberation of. I miss that franchise. An awesome caller BioShock would beryllium hype. I’m besides a Valve fan, truthful thing Valve-related would beryllium amusive to see. One of the champion games I played successful the past twelvemonth was Crash Bandicoot 4. That was an awesome game. I wouldn’t caput seeing immoderate of those classical franchises travel backmost successful a caller way, similar a caller Jak & Daxter.

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The Game Awards will beryllium held connected December 9, unrecorded from Los Angeles’ Microsoft theater. It volition broadcast astir the satellite and tin beryllium viewed from assorted streaming services similar YouTube and Twitch.

This nonfiction primitively appeared successful Issue 341 of Game Informer.