Ever since it launched in 2014, The Game Awards has slowly turned into one of the biggest events in gaming, easily the most watched single one in the industry. It’s managed to surpass individual (and in some cases, combined) viewers of E3, TGS and GDC. The awards themselves have largely been minimized, with many tuning in to see the latest trailers and reveals, with the show always having at least one major moment to keep you talking. This year was no different, in fact, it was even bigger.

As Creator and Host Geoff Keighley revealed on his official Twitter, this year’s TGA saw a staggering 83% increase in viewership over TGA 2019. That equates to 83 million livestreams and 8.3 million concurrent viewers. He also posted a chart showing the pretty incredible growth from the first show back in 2014.

While that was the year the show did begin, some may not know it was an unofficial continuation of the Video Game Awards on Spike TV (now called The Paramount Network). When it was announced they would no longer host the show after the 2013 event, Keighley managed to get the resources together to launch The Game Awards and well, its success speaks for itself. The time and date for the 2021 show has not been announced as of yet, but there is sure to be one.

Over the past 7 years we've experienced incredible growth of #TheGameAwards starting with just 1.9 million livestreams in 2014. pic.twitter.com/2ps396BkmZ

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 17, 2020

It’s hard to believe, but The Game Awards has become one of the biggest single events in the gaming industry. It’s evolved into something almost totally separate than the other conferences and events we see throughout the industry, and if you had any doubts about that, the kind of viewership the 2019 version of the show got is something to look at.

At Geoff Keighley announced via his official Twitter, the veiwership went up a staggering 73% in viewers from last year’s show. That equates to over 45 million livestream viewers who tuned in throughout the show. That’s far more than any major conference from E3 or TGS or any other event by a pretty large margin.

The Game Awards has become the place for publishers to show off trailers and games at the year’s end. While this show was slightly more muted than usual game wise, we did get the reveal of Microsoft’s next generation Xbox. For all the major announcements from the show, we got you covered through here.

Thank you for watching and supporting #TheGameAwards We're honored to announce a record 45 million livestreams for the 2019 show, an increase of 73% over last year. The gaming industry keep growing. And I finally got to meet Beaker. pic.twitter.com/DHniqExMzZ

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 18, 2019

Project Scarlett is Officially Xbox Series X

Without question, the biggest announcement of the show was the Xbox Series X, formerly known as Project Scarlett. We finally got to see the design for both the console and controller, which is in keeping with the established Xbox One aesthetic. More details have begun to emerge about its power, the new D-Pad and how quiet it is (Answer: About as quiet as the Xbox One X) but the fact that this reveal came out of nowhere made it all the more awesome.

Bossa Studios’ breakout indie hit Surgeon Simulator is getting a sequel. Announced at The Game Awards 2019, Surgeon Simulator 2 continues the tradition of wannabe surgeons (aka you and your friends) attempting to treat patients. Hilarity ensues thusly. Check it out below.

The presence of four surgeons in the trailer seems to indicate four-player co-op. A grander scale, as seen by the enormous hospital with dozens of different operating theaters, seems to be teased. Other mechanics have yet to be revealed but the visuals are a definite step-up from the original while maintaining the same charm.

Surgeon Simulator 2 will release in 2020 and has thus far been confirmed for PC. The kicker is that it’s currently exclusive to the Epic Games Store. How long this exclusivity period is for and whether the title will come to other platforms like PS4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Endnight Games’ The Forest was a survival game at heart but it employed fairly strong dollops of horror and a deep narrative. It seems that the developer is eager to revisit that particular brand of creepy. At The Game Awards, a trailer was revealed its sequel, Sons of the Forest, which seems have more guns and cooperation. Check it out below.

Though there’s not much to ascertain from the trailer, similar deformed individuals are roaming around. Could the sequel return to the same island or is it visiting a similar location that might be tied to the first game? Whatever the case may be, it seems to have nailed the same atmosphere.

Whether we’ll have the same level of survival and crafting elements remains to be seen, as well as if the sequel will go into early access. Sons of the Forest doesn’t have any announced platforms, though PC seems a given, and no release date. Stay tuned for more details – it’s going to be a long wait.

Though The Coalition’s Gears 5 hasn’t really been reaping any awards, Splash Damage’s Gears Tactics received a release date at The Game Awards 2019. It’s out on April 28th 2020 on PC for Steam and Windows 10 along with being available for Xbox Game Pass. Check out the newest trailer below which features both cinematic scenes and gameplay.

Unlike the main franchise, Gears Tactics is a turn-based tactical strategy game. Along with recruiting other soldiers to fight for your cause, you’ll battle Locust enemies like the Drones and Brumak. The goal is to hunt down the mastermind behind it all while overcoming the odds through tactics and sound strategy. So of course you should be ready to fail and reload often.

With an over 40 hour long campaign, Gears Tactics is looking to be a fairly meaty tactical strategy title for genre fans. The Xbox One version wasn’t mentioned but perhaps we’ll hear more about it once the PC version is out. Stay tuned for more announcements and world premieres from the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oziTQgMdXi4

Moon Studios showcased a new trailer for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, showcasing the gorgeous visuals and action that players can expect. However, the trailer also confirmed the game’s delay. Instead of February 11th 2020, it’s now releasing on March 11th 2020. Which is a bummer but the game is looking very good. Check it out below.

As a Metroidvania game, Ori and the Will of the Wisps features gorgeous new environments set against a brand new tale. You’ll uncover new skills including new spells, attacks and spirit weapons. Ori’s abilities can also be powered up with the new Shard system.

Speedrunners can also test their mettle in the new Spirit Trials mode, competing for high scores in different challenges. Leaderboards will showcase the top players and their records. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will be coming to both Xbox One and PC. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft wasn’t the only game to showcase its next generation of gaming with the Xbox Series X and Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga. Gearbox Publishing revealed Godfall, a looter slasher that’s coming to PlayStation 5 in Holiday 2020. Check it out below.

Exclusive to the PS5 (and also coming to PC via the Epic Games Store), Godfall can be played solo or in co-op. It’s aiming to offer a loot grind that’s fun for everyone. The trailer was denoted as being actual in-game footage but how the gameplay will work remains to be seen.

More details for Godfall will be revealed next year, ideally in the months leading up to E3 2020. Stay tuned for more announcements and trailers from The Game Awards 2019. Thus far, we’ve seen No More Heroes 3, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and several awards winners on top of Microsoft’s announcements. What else could the show have in store? The excitement is fairly palpable at this point.

Grasshopper Manufacturer’s No More Heroes 3 briefly appeared at The Game Awards, starting off as an E.T. rip-off gone wrong. It was all a set-up for Travis Touchdown to appear and make his presence known. Thankfully, a longer trailer was released (though it’s just more about the mysterious alien being).

No More Heroes 3 is set two years after Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and sees Travis back in his hometown. Unfortunately, it seems that aliens are invading and sending new assassins to take out the top rank. So in hindsight, the trailer does offer some reason as to the aliens’ visit.

No More Heroes 3 is in development for the Nintendo Switch and utilizes Unreal Engine 4. It will be releasing in 2020 so expect more details in the coming months. Whether it stays exclusive or not remains to be seen – Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes was made available for PS4 and PC after all. Stay tuned for more details and announcements from The Game Awards in the meantime.

Square Enix debuted a new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake at The Game Awards and as promised, it focuses on protagonist Cloud Strife. Cloud is a complex character, one that’s been discussed heavily over the years, but this is all about how bad-ass he can be. Check out the trailer below.

Along with gameplay, we see snippets of different characters reacting to Cloud and his involvement. The trailer is perhaps best encapsulated by Tifa’s reaction about how good it is to have Cloud back. The feeling will hopefully be mutual in the coming months.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is slated to release on March 3rd 2020 for the PlayStation 4. It was recently confirmed to be a one year timed exclusive for the platform, so there’s potential for it to release on Xbox One and PC down the line. Part 2 of the overall saga has also begun development so expect to hear a lot more about the remake regardless in the coming years.

Stay tuned for more details and announcements from The Game Awards 2019 in the meantime.