Game Awards 2024: 5 things to remember from the video game Oscars

© Game Awards

You couldn't have missed it, this month of December 2024 is once again marked by the now unmissable Game Awards ceremony, the very one that comes to crown &#8220 ;officially” the famous GOTY, or game of the year. And if you just woke up, then you probably missed the live broadcast of these Game Awards 2024, which took place tonight from one in the morning. A ceremony that celebrated the 10 years of the “TGA”, and which turned out to be both full of surprises&#8230 and perfectly mastered.

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Indeed, personally, and like other players, I am not a big fan of the Game Awards. This trophy ceremony is indeed not very “official“, with the added bonus of votes in which the public, who are massively invited to participate each year, only weighs 10% in the final verdict. In addition, the ceremony remains riddled with “commercial collaborations&#8221 and other cronies of all kinds, and this 2024 version was no exception, with many sponsors (and friends) having their little moment of glory.

The 2024 Game Awards rich in “World Premiere” (and with Harrison Ford)

But in reality, we don't watch the Game Awards for their trophies, but rather for the “World Premiere“. Indeed, if the Summer Game Fest serves as a replacement E3 in June, the Game Awards are also the scene of often sensational announcements, allowing gamers to experience a form of “winter E3 conference“. And for once, this 2024 version was rather rich in (good) surprises.

Indeed, these 2024 Game Awards notably allowed CD Projekt RED to broadcast the very first trailer of a game that was expected to say the least, namely The Witcher 4. Now it remains to be seen whether Geralt will also be there or not.

A trailer dressed entirely in cinematics, as visually stunning as an excellent animated series, but which allows you to enjoy a breathtaking spectacle, in addition to discovering a new female Witcher, namely Ciri.

A few minutes later, while Keanu Reeves had caused a sensation a few years ago, it was a certain Harrison Ford who burst onto the stage of these Game Awards 2024.

In addition to obviously mentioning the release of the very recent Indiana Jones and the Ancient Circle (of which we give you our verdict here), the American actor came to present the trophy (with Troy Baker and Todd Howard) for Best Performance, which went to Melina Juergens, who plays Senua in Hellblade 2.

Among the other incredible and magical announcements revealed during these Game Awards 2024, between two performances by Snoop Dogg or an excellent symphony orchestra, we were able to discover a new Mafia The Old Country, which will arrive in the summer of 2025.

Added to this is a brand new installment in the Borderlands saga (the fourth), not to mention the return of Screamer (the cult game from 1995) which will soon be back in the form of a narrative racing game. Capcom fans were also served, with the return of two cult licenses, namely Okami and Onimusha, of which we will soon enjoy a brand new episode.

It is also difficult not to mention the new game by Naughty Dog (The Last of Us, Uncharted…), namely Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

The trailer allows us to discover a young bounty shoemaker in her ship, Jordan A.Mun, searching for the Five Aces. An intergalactic title, therefore, full of product placements (Adidas, Porsche, Sony…) which remains quite enigmatic, but which we will obviously have to follow very closely.

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Among the other games presented tonight, it's hard not to mention Elden Ring Nightreign, a new multiplayer game expected for 2025, without forgetting Split Fiction, the new cooperative game by Hazelight, already the origin of the fabulous It Takes Two.

A new game by Fumito Ueda (Shadow of the Colossus) has also been made official, as has the new Ninja Gaiden by the French company DotEmu, who are already behind the excellent Streets of Rage 4 and Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge.

The winners of the Game Awards 2024

But the Game Awards are not just World Premiere trailers and An ever more delighted Geoff Keighley with his creature, these are also precious rewards given to the best games launched this year. As mentioned above, the votes are divided between the public (10%) and a jury “d’experts“.

Among the winners, it is obviously the title of “Best Game of the Year” that has been widely discussed in recent weeks. And as we already suspected in our full test of Astro Bot last September, it is indeed the game signed by Team Asobi that has scooped “officially” the precious trophy.

© Asobi Team

It must be said that the game represented by Nicolas Doucet is a true ode to nostalgia, while being resolutely modern, generous and capable of putting a smile on the player's face from the first to the last minute. But Astro Bot is not satisfied with this GOTY title, since the game also won the titles of Best Game Direction, Best Action-Adventure Game and Best Family Game.

Balatro was one of the big winners of this evening, winning no less than three awards in total. The excellent Helldivers 2 was not forgotten, the game available on PS5 and PC winning the title of Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, but also that of Best Service Game.

© Arrowhead Studios

The RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio also made its mark at the Game Awards 2024, winning three trophies: Best RPG, Best Narration and Best Artistic Direction. For its part, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will have to settle for the Best Music statuette.

It should be noted that the recent Dragon Ball Z Sparking ZERO did not win the title of Best Fighting Game (or any other title for that matter), since the latter was awarded to a certain Tekken 8.

The main winners of the Game Awards 2024

• Game of the Year: Astro Bot
• Best Game Direction: Astro Bot
• Best Narration: Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Music: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
• Best Audio Design: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Best Performance: Melina Juergens (Hellblade 2)
• Best Game Service: Helldivers 2
• Best Community Support: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Best Indie Game: Balatro
• Best First Indie Game: Balatro
• Innovation in Accessibility: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Best Mobile Game: Balatro
• Best VR/AR Game: Batman Arkham Shadows
• Best Action Game: Black Myth: Wukong
• Best Action-Adventure Game: Astro Bot
• Best RPG: Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8
• Best Family Game: Astro Bot
• Best Sports Racing Game: EA Sports FC 25
• Best Multiplayer Game: Helldivers 2
• Most Anticipated Game of 2025: Grand Theft Auto 6

For our part, we will really remember 5 elements of these Game Awards 2024, namely the (deserved) consecration of Astro Bot as GOTY (even if it was already in our hearts as gamers), the sensational announcement of The Witcher IV, which we have not finished hearing about, but also the superb Split Fiction, which promises to put cooperative gaming back in the spotlight. Of course, experienced gamers (the “old” ?) will also keep a keen eye on the returns of Ninja Gaiden, Okami, Onimusha, but also a certain Turok with Origins.

© Rockstar Games

Added to this is a ceremony that was generally better controlled than in the past, with still some lengths and an excess of advertising, but a nicely worked rhythm and a real desire to pay tribute to video games in their entirety. Finally, it is difficult not to highlight the absence of a certain GTA 6 which, contrary to what various influencers and other “insiders” suggested, did not benefit from any trailer. The game nevertheless won the title of “Most Anticipated Game of 2025“. A lesser evil.

And you, what is your GOTY in 2024 ?

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