Game Awards 2024: Astro Bot wins Game of the Year

Astro Bot has won the top prize at the videogame industry’s biggest awards ceremony.

The beautiful and colorful PlayStation platformer Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: Refantazio Alden Ring: Shadow of the Erudite and Ballito were named Game of the Year at the Game Awards.

Accepting the trophy, Nicolas Doucet, head of developer Team Asobi’s studio, appeared to pay tribute to rival Nintendo.

Astro Bot also bagged three other awards – Best Family Game, Best Action/Adventure and Best Game Direction.

It was also a good night for poker-themed indie hit Ballito, which won three awards, including best mobile game.

The role-playing game Metaphor: ReFantazio also won three awards, making it a strong night for Japanese game developers.

Black Moth: Based on the Chinese legends, Wukong once again proved to be extremely popular with fans by winning the publicly voted Players’ Voice Award.

It was a disappointing night for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth , which was nominated in seven categories, but only took home the Best Music trophy.

Melina Jurgens, from Cambridge, UK-based studio Ninja Theory, won the prize for best performance. Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga.

There aren’t many events where you can get a full orchestra and a performance from Snoop Dogg.

The rapper left Helldivers 2 to present the award for Best Ongoing Game and perform a new song.

And it wouldn’t be gaming’s biggest night without some amazing celebrity appearances.

Harrison Ford took the stage with Troy Baker, The man who plays Indiana Jones. In a recent game based on the film series.

The Game Awards – sometimes referred to as the “Oscars of gaming” – are often criticized for spending more time giving out awards than advertising and showing trailers for new games.

However, last year organizers claimed the event attracted 118 million live stream viewers, and those previews are one of the biggest draws for gaming fans.

In recent years, major publishers have tended to save their biggest announcements for their separate live events.

As expected, there was no new information about Grand Theft Auto 6 or Nintendo’s next console – the two most anticipated upcoming releases.

But that left room for a brand new game from Naughty Dog, the PlayStation studio that includes The Last of Us, Uncharted and Crash Bandicoot.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet launched with a flashy trailer alongside It’s a Sin by Pet Shop Boys.

A sequel to Capcom’s Okami was also revealed, and Polish developer CD Projekt Red confirmed that The Witcher 4 is in development.

A common complaint about the Game Awards is that it often fails to acknowledge the wider problems in the games industry.

Against a backdrop of mass layoffs around the world – a trend that continues this year – critics of the 2023 show called for more time on stage to speak to the winners.

This year’s event introduced the Game Changers Award.

The winner, Amir Satwat, director of Tencent Games in the US, set up a personal project to help recently laid-off game developers find new work.

In an emotional acceptance speech, he said “Growing up, all I wanted to do was be a part of the video game industry”.

She also thanked her parents, who she said “taught me that my value is in how I treat other people”.

This year’s event took place as a strike by video game actors over AI concerns and working conditions.

Acting union SAG-Aftra and Gameworkers of Southern California announced their plans. There is a plan to distribute booklets. Outside the venue at the Peacock Theatre, where the event is being held this year.

Other controversies this year include the nomination of Alden Ring: Shadow of the Eredtree in the Game of the Year category.

Some fans argued that the expansion pack — an add-on for the 2022 Game of the Year Alden Ring — shouldn’t have been eligible.

And others were upset when three of the five nominations for the Players’ Choice Award — the only award voted entirely by fans — went to free-to-play mobile games, including Genshin Impact.

The remaining winners are decided by a panel of industry experts and fan vote, which counts for 10% of the final score.

There are a total of 30 awards in various categories including Audio Design, Best Independent Game and Accessibility and Innovation.

The complete list of winners is in progress. Game Awards website.

Listen to Newsbeat. alive Listen on weekdays at 12:45 and 17:45 – or Here.