The Game Awards 2020 brought the heat with several huge game announcements.

The 2020 edition of The Game Awards was held yesterday and Geoff Keighley built another great show despite the pandemic related hurdles that 2020 presents. As usual there were copious game announcements interspersed between the awards themselves. Over 35 new trailers were shown off for new and already announced titles. While we’re not going to look at every announcement in this article, we will highlight the heavy hitters along with some initial impressions on some of the announcements. As far as the actual awards themselves, the big winner of the night was Naughty Dog who raked in 7 Game Awards including Game of the Year for The Last of Us Part II. A list of winners from the major categories can also be found below.

Major Game Announcements

Perfect Dark

Microsoft and The Initiative showed off their debut cinematic trailer for the new Perfect Dark. That’s right, Joanna Dark is making her emphatic return in what looked like a stunning re-imagining of the original Nintendo 64 game. No date was given, but given The Initiative’s pedigree gamers aught to have a lot to look forward to.

Mass Effect

In typical EA fashion, a way too early trailer was shown for a brand new Mass Effect game. Bioware returns to the highly acclaimed, yet divisive Mass Effect series and brought with it and beautiful CG trailer. The trailer shows a ship landing on a snowy planet’s surface with a single entity trekking up a hill in search of….something. The character pulls a scrap of armor from the snow to reveal the classic N7 mark. And is that…. Liara? My body is ready.

The Callisto Protocol

Glen Schofield, the creator of Dead Space, is back with a new spiritual successor the 2008 horror masterpiece. Long in hibernation after his days with developer Sledgehammer, many wondered what Schofield had been up to – and this is it. Under new developer label, Striking Distance Studios, Glenn is set to deliver an experience fans have been asking for for over a decade. Aimed for PC and next gen consoles, The Callisto Protocol promises a 2022 release window.

Dragon Age

Bioware double dipped in the “early cinematic trailer” department in this year’s Game Awards. Right in the middle of the evenings proceedings, fans were delighted with a new look at the next Dragon Age game. Like Mass Effect, this one is heavy on promise. Time will tell if Bioware can successfully and faithfully deliver compelling experiences to two beloved video game franchises.

Sephiroth coming to Super Smash Bros.

Kicking off the festivities with a bang, Nintendo and Square-Enix team up yet again to bring Sephiroth to Super Smash Bros Ultimate. In what may go down as the most epic Smash Bros character reveal trailer in history, Sephiroth slices through the Smash Bros crew with ease. Even Mario finds himself on the wrong end of Sephiroth’s sword. The trailer must be seen to be believed.

Crimson Desert

In what was my personal game of the show, developer Pearl Abyss show an extensive trailer for their new open world RPG, Crimson Desert. Previously known for the MMO Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss is shifting slightly to an online multiplayer adventure with a narrative that would feel right at home in a single player RPG. Go check out the 5 minute trailer for yourself.

Ark 2 starring Vin Diesel

Studio Wildcard debuted their new trailer for Ark 2, the follow up the hit 2017 survival game. This time Vin Diesel adds some star power to the game in a very cinematic trailer with a very angry t-rex. Looks like one to keep an eye on, though no release date was given. Studio Wildcard also took the opportunity to reveal Ark: The Animated Series. A sneak peek can also be seen in the above mentioned trailer.

Season

Announced as PS5 console exclusive, Season is game that evokes strong Studio Ghibli vibes. Developer Scavengers Studio describes the gameplay as a “third-person atmospheric adventure bicycle road trip game.” A post over on the PlayStation blog says Season’s gameplay is “centered around biking, exploring, recording photographs or audio, and encountering local people. The player character is there in the critical moment, just as everything is about to change. You are not there to stop the change but to bear witness to it, to make recordings and attempt to understand what is being lost before it’s gone.” No date was given, but the trailer will give you a good taste of what to expect from Season.  

It Takes Two

Hazelight, the developers behind A Way Out and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is back with another coop adventure. A human couple is magically transported into a new world where they find themselves as dolls. They must mend their broken relationship in this fantastical new world in order to find a way home. “Friend Pass” will also make a return, meaning if you buy one copy of the game you’re friend can download a copy for free as well. With both A Way Out and Brothers introducing fun new coop mechanics, we’re excited to see where this adventure takes us. Check out the trailer for It Takes Two right here.

Tchia

At first glance Tchia looks like a mixture of Breath of the Wild and Disney’s Moana and that might not be too far off. “Climb, glide, swim, and sail your boat around a beautiful archipelago in this physics-driven sandbox” developer Awaceb describes. Players can expect to possess any animal they come into contact with, explore and traverse the isle in diverse biomes and weather, and even play the ukulele.

Announcements Roundup

• Devolver Digital showed off “Loop Hero“.
• Focus Home Interactive shadow dropped “Shady Part of Me” For Switch, PS4, Xbox and PC.
• Aerial dragon combat multiplayer game “Century: Age of Ashes” was shown off.
• Turtle Rock (Left 4 Dead) brought a gameplay trailer for their new game “Back 4 Blood“.
• Fullbright (Tacoma, Gone Home) has a new game called “Open Roads“.
• Sega showed of the beautiful new “Endless Dungeons“.
• A Fall Guys season 3 trailer was shown off, though no gameplay was seen.
• Elite Dangerous is back with a new expansion named “Odyssey“.
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins is getting a remake.
• New trailers for PS5 exclusives Returnal and F.I.S.T. were shown off respectively.
• I guess the world needed a new Evil Dead game?

Winners

Game of the Year

• Doom Eternal
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• The Last of Us Part II – winner

Best Game Direction

• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Half Life: Alyx
• The Last of Us Part II – winner

Best Narrative

• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II – winner

Best Art Direction

• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima – winner
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Role Playing Game

• Final Fantasy VII Remake – winner
• Genshin Impact
• Persona 5 Royal
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Best Action/Adventure

• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• The Last of Us Part II – winner

Best Action

• Doom Eternal
• Hades – winner
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Nioh 2
• Streets of Rage 4

Best Indie Game

• Carrion 
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Hades – winner
• Spelunky 2
• Spiritfarer

Best Family

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons – winner
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Paper Mario: The Origami King

Best Score and Music

• Doom Eternal
• Final Fantasy VII Remake – winner
• Hades
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Last of Us Part II

Best Performance

• Ashely Johnson as Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
• Laura Bailey as Abby, The Last of Us Part II – winner
• Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima
• Logan Cunningham as Hades, Hades
• Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Miles Morales

For all the winners and nominees, head on over to The Game Awards website. Let us know, Deer Reader! What did you think of the 2020 edition of The Game Awards? Which game announcements got you revved up and which game got snubbed? Let us know in the comments below.