Tonight it was time again. The video game industry celebrated the annual The Game Awards, broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. During the celebrations, alongside the actual awards ceremony, Hollywood and gaming greats such as actor Pedro Pascal made appearances. The role-playing game "Elden Ring" was named "Game of the Year" and was able to convince in three other categories.
With more than 85 million viewers during the live stream in 2021, the Game Awards are considered the Oscars of the gaming world and one of the biggest events on the internet. The annual show brings together game developers, esports athletes, influencers, fans and Hollywood bigwigs for a night of awards and exclusive game world premieres. The Game Awards will be streamed live around the world on more than 40 platforms including Twitch and YouTube.
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood and the video game community, including Al Pacino, Pedro Pascal and AURORA, took the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles for The Game Awards 2022 Live Ceremony. The event also included live performances by game composers Halsey and Hozier. Both performed parts of the original God of War Ragnarok soundtrack and Diablo IV. In addition, the Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by BAFTA and Emmy-nominated composer Lorne Balfe, performed the music for the Game of the Year nominated games.
The Game Awards, which celebrated its 9th anniversary this year, not only honors the games and personalities that have advanced the gaming industry over the past year, but also unveils highly anticipated games and films. This year these included games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Electronic Arts/Respawn Entertainment/Lucas Film), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination, Nintendo, Universal Pictures), Street Fighter 6 (Capcom), Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix, Creative Business Unit III), Dune Awakening (Funcom), TEKKEN 8 (BNE Entertainment, BANDAI NAMCO Studios), Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt) and more.
Below is the full list of this year's award winners:
GAME OF THE YEAR
Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco)
BEST GAME DIRECTION
Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco)
BEST NARRATIVES
God of War Ragnarok (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
BEST ART DIRECTION
Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco)
BEST SCORE AND MUSIC
Bear McCreary, God of War Ragnarok
BEST AUDIO DESIGN
God of War Ragnarok (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
BEST PERFORMANCE
Christopher Judge, God of War Ragnarok
GAMES FOR IMPACT
As Dusk Falls (Interior Night/Xbox Game Studios)
BEST ONGOING GAME
FINAL FANTASY XIV (Square Enix)
BEST INDIE
Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
BEST DEBUT INDIA
Stray (BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna)
BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT, PRESENTED BY DISCORD
FINAL FANTASY XIV (Square Enix)
BEST MOBILE
MARVEL SNAP (Second Dinner Studios/Nuverse)
BEST VR/AR
Moss: Book II (Polyarc)
BEST ACTION
Bayonetta 3 (Platinum Games / Nintendo)
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE
God of War Ragnarok (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
BEST ROLE PLAYING
Elden Ring (FromSoftware / Bandai Namco)
BEST FIGHTING
MultiVersus (Player First Games/WB Games)
BEST FAMILY
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (HAL Laboratory/Nintendo)
BEST SIM/STRATEGY
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft Milan/Paris/Ubisoft)
BEST SPORTS/RACING
Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
BEST MULTIPLAYER
Splatoon 3 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
MOST ANTICIPATED
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR
Ludwig
BEST ADAPTATION
Arcane: League of Legends (Fortiche/Riot Games/Netflix)
INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY
God of War Ragnarok (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
BEST ESPORT GAME
VALORANT (Riot Games)
BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE
Jacob "Yay" Whiteaker (Cloud9, Valorant)
BEST ESPORTS TEAM
LOUD (Valorant)
BEST ESPORTS COACH
Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (LOUD, VALORANT)
BEST ESPORTS EVENT
2022 League of Legends World Championship
Source: The Game Awards