Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Reveal

Metal Gear Solid had its share of rumors last year, the most significant being that Virtuos is working on a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3. Things seemed somewhat quiet since this news emerged, but this past October saw the developer uploading a recruitment video where fans spotted the “The Art of Metal Gear Solid” book. It then recently listed Konami as a client on its website while noting its experience with Fox Engine (used to develop Metal Gear Solid 5). An announcement at The Game Awards may seem off base, but these recent developments are conspicuous.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Trailer and Release Date

You’d be forgiven for thinking Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a way off. Electronic Arts revealed the sequel to the hit action-adventure back in May and went radio silent. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb alleges it to be on track for release in March 2023, with new information coming in December. Insider-Gaming’s Tom Henderson would later reveal a new trailer, release date, and pre-order date would be revealed roughly 30 minutes into The Game Awards 2022. Again, we’ll have to wait and see, but EA needs to start promoting the game sooner rather than later.

Overdose Reveal

Back in June, Kojima Productions’ rumored next project Overdose was leaked. It allegedly stars Margaret Qualley of Death Stranding fame, though it seems more of a horror game. The studio would begin teasing the title at TGS 2022 with a mysterious woman (later revealed to be Elle Fanning) and a tagline stating, “Who am I?”

Another image at PAX Australia featured another silhouetted actor (later confirmed to be Shioli Kutsuna) with the words “Where am I?” The next teaser image had no actor and simply asked, “How come?” It’s all seemingly leading to something, and a reveal at The Game Awards feels likely.

Diablo 4 Release Date Reveal

It’s no secret that Blizzard has been hosting closed tests for Diablo 4, but Insider-Gaming’s Tom Henderson reported that various hands-on impressions from media outlets would go live in early December. This is reportedly slated for before The Game Awards, though the actual date may be subject to change.

XboxEra’s Nick Baker alleged that a release date would be announced at the show, with Windows Central corroborating. The latter also claimed pre-orders to be going live as well, along with a reveal of premium physical and digital editions, and pre-order bonuses (including an open beta in February). So whether it’s before the awards or on the same date, Diablo 4 news is reportedly due in the coming weeks.

Final Fantasy 16 New Trailer and Release Date Announcement

Final Fantasy 16 is the next big mainline Final Fantasy title and has only looked more impressive since its reveal last year. While the development team plans to reveal the release date in December, this could happen at The Game Awards. According to Insider-Gaming’s Tom Henderson, pre-orders are reportedly going live on December 7th or 8th, with a new trailer also to be revealed. That could be when the event unveils the release date, though the developer could opt to specify the month instead of a hard date.

NetherRealm’s Next Game

Whether it’s leaks or teases from the studio itself, Mortal Kombat 12 has long been rumored as NetherRealm’s next project. Nevertheless, chief creative officer Ed Boon took some fans aback when he outright tweeted that the developer’s next project was Injustice 3 or Mortal Kombat 12. Call it rolling or an honest-to-goodness answer, but NetherRealm did announce Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 at previous TGAs. Perhaps three times the charm this year.

Alan Wake 2

Remedy Entertainment was set to reveal more on Alan Wake 2 at this year’s Summer Game Fest showcase. That didn’t happen, but it assured fans that the horror game is on track for 2023. An appearance at The Game Awards 2022 is still kind of 50/50, but since it was revealed at last year’s show, it’s certainly possible.

Crash Bandicoot Wumpa League

Rumors of a new Crash Bandicoot game have circulated for a while, with several indications that it could be a multiplayer project called Wumpa League. Jez Corden of Windows Central reported on the next title being a four-player brawler developed by Toys for Bob. Why could it be announced at The Game Awards? An “Aku Aku’s Steam-In Pizza Shack” box was sent to YouTuber Canadian Guy Eh with a receipt that said, “Hungry for more? Try out our new Wumpa Pizza for $12.08!” “12.08,” of course, corresponds to The Game Awards on December 8th. Whether it’s Wumpa League or not, a new Crash Bandicoot announcement is coming.

Death Stranding 2

Would two Kojima Productions reveals at one show make much sense? Probably not, which is also why Kojima may go ahead and do it. We already know Death Stranding 2 is in development, thanks to actor Norman Reedus confirming the same. Whether it’s far enough to showcase anything remains to be seen, but even a simple announcement by Kojima that it’s in the works, even in pre-production, is enough.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

While a new trailer for Skull and Bones is likely to be showcased to remind everyone that it still exists, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora could appear, despite being delayed to sometime between April 2023 and March 2024. Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited sequel to the first movie, will release one week after The Game Awards. Weird as it sounds, some cross-promotion is possible, though it’s still a toss-up given rumors in July about Frontiers of Pandora being in rough shape.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Like Mortal Kombat, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 has a history with The Game Awards. It was first revealed at The Game Awards 2019 and re-emerged at TGA 2021 with a gameplay trailer. Given the lack of new footage at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, not to mention the lackluster number of Xbox exclusives this year, it could get some update on December 8th. Not a release date, of course, but one can still dream.

Layers of Fears Release Date Reveal

While Bloober Team is now known more for being “The Silent Hill 2 Remake Studio,” it still has a new Layers of Fear title coming out. Developed on Unreal Engine 5 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, it was announced at the Summer Game Fest showcase and received another trailer at the Future Games Show during Gamescom. A proper release date at The Game Awards is possible, especially if it’s out in early 2023.

New Ghost Recon

A new Ghost Recon is rumored to be in development. It was mentioned in the infamous GeForce Now leak and reportedly targets a release by March 31st, 2023. If still planned for the same, a reveal at The Game Awards wouldn’t be far-fetched. It’s unlikely but keep an eye out all the same.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Back in September, an insider claimed that gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 would be shown “soon.” That didn’t happen, but Insomniac did note that the game is making good progress and is still scheduled for 2023. Sony would probably save a major reveal like this for its next PlayStation Showcase. Or it may try to steal everyone’s thunder at The Game Awards.

The Wolf Among Us 2

Given how it’s releasing in 2023 and had a preview hosted by The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley last February, The Wolf Among Us 2 seems plausible for this year’s show. Telltale Games said in September that there wouldn’t be any more updates “for a while” since it doesn’t want to overhype the game. Call it a toss-up for now.

Next Mass Effect – New Trailer

On N7 Day, BioWare revealed a new teaser image for the next Mass Effect, which featured a massive crater in the shape of the Geth. The developer has had a pretty steady presence at The Game Awards for years now, dropping trailers for the next Dragon Age and even confirming the next Mass Effect’s development. Would it be too predictable to have a follow-up trailer for this year? Probably but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Next Dragon Age – New Trailer, Possible Title Reveal

What seems even more predictable is the next Dragon Age receiving a new trailer. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said in October 2019 that it could potentially release before fiscal year 2023. So it makes sense to ever so slightly ramp up promotion around now. Perhaps an official title reveal? The first gameplay trailer? Anything is possible but this may also be a good opportunity for both EA and BioWare to reassure fans that development is progressing smoothly, especially with the recent departure of the project’s senior creative director.

Silent Hill

The saga around the rumored Silent Hill reboot has been going on for almost two years now and shows no signs of letting up. Its “reveal” has been hyped for a number of different occasions including last year’s TGA show but nothing thus far. And while Bloober Team may be working on something Silent Hill-related with Konami, Sony is apparently working on its own title – VGC still claims a “prominent Japanese developer” to be on the project while Gematsu claimed it was Kojima Productions. Given the history surrounding Kojima, Keighley and The Game Awards, a reveal for a new Silent Hill would seem obvious but there’s too much in flux to really be sure. Either way, if it is announced – and exclusive to the PS5 – then it’s a strong set-up for Sony’s 2022 first party line-up.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land Release Date Announcement

Nintendo hasn’t shied away from appearing and making an impact at The Game Awards, whether it’s unveiling Persona 5’s Joker for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or the reveal of Bayonetta 3. Kirby and the Forgotten Land was recently rated by the ESRB – this seems to indicate that development is close to completion. As one of the major upcoming exclusives for the Switch in 2022, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to expect a release date announcement at TGA 2021. Perhaps it may even be the release month which will be narrowed down as we get further into the new year.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel Trailer

The Game Awards also happens to be where Champion’s Ballad, the second and final DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, was announced. So it doesn’t seem too impossible that a new trailer for the sequel could suddenly drop, especially since there’s been little to no new information since E3 2021 (and it’s still set to release in 2022). We have pretty much no idea about the state of development or how much progress has been made in the past few months. It’s a coin-toss, for sure, but one that we really hope ends up happening.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Trailer

According to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb in October, the original plan was to showcase Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 at E3 2021. However, because of all the other announcements, Microsoft decided to do “something” later in the year. While Grubb believed that those plans could change, Jez Corden of Windows Central later reported on sources that claimed it could be shown off at the end of the year (which points to The Game Awards). Again, while it’s not exactly set in stone, this would be a fairly big stage to showcase its progress.

Avowed Trailer

What seems a bit more unsure is Avowed. Several new details were reported by Corden in October like the presence of various classes, a two-handed combat system, weapon enhancements and much more. However, it was noted to be in pre-production at the time and approaching its alpha state (some environments like caves didn’t even have lighting and textures applied). Both Grubb and Corden felt that it could be present at The Game Awards but that it may also be too early.

Mortal Kombat 12 Announcement

With MultiVersus finally revealed and being developed by Player First Games, all attention has shifted back to what NetherRealm Studios is working on. The safe bet was on Injustice 3 since the studio has alternated between it and Mortal Kombat for the past several years. Rumors had also claimed a Marvel vs. DC game to be in the works. However, Jeff Grubb reported in August that based on what he’s heard, it’s actually Mortal Kombat 12 that’s in development. The reasons for this are manifold – WB Games has a very ominous future following the merger of Discovery and AT&T and various internal studios like NetherRealm could be sold (though Warner Bros. previously denied rumors of the same).

As such, it would make more sense to develop a title that doesn’t primarily need licensed characters, making Mortal Kombat a good option (and one that WB Games is confident about). If Mortal Kombat 12 actually ends up being real, then an announcement at The Game Awards sounds about right given the series’ history.

God of War Ragnarok – New Trailer

With the Xbox announcement (or announcements) that are rumored to happen, it wouldn’t be too odd for Sony to reveal something in response. Silent Hill sounds nice, if unreasonable, so there are many other things it could go with like dropping a new trailer for Horizon Forbidden West or just throwing caution to the wind and confirming that long-rumored Bloodborne remaster. But it seems far more likely that a new trailer for God of War Ragnarok could be showcased since it helps sustain hype, provides another update for fans and maybe offers a hint at the release window. It may be a long shot and not as “safe” as simply releasing a new trailer for Forbidden West. But it also depends on just how comfortable the SIE Santa Monica is to showcase new things. Either way, here’s hoping.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Announcement

Silent Hill already feels like a stretch – mainly due to how long it’s been rumored – but Metal Gear Solid on top of this? That too the rumored Metal Gear Solid 3 remake from Virtuous? As out of left field as it sounds, there could be some solid basis for Konami to at least announce that the project is in development. After a report from VGC that Virtuous was developing the remake, a LinkedIn page for a former lead software engineer from the studio revealed that he had worked on an “unannounced triple A action adventure game remake” from October 2018 to June 2019.

If this is indeed MGS 3 Remake, this could possibly mean it’s been in development for some time and not just pre-production (judging from various other things that were accomplished). Even if the reported original plan was for Konami to announce it in 2022, it could very well move up its schedule and make an impact early.

Gotham Knights – New Gameplay and Release Date Announcement

Also slightly out of left field is that Gotham Knights could have some new gameplay (especially since the last trailer at DC FanDome was mostly story-focused). It kind of makes sense when you consider that its release window – which is apparently Spring 2022 – was leaked in some recent marketing concept art. If Warner Bros. ends up not showcasing Mortal Kombat 12 or any other major titles, perhaps it could opt for Gotham Knights instead. Who knows? The Spring 2022 release window may even be made official at the awards.