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Since the event’s inception, the Game Awards have been more a string of game announcements than a traditional awards ceremony. That was more true than ever in 2020. Due to the pandemic, the game industry’s biggest event of the year, E3, was canceled. Publishers and developers appeared to shift some announcements planned for E3 to the Game Awards, resulting in a show even more weighted towards promoting games over celebrating them, for better or worse. While the 3-hour event was stuffed with reveals, several announcements stand head and shoulder above the rest. Here are 5 of the biggest announcements from the 2020 Game Awards.
Dragon Age 4 shows its teeth
Bioware shared a first look at its next big project, Dragon Age 4. But all they showed was a cinematic trailer. The video looks very nice but tells us almost nothing about the story, let alone the gameplay. Bioware really needs a win after the middling critical response to Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem‘s disastrous roll-out. Two of the studio’s most prominent faces just left the company, which may not bode well for the state of its future projects. With so little to go off of, it’s tough to say whether or not Dragon Age 4 will be the return to form the studio desperately needs.
Xbox enlightens us about Perfect Dark
The Initiative, a new studio filled with acclaimed video game developers, revealed that its big project is a new Perfect Dark. The so-called “AAAA” studio is reimagining the classic Rare franchise as an “eco sci-fi” title coming exclusively to Xbox.
The Initiative shared an intriguing and atmospheric trailer for Perfect Dark, though it doesn’t hint at what kind of gameplay to expect from the title. Developer interviews, however, provided a little more detail, explaining that the title will be a first-person shooter emphasizing protagonist Joanna Dark’s role as a secret spy.
Ex-Valve developers are Back 4 Blood
Since Valve never released a sequel to Left 4 Dead 2, some of its former employees came together to create a spiritual successor to the co-op shooter. Turtle Rock Studios promises a greater variety of zombies to take down with your friends, and the footage they shared looks absolutely stunning.
Sephiroth joins the fight in Smash Bros.
The latest fighter revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn’t the most monumental announcement, but the chance to play as Final Fantasy 7 antagonist Sephiroth is sure to excite a lot of JRPG fans. Notably, when fellow Final Fantasy 7 character protagonist Cloud Strife was added to Smash Bros., his stage only included a handful Final Fantasy tracks. Hopefully, the addition of Sephiroth also means the addition of a lot more music from the historic franchise.
Mass Effect will continue
The final “announcement” at The Game Awards is more a piece of news with a short video attached, but it’s significant nonetheless Bioware debuted a brief cinematic trailer revealing that the Mass Effect series will return. If development has even started on a new Mass Effect, the project is undoubtedly in extremely early development. But, as mentioned previously, the studio needs some positive press. Bioware clearly hopes that the beloved franchise’s return will get fans excited about the studio’s future, even though a new Mass Effect is certain to be years away.