The 2020 Game Awards has announced its air date, which, as with the recent Emmys, will happen virtually.
Host/executive producer Geoff Keighley revealed The Game Awards ceremony will be streamed across 45 video platforms from studios in Los Angeles, London and Tokyo on December 10, according to a report from Variety. All three studios will not feature a live audience, but the digital format will still allow fans to "participate and virtually interact with the show across social media, through live in-game experiences, and via interactive extensions on leading streaming platforms."
Keighley ensured fans that this virtual format will not intrude upon crucial features of the Game Awards. Awards will still be given out and there will be world premieres, gaming reveals, musical performances and the return of last year's The Game Festival event in live stream format. One new addition will be the Innovation in Accessibly Award, which will "[recognize] software and/or hardware developers that are pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by a wider audience."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting digital award ceremonies has become a necessity to ensure the safety of guests and nominees alike. Keighley noted that he was impressed by last week's Emmy presentation, which saw host Jimmy Kimmel bring in the occasional guest to help present awards on a stage while social distancing to hundreds of nominees through Zoom calls, a format that worked with few technical hiccups.
As for what games might win Game of the Year, some of the titles Keighley listed as top contenders included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. The only major outlier is CD Projekt Red's highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077, whose November 19 release date just barely makes the cusp of eligibility for GOTY. In Keighley’s own words, "we’re still figuring out how that’s going to work out."