The Game Awards 2017

Last updated

The Game Awards 2017
The game awards 2017 logo.jpg
DateDecember 7, 2017 (2017-12-07)
Venue Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, United States
Country United States
Hosted by Geoff Keighley
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominations
Game of the Year The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Industry Icon Award Carol Shaw
Website thegameawards.com
Viewership11.5 million
←  2016  · The Game Awards ·  2018  →

The Game Awards 2017 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2017, and took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 7, 2017. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, and was live streamed around the world across various platforms, with 11.5 million viewers in total watching the event. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won three awards, including Game of the Year. Two indie games, Cuphead and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice , also won three awards each.

Contents

Presentation

The presentation was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 7, 2017, hosted by Geoff Keighley, and live streamed across sixteen different content platforms worldwide. [1] [2] An integrated public voting system was included on Google Search and Twitter; and on Twitch, the show had an interactive overlay that allowed viewers to predict award winners before they are announced, the first such use of one on the platform. [3] [4] Certain streaming platforms also incentivized viewers to watch the Awards presentation through their specific service by entering those viewers into raffles for free games. [5] [6]

A month before the show, Facebook began presenting a five-part making-of documentary series on it via its Watch video service, known as "The Road to The Game Awards". [3] During the event, sales on some of the nominated games were held across numerous game distribution platforms, such as the PlayStation Network and Steam. [7] [8] Alongside a mini-documentary shown at the show, a special Industry Icon award was given to Carol Shaw, who was one of the first female video game designers in the industry. [6]

Broadcast and viewership

The show included musical performances from French indie pop band Phoenix and The Game Awards Orchestra, a mixed group consisting of an orchestra and other guest musicians, such as Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates and cellist Tina Guo, who performed music from a number of the nominated games. [2] [9] [10] The show also had numerous guests as award presenters or commentators, such as Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima, Mortal Kombat series creator Ed Boon, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, film director Guillermo del Toro, television producers Justin Roiland and Conan O'Brien, and actors Norman Reedus, Andy Serkis, Felicia Day, Aisha Tyler, and Zachary Levi. [6] [10] [11] [12] [13]

One highlight of the ceremony, noted by several outlets, was a rant given by game director Josef Fares while being interviewed on stage by Keighley to discuss his game, A Way Out . Fares, who had a prior history in the film industry before starting video game development, started his rant by saying "Fuck the Oscars", before speaking about how the Game Awards ceremony helped to highlight the developers and personalities that were passionate about their work. He also spoke a bit to the then-recent situation around loot boxes and microtransactions related to Electronic Arts' game Star Wars Battlefront II ; as Electronic Arts is also the publisher for A Way Out, Fares stated that while "It's nice to hate EA", that "All publishers fuck up sometimes, you know?", while expressing his appreciate for their support for his game. [14] [15] Fares said in a later interview that he was "caught up in the moment", but still believed in the general points he had been trying to make; specifically, Fares indicated that video games as a medium was still seen in its infancy by most other media sources and that the Game Awards was treating the industry with the proper respect. [16]

Viewership

Keighley reported that around 11.5 million viewers watched the show, tripling the 3.8 million viewers from The Game Awards 2016. Keighley believed part of this was their approach to gamify the show with the interactive winner predictions on their Twitch and Steam broadcasts, which also helped to increase the average length of time viewers watched, from about 25 minutes the previous year to 70 minutes in 2017. [17] Keighley also attributes the higher viewership due to the quality of games that were released in 2017 and nominated, and the anticipation for yet-seen game trailers and new game announcements, though he wants to avoid future shows from being more like E3. [18]

Game announcements

In addition to trailers and presentations for upcoming games and content for current ones, a short teaser for a game by FromSoftware was also shown, later revealed to be Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice . [19] The show also included trailers from two films, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and The Shape of Water . [3] [20] The list of games that were featured included: [21]

Awards

The nominees were announced on November 14, 2017. [22] In order to be eligible, candidate games must have had either a commercial or early access release date on or before November 27, 2017. [23] The list of nominees were selected by a panel of 51 people in the video game industry, with the top five games (or six in the case of ties) selected in each category presented as nominees. [3] Public voting for awards ran from November 14 until December 6. Public voting only counted towards 10% of the winners' selection in the jury-voted awards, while it was the sole consideration for the fan's choice awards. [23] At the end of polling, Keighley said that most of the categories had over five million votes each, [6] and there was over eight million voters overall. [18]

Two major award changes were made in the Awards structure for the 2017 show. First, the previous "Best Mobile/Handheld Game" was split into separate "Best Mobile Game" and "Best Handheld Game" awards, reflecting the differences in how handheld and mobile games are developed and marketed. Second, a new award for "Best Ongoing Game" was offered for games that continue to provide new content as a service model. [3] Another new award, the Student Game Award, was established to highlight games developed by students in higher education programs, and was selected from a panel of five industry leaders: Todd Howard, Hideo Kojima, Ilkka Paananen, Kim Swift, and Vince Zampella. [24]

All awards, except for Best Multiplayer, were announced during the December 7 presentation. Keighley reported this was an oversight related to a last-minute change in the trailer material for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (which had won the award), and confirmed the winner the day after. [25] [17] Winners are listed first and shown in bold, and indicated with a double-dagger (‡). [26] [27]

Jury-voted awards

Game of the Year Best Game Direction
Best NarrativeBest Art Direction
Best Score/MusicBest Audio Design
Best PerformanceGames for Impact
Best Ongoing GameBest Independent Game
Best Mobile GameBest Handheld Game
Best VR/AR GameBest Action Game
Best Action/AdventureBest Role Playing Game
Best Fighting GameBest Family Game
Best Strategy GameBest Sports/Racing Game
Best MultiplayerStudent Game Award
Best Debut Indie Game

Fan's choice awards

Most Anticipated GameTrending Gamer
Best Esports GameBest Esports Player
Best Esports TeamChinese Fan Game Award

Honorary awards

Industry Icon Award

Games with multiple nominations and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Keighley</span> Canadian journalist and TV presenter (born 1978)

Geoff Keighley is a Canadian video game journalist and television presenter, best known for his role as the host of several video game industry conferences and presentations. He is the executive producer and host of The Game Awards since its inception in 2014, having previously served as the executive producer of the Spike Video Game Awards. He also hosts and produces Summer Game Fest, and has hosted live events for trades fairs Gamescom and the now-defunct E3.

The Spike Video Game Awards was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2002 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley, the show featured preview trailers for upcoming games, live music performances and appearances by popular performers in music, movies, and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Fares</span> Swedish-Lebanese film director and video game designer

Josef Fares is a Swedish-Lebanese film director and video game designer of Assyrian descent. His brother is the actor Fares Fares, who has appeared in many of his films. He is the founder of Hazelight Studios.

GameTrailers (GT) was an American video gaming website created by Geoffrey R. Grotz and Brandon Jones in 2002. The website specialized in multimedia content, including trailers and gameplay footage of upcoming and recently released video games, as well as an array of original video content focusing on video games, including reviews, countdown shows, and other web series.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</i> 2017 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Breath of the Wild's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation; the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards</span> Annual awards for video games

The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who worked on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, for over ten years. With the permission of Spike, he worked with several video game companies to create the show. In addition to the awards, the Game Awards features premieres of upcoming games and new information on previously-announced titles. The show's reception is generally mixed: it has been lauded for its announcements and criticized for its lack of acknowledgement of events, use of promotional content and its treatment of award winners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2014</span> Video game award ceremony held in Las Vegas

The Game Awards 2014 ceremony, which honored the best video games of 2014, took place at The AXIS in Las Vegas on December 5, 2014. The show was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley. The ceremony was the first for The Game Awards, which replaced the Keighley-hosted Spike Video Game Awards that were discontinued after the 2013 show. Dragon Age: Inquisition won the shows's Game of the Year award.

<i>Horizon Zero Dawn</i> 2017 video game

Horizon Zero Dawn is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for PlayStation 4 in 2017 and Windows in 2020. As the first game of the Horizon video game series, the game follows Aloy, a young hunter in a world overrun by machines, who sets out to uncover her past. The player uses ranged weapons, a spear, and stealth to combat mechanical creatures and other enemy forces. A skill tree provides the player with new abilities and bonuses. The player can explore the open world to discover locations and take on side quests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2015</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2015 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2015. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 3, 2015. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt won the show's Game of the Year award. The event featured live performances from Chvrches, Ben Harper, Stephanie Joosten and Deadmau5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2016</span> 2016 video game award show

The Game Awards 2016 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2016. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 1, 2016, and was live streamed across several platforms. At the event, Overwatch won Game of the Year, Blizzard Entertainment won Best Studio, and game designer Hideo Kojima was honored with the Industry Icon Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E3 2016</span> 22nd annual Electronic Entertainment Expo

The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 was the 22nd E3, during which several hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers and members of the video game press. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association, took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 14–16, 2016. Approximately 50,300 people attended the event, slightly down from the previous year's. With video game consoles currently a couple years into their 8th generation, the focus of E3 2016 was primarily on new software titles, with new hardware revisions and auxiliary equipment to support the growing market sectors of 4K resolution displays and virtual reality headsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E3 2017</span> 23rd annual Electronic Entertainment Expo

The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 was the 23rd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers and members of the video game press. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 13–15, 2017. It was the first E3 to allow public access to the event, and as a result, the total attendance was about 68,400 which included 15,000 in public passes.

<i>Hidden Folks</i> 2017 hidden object video game

Hidden Folks is a hidden object game developed by Adriaan de Jongh and Sylvain Tegroeg. In the game, players are presented with a series of animated, interactive scenes and must find hidden characters, objects, and animals. The game was released for iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows in February 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2018</span> Video games award show

The Game Awards 2018 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2018. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 6, 2018. The event was live streamed across more than 45 digital platforms. The show featured musical performances from Harry Gregson-Williams, Daniel Lanois, Lena Raine, and Hans Zimmer, and presentations from celebrity guests including Jonah Hill, the Russo brothers, Brendon Urie, and Christoph Waltz. The show opened with a group speech by Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé, PlayStation's Shawn Layden, and Xbox's Phil Spencer, representing the unity of the industry. Keighley began planning for the show immediately after the previous ceremony, and spent months traveling to studios around the world to secure announcements and trailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2019</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2019 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2019. The event was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 12, 2019. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across more than 50 digital platforms; it was the first to broadcast live in India and was simulcast in 53 movie theaters across the United States. The show featured musical performances from Chvrches, Grimes, and Green Day, and presentations from celebrity guests including Stephen Curry, Vin Diesel, Norman Reedus, and Michelle Rodriguez. In association with the event, a virtual games festival was held online, allowing free demos to be played through Steam over a 48-hour period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Award for Game of the Year</span> Video game award

The Game Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Game Awards. It is given to a video game judged to deliver the best experience across creative and technical fields. The award is traditionally accepted by the game's directors or studio executives. The process begins with over 100 video game publications and websites, which collectively name six games as nominees. After the nominees are selected, the winner is chosen by a combined vote between the jury (90%) and public voting (10%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2020</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2020 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2020. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, and took place on December 10, 2020. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Unlike previous Game Awards, the show was broadcast virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Keighley presented at a soundstage in Los Angeles, while musical performances took place virtually at stages in London and Tokyo. The show introduced the award's first Future Class, a list of individuals from the video game industry who best represent the future of video games, Innovation in Accessibility award, an award for games that featured notable accessibility options. The show was live streamed across 45 different platforms. It featured musical performances from the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Eddie Vedder, and presentations from celebrity guests, including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Gal Gadot, Brie Larson, and Keanu Reeves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2021</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2021 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2021. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 9, 2021. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across more than 40 digital platforms. It featured musical performances from Imagine Dragons, JID, Darren Korb, and Sting, and presentations from celebrity guests including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Keanu Reeves, Ben Schwartz, and Ming-Na Wen. Activision Blizzard was excluded from the show outside of its nominated games after the company was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination in July 2021; Keighley's comments about the company received some criticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2022</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2022 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2022. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 8, 2022. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across more than 40 digital platforms, alongside an additional IMAX experience. It featured musical performances from Halsey, Hozier, and Bear McCreary, and presentations from celebrity guests, including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Al Pacino, Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Ken and Roberta Williams. The show introduced a new Best Adaptation award for media adapted from video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2023</span> American video game award show

The Game Awards 2023 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2023. It was the tenth show hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, held with a live audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on December 7, 2023. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across online platforms globally. It featured musical performances from Loren Allred, Heilung, and Old Gods of Asgard, and presentations from celebrity guests, including Timothée Chalamet, Christopher Judge, and Matthew McConaughey.

References

  1. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (June 12, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 will take place December 7". VG247 . Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Crecente, Brian. "An Evolving Game Award Show for an Evolving Industry". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Spangler, Todd (November 10, 2017). "2017 Game Awards Expands Distribution, Adds Fan Voting via Google Search, Twitter, Facebook". Variety . Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  4. ↑ Chan, Stephanie (December 2017). "Twitch extension will let viewers predict The Game Awards 2017 winners". Venture Beat. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  5. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (December 7, 2017). "Valve will give you free games if you watch The Game Awards through Steam". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Takahasi, Dean (December 6, 2017). "The Game Awards balances revelations, gamer culture, and celebrities". Venture Beat . Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ Knezevic, Kevin (December 7, 2017). "Steam's Game Awards Sale Is Now Live For A Limited Time". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ Pereira, Chris (December 7, 2017). "PS4 Flash Sale Launches On PSN To Celebrate The Game Awards". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  9. ↑ LeFebvre, Rob (November 9, 2017). "The Game Awards will stream live on December 7th". Engadget . Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (December 4, 2017). "Hideo Kojima, Norman Reedus, Guillermo Del Toro Confirmed For The Game Awards". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (December 4, 2017). "The Game Awards Will Have All Of These Celebrity Guests". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ Workman, Robert. "NetherRealm's Ed Boon Confirmed For The Game Awards -- Are We Getting An Injustice 2 Announcement?". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ Frank, Allegra (December 8, 2017). "The 7 most memorable moments of The Game Awards 2017". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  14. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (December 7, 2017). "The best part about The Game Awards was this developer's 'fuck the Oscars' rant". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  15. ↑ Wilde, Tyler (December 7, 2017). "A Way Out's director yells 'Fuck the Oscars' before delivering rant about EA and loot boxes at The Game Awards". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  16. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (December 11, 2017). "Developer defends 'fuck the Oscars' rant from The Game Awards". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Crecente, Brian (December 12, 2017). "The Game Awards Audience Triples to 11.5 Million Livestreams in 2017". Glixel . Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  18. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (December 12, 2017). "Despite Game Awards 2017's record success, Geoff Keighley doesn't want it to be gaming's Oscars". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  19. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (December 7, 2017). "First teaser for FromSoftware's new game is pure torture". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  20. ↑ Workman, Robert (December 5, 2017). "Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Will Get A Special Clip Premiere At The Game Awards". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Game Awards 2017: The biggest announcements and best trailers". Polygon . December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  22. ↑ Hester, Blake (November 14, 2017). "'Horizon Zero Dawn,' 'Zelda,' 'Mario' Top List of Game Award Nominees". Glixel . Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  23. 1 2 "FAQ and Rules". The Game Awards . November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  24. 1 2 Nunneley, Stephanny (November 14, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 GOTY nominees include: Wolfenstein 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn, PUBG, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, more". VG247 . Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  25. ↑ Alexander, Julia (December 8, 2017). "The Game Awards forgot to give PUBG its only award last night". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  26. ↑ Alexander, Julia (December 7, 2017). "The Game Awards crowns The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild best game of 2017". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  27. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (December 7, 2017). "All The 2017 Game Awards Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.