Another year, another helping of The Game Awards – the Geoff Keighley-hosted video games showcase that's essentially a miniature version of E3. As the name suggests, there are of course a number of awards to be dished out at the event, but what stirs the most excitement is the promise of game reveals and new trailers from existing works-in-progress.
Set to take place later today, December 8, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, things are expected to kick-off at 4.30pm PST / 7.30pm EST / 12.30am on December 9 GMT, and while the show is expected to run a little shorter than last year's, Mr Keighley reckons it'll still clock in at around two and-a-half hours total.
Which is plenty of time to show off some cool stuff. Unlike previous years, and other shows elsewhere, there haven't been any high-profile leaks ahead of time (yet), but we do already have some sense of what's expected to grace the stage in Los Angeles. For everything else, we've taken a crack at what we expect to see, and what we'd love to see, below.
Final Fantasy 16
Let's kick things off with something that seems certain: a shiny new Final Fantasy 16 trailer. After all, producer Naoki Yoshida – aka Yoshi-P – is set to hold a "special live presentation" at The Game Awards, an announcement that's left fans and would-be players keen for more. Square Enix has shared loads of information about the incoming and much-anticipated JRPG over the last several months, but, as yet, a Final Fantasy 16 release date remains unconfirmed beyond a tenuous 2023 window. Will this change at The Game Awards 2022? Time will surely tell.
The Last of Us multiplayer
This one's more of a gamble. But with some of the cast of the forthcoming The Last of Us Netflix series making an appearance at The Game Awards – Pedro Pascal who plays Joel and Bella Ramsey who plays Ellie, set to be accompanied on stage by the game's voice actors, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson – it would make sense if we saw something from The Last of Us' much-anticipated multiplayer component. We're uncertain if Sony will reveal anything game-wise at the show, but the survival horror's standalone online offshoot that's said to have been pulled from The Last of Us Part 2 would be more than welcome.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
This one we do know for certain. As told by EA's dedicated Star Wars Twitter account earlier this week, we should expect to "experience the action-packed gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" at The Game Awards. A now-deleted Steam page update cited a release date of March 16, 2023 for this one, so it's probably safe to say that'll be officially set in stone at the event, alongside some new information, and, probably, a new trailer – be that in-game footage or a snazzy cinematic. Exactly how Star Wars Jedi: Survivor reveals itself at The Game Awards remains to be seen, but we do know fans are divided over grizzled Cal.
Project 007
This might be wishful thinking on our part, but we'd love to see something from Hitman developer IO Interactive's James Bond game, Project 007. We'd have held the same wishes ahead of this year's Summer Games Fest, or just about any of the other showcases that filled 2022, but there might be something to be gleaned from the fact Daniel Craig is going to be in attendance in LA. The Hollywood actor, of course, no longer fills the patent leather shoes of the double agent, but wouldn't it be great if he used The Game Awards as a means of passing the torch?
Tekken 8
Back to confirmed games – Tekken 8 will definitely appear at this year's Game Awards. We know this because the long-serving fighter series' official Twitter account told us to "Save the D8" last week, with an emphasis with the letter D and the number 8, or, if you'd rather, December 8. This nudge falls on its face a wee bit if you're watching in the UK or anywhere else where the show starts after midnight, but, to be fair, it will be D8 in Los Angeles when the latest Tekken takes to the stage.
Baldur's Gate 3
Another game that's already RSVP'd to The Game Awards 2022. Larian Studios – they of previous Baldur's Gate games, and the inimitable Divinity series – confirmed their attendance via TGA's official Twitter account earlier this week, with the message: "We’re on our way to Baldur’s Gate — join us for the reveal live @TheGameAwards this Thursday." And so, expect a world premiere of Baldur's Gate 3 proper, with a closer look at what to expect from its full release. The game, of course, has been living in Early Access since 2020, with a full release planned for some point in 2023.
Something Capcom-shaped
Speculative, we know, but Capcom sent a call to action of sorts earlier this week that essentially cemented its presence at The Game Awards 2022. "We're excited to watch #TheGameAwards this Thursday for all the incredible announcements and awards!" read a post on the company's official Twitter page. "Make sure to tune in!" With that, a number of games and esteemed series could potentially pop their heads above the parapet. Which one would we love to see most? With the Resident Evil 4 remake not too far away, and Street Fighter 6 steadily rolling out its roster, we wouldn't bet against those showing face. But it otherwise has to be Dino Crisis, right?
Elden Ring DLC
This week, Elden Ring developer FromSoftware rolled out an unexpected update that finally opened the doors to the game's colosseums. As the focus of its originally-named Colosseum Update, arena-based PvP landed with a thud, with players now able to engage in organised rounds of ritual combat in teams or against one another in bouts of bloodshed. This feature was expected to be part of the action RPG's surely inevitable first slice of DLC – with some folk, including GR's Joe Donnelly, speculating the shock update might pave the way for an Elden Ring DLC reveal at The Game Awards. Watch this space, we guess.
505 Games and Epic's 'Rockay City' game
As revealed via an unusual Michael Madsen-starring social media teaser last week, 505 Games and Fortnite creator Epic Games are working together on a game that might be called 'Rockay City'. In the short, Madsen is seen returning Geoff Keighley's lost wallet, before a receptionist slides out a black and gold card with a QR code on it. The code leads to a website whose URL features 'Rockay City'. We don't know either, to be honest. We're as confused as you, but expect something that hopefully clears some of this up on stage at The Game Awards 2022.
It Takes 2 part two?
Maybe? Possibly. Probably not. But who knows. It Takes Two was crowned as your Best Multiplayer Game at the Golden Joysticks 2021, and Josef Fares, the head of developer Hazelight, will be at The Game Awards 2022. Which probably means Fares will be on hand to present or announce something – but whether that's related to someone else's or his own project remains to be seen. Fares has teased that he's working on another co-op title in the past, but maybe he'll just have another rant about the Oscars on stage this year.
