The Game Awards 2022 revealed the full list of nominees, including some anticipated titles and a few surprises.
Host Geoff Keighley announced the nominees in a YouTube video today, honoring the games from 2022. God of War Ragnarök walked away with the most nominations with ten, for Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, two in Best Performance, Best Action/Adventure, and Innovation In Accessibility. Elden Ring earned seven total, getting nominations for Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design and Best RPG. Some surprises included Stray, which earned six nominations, including the top honors and Horizon: Forbidden West which also got seven nominations.
God of War Ragnarök snagged two nominations for Best Performance for Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic, who play Kratos and Atreus, respectively. The game launched earlier this month to rave reviews, with many hailing God of War Ragnarök a triumph. Many fans eagerly awaited the title after several delays, which left some fearing the game might prove less than what they hoped for. Last year, Judge addressed these concerns by revealing the team at God of War developer Santa Monica Studios had waited while he contended with some health issues.
"I need to be forthcoming. This has been approved by no one. To the beloved fandom, Ragnarok was delayed because of me. August 2019, I couldn't walk. Had to have back surgery, both hips replaced, and, knee surgery. They waited for me too rehab," the actor explained. "No threats, no, 'who do you think you are?' Nothing but love and support. And [Sony Santa Monica] has never said a word about the delay, and what caused it. Studios are assholes, but this company from top to bottom, should give us hope."
Elden Ring, meanwhile, earned rave reviews at the beginning of the year. It became an early contender for Game of the Year as soon as it launched in February. Since then, many fans have eagerly awaited DLC to continue their adventures in the Lands Between. The DLC title and release window reportedly leaked earlier this year after hackers broke into Bandai Namco. Reportedly, the Elden Ring DLC will be titled Barbarians of the Badlands and release sometime in Q3 2023.
The Game Awards airs on Dec. 8 with a live audience and streaming to IMAX theaters and dedicated YouTube and Twitch channels.
Source: YouTube