The Game Awards, produced and hosted by video game journalist Geoff Keighley, are essentially the gaming industry’s version of the Oscars and are held every year in Los Angeles and livestreamed to global audiences. Last year, the event was held fully virtually and garnered over 83 million livestream views.
This year, it will be back in person with an interactive digital component in the metaverse. The show will stream live tonight, December 9th, and fans will be able to watch for free from the Axial Tilt world on the Core platform, which is described as “a metaverse hub for programming and events hosted by Geoff Keighley.” Another version of the Axial Tilt world also exists on Fortnite, but The Game Awards experience will be available exclusively on Core.
During the event, which will only be taking place live and will not be rebroadcast, fans will also be able to play games, hang out with friends, and participate in live contests, as these types of experiences in the metaverse are all about keeping people entertained and occupied beyond just watching the stream of an event.
For example, they will be able to guess which nominees they think will win for a chance to win prizes like skins for their Core avatars, and there will be various mini-games for them to take part it before, during, and after the show.
The experience will begin with the red carpet arrivals and will also include a live afterparty featuring a guest DJ following the awards portion, which will be streamed in the Axial Tilt amphitheater.
“I’m always on the lookout for exciting new ways to bring The Game Awards to new audiences,” said Geoff Keighley, creator, executive producer and host of The Game Awards, in a statement. “The emergence of new metaverse platforms like Core, and the social experiences they enable around live events, presented an amazing opportunity to give fans a new interactive way to enjoy the show. And considering it’s a show about interactive entertainment, it felt like a perfect fit.”