Game Awards Week Wrap-Up 2024

Now that the dust has settled (and the wrapping paper scraps have been swept away) it’s time to revisit the 2024 Game Awards. 

While I was only able to predict 60% of the winners correctly, I was right about the overwhelming support for Balatro and Astro Bot. In general, games that take home GOTY tend to age better than Best Picture winners (the “win” does at least, the “why” is another article for another time), but I still have some questions about the legacy of this show. Will we look back at Final Fantasy VII’s only win as a snub? Will Metaphor continue to stand out based on the strength of its own identity or will it be viewed as a strange bridge to the inevitable Persona 6? Will Indiana Jones’ excellence push more outlets into doing their awards in January? 

It won’t shock me if 2024 will eventually just be known as the year of Balatro. 

Of course, the statuettes and acceptance speeches are only half the story. We also wade through a flood of WORLD PREMIERES every December and this particular group of trailers were spectacular–not the best of all time (that honor still belongs to the Sony press conference with the Final Fantasy VII Remake reveal), but definitely in the conversation. Here is everything that was shown that I’m most excited for. This list is chalk for the most part, but that should simply be seen as a testament to how big the announcements were. The hype is unavoidable.  

And for the record, Okami looks cool but I have no history with it (welcome back, Clover Studio).

The Witcher IV

The event planners choosing to open with a new Witcher title should have been a hint that we were going to be in for a busy night. The only info I learned from this reveal is that CD Projekt RED are still gods at making prerendered trailers and that Ciri (Geralt’s protege and adopted daughter) will be the protagonist. 

We have no idea when it’s getting here (Geoff did his best to set expectations in his introduction–it’s definitely coming after 2025). I’ll guess May 2027. After the shaky launch of Cyberpunk I would imagine CDPR will want to hold it until it’s ready.  

Turok: Origins

From the glimpses of gameplay, I can confirm that this has shooting and it has dinosaurs (which checks all the boxes necessary for a teaser). I don’t think the Turok name could be considered a cash grab in 2024 and Saber Interactive has been building a positive reputation lately (they developed Game Award nominee Space Marine 2). I get the impression that this is something they actually wanted to make and I’m thankful for its existence.  

One Move Away

One Move Away debuted in the preshow–so you’re forgiven if you missed it. It’s a trunk organization simulator and appears to incorporate a sprinkling of Unpacking’s melancholy (as time passes, you’ll need to make more moves). This also means we have at least two games in development built around efficiently packing vehicles (Truckful being the other) and I’m going to play both. 

Split Fiction

I’m a junkie when a game jumps between playstyles, and if this trailer is any indication, that constant shifting and unpredictability will be present in the individual levels of Split Fiction (in one example, your characters team up with a pair of dragons, and as they grow from hatchlings to adults, the the type of game you’re playing changes). This is Hazelight’s follow up to It Takes Two (which won Game of the Year in 2021) and I’m looking forward to seeing how their design sensibilities (and their dark humor) are pushed even further here. Expect it to bring home an avalanche of nominations next year. 

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

My biggest gasp of the show belonged to Onimusha. 

Of course, I knew it was always a possibility, but because of social media chatter I expected that we’d get a Dino Crisis revival first. It’ll be interesting to see what direction this takes (the series began as a Resident Evil clone but leaned harder into action and RPG mechanics as time went on). It also lived and died almost exclusively on the PlayStation 2 so we’re due for a modern update. 

It’s out in 2026 and I’ll be there day one. 

Untitled Fumito Ueda Project

My second biggest gasp of the show. 

Other than a few screenshots we’ve seen nothing from Fumito Ueda’s team since the release of The Last Guardian in 2016. I expect to be both blown away and devastated (but first I’ll need to be patient because it doesn’t even have a name, yet). These would be impossible standards for other devs but I have faith they’ll stick the landing. 

Elden Ring: Nightreign 

More Elden Ring is always going to be a good thing. At first, I was disappointed because this project seems to be reusing areas from the main game, but if there’s any team that has earned our trust at this point, it’s FromSoftware. 

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

This was a genuine surprise for me because after being bludgeoned by other amazing announcements for hours, I forgot we haven’t had a new title from Druckmann’s team since 2020. I’m curious to see how the product placement will fit into the final project (its inclusion here doesn’t bother me–I wonder, in universe, if these brands are still around or if our protagonist is a collector of ancient things). Regardless, I’m onboard because Naughty Dog has never put out a bad game–okay, maybe one if you count Jak X: Combat Racing. 

There were a few other events this week. They served mainly to remind us that the things we were excited about in the spring and summer are still coming. If you missed them, here are a few things from each I have my eye on.

Days of the Devs

-Demon Tides is a colorful 3D platformer begging to make an impact in the speedrunning community (it’s a sequel to Demon Turf).

-Blue Prince is a mysterious puzzle game where you’re building a mansion around your character in an effort to discover a final, hidden room.

-Sleight of Hand is a spooky stealth game with an emphasis on using cards to alter the environment and defeat your enemies. 

-Curiosmos is an adorable, build your own solar system simulator. 

Latin American Games Showcase

-Prisma is the stylish as hell next game from the team that worked on Cris Tales. It’s coming soon to Kickstarter, so we might have to wait a bit for this one. 

MOTORSLICE is a blend of parkour movement and fighting renegade construction equipment with a chainsaw. It also has a stunning graphical style and color palette. 

-Sin Squad: Stealth Assassins, as its name implies, is a violent stealth game that leans into its graphic novel/MadWorld aesthetic.

-The War in Chiapas is a new take on classic Metal Gear gameplay. It also has split screen co-op. 

Women Led Games Showcase

-Rooster is a gorgeous point and click adventure centered around the animals of the Chinese zodiac (and every level uses a different gameplay type). 

-lily’s world XD is a psychological thriller that takes place across the early days of the internet (something about this one reminds me of Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue).

Wholesome Snack

I’m a big supporter of the Wholesome Showcases. If you’re into even one of these upcoming projects–you’ll probably be into everything else. I’d also love to interview Jenny Windom. If there’s anyone reading this who knows her, help me make that happen. 

-In Lou’s Lagoon you play as a seaplane courier who makes deliveries to islands populated by magical creatures. 

-Pinbleton Park has one of my favorite concepts of everything I saw this week. It’s one part Animal Crossing town builder–and one part playing pinball through your community’s streets and plazas.   

-Toem 2 is a sequel to one of the best (and most charming) photography games ever made. We only got a very brief teaser but I’m thrilled that we’re getting more from the team at Something We Made.  

PC Gaming Show

-Starlight Re:Volver is a pastel co-op roguelite bursting with personality. Ashleigh Hetrick (pyawakit) worked on the art and it already looks gorgeous. 

-I’m obsessed with the graphical style of Mohrta (chunky polygons and chunky pixels). This exploration focused FPS includes a wide variety of enemy types and environments (many of which are on display in this trailer). It’s out next year.

Lastly, just for fun (and to add to the already chaotic nature of this post), I’m going to attempt to predict the Game of the Year nominees for the next Game Awards. This is probably a mistake because there are sure to be a few surprises that we know nothing about, yet–but I’m still going to do it.

My predictions as of December 20th are:

-Grand Theft Auto VI (we’ll see if its release date slips)

-Hollow Knight: Silksong (we’ll see if it even gets a release date)

-Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

-Monster Hunter Wilds

-Split Fiction

-A Nintendo Title (this feels a bit like cheating, but I figure the Super Nintendo Switch will have some big games when it launches, and if it doesn’t, this spot defaults to Metroid Prime 4)

It might be time to crawl back in my cave until 2025. The current rumor is that we’ll finally see the Switch successor in January–and Sony usually keeps a State of Play locked and loaded for the beginning of the year. Regardless, I’m hoping to be here with content and reviews to help fill the void. 

What am I going to do? Not play video games?