With Gamescom 2021 holding its main event days on August 26 and 27, the public gaming community are only able to influence the Best Streamer Award and Most Wanted Consumer Awards through an online voting system. On these days though, after a series of votes from content creators and journalists alike, Gamescom will also provide awards to a massive array of 22 categories of games. With Elden Ring being a massive competitor for the awards, it stands alongside other gaming giants such as Halo Infinite and Apex Legends.
Gamescom 2021 will follow the same precautionary setup as it has the previous year in an all-digital affair format. After the owners of Gamescom decided not to host any hybrid or in-person opportunities amid the COVID pandemic in 2020, the same steps have been taken to allow for this safer alternative a year later. The now-online event is massive marketing for many upcoming games like Call of Duty: Vanguard and Elden Ring, allowing even more public recognition if they manage to win awards.
With a total of 22 different categories of game-related awards and a grand total of over 30 games participating, stakes are high for games of all different genres. Despite the Xbox showcase being smaller than E3, Elden Ring is directly up against Far Cry 6 and Halo Infinite for the award of Best Microsoft Xbox Game. In fact, out of the total 22 categories of awards Elden Ring is a competitive nominee for 5 of them raising the likelyhood of an award significantly. The up and coming Darksouls game holds a nomination in the most categories out of all the games participating, alluding to the public opinon of the game itself.
Ever since its initial announcement and the release of the Elden Ring Steam page, hype for the game by FromSoftware has been constantly rising. Incredible teased screenshots of the game and a planned release in 2022 have made it a high priority for gamers of all communities to keep an eye on. The massive marketing opportunities of Gamescom 2021 and its 30+ game nominees could be incredibly influential moving forward.
Elden Ring's Twitter remains eerily silent in the days leading to the Gamescom event, providing even more incentive for fans of the unreleased game to tune in, in hopes of further news. Starfield and Elden Ring face similar scrutiny in potentially not being able to live up to player expectations, and large events like Gamescom are opportunities for FromStudios to delve further into the game's development. Whether fans will hear news during the event, or if Elden Ring will win an award, will have to wait until August 26.
The Full Nominee Award Categories List:
Best Microsoft Xbox Game
Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Far Cry 6, Ubisoft
Halo Infinite, Microsoft
Best Nintendo Switch Game
Just Dance 2022, Ubisoft
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
Best PC Game
Age of Empires IV, Microsoft
Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Syberia: The World Before, astragon Entertainment
Best Sony PlayStation Game
Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco Entertainment
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Action Adventure Game
Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
Syberia: The World Before, astragon Entertainment
Best Action Game
Far Cry 6, Ubisoft
Halo Infinite, Microsoft
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction, Ubisoft
Best Family Game
Just Dance 2022, Ubisoft
Run Prop, Run!, PlayTogether Studio
Super Dungeon Maker, rokaplay
Best Indie Game
Dorfromantik, Toukana Interactive
Inua, Arte France
Lost in Random, Electronic Arts
Best Role Playing Game
Elden Ring, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Encased, Koch Media
Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Simulation Game
Climber: Sky is the Limit, Art Games Studio
Farming Simulator 22, astragon Entertainment
Undisclosed Title
Best Sports Game
Climber: Sky is the Limit, Art Games Studio
FIFA 22, Electronic Arts
Riders Republic, Ubisoft
Best Strategy Game
Age of Empires IV, Microsoft
Company of Heroes 3, SEGA
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Ubisoft
Best Multiplayer Game
Halo Infinite, Microsoft
Riders Republic, Ubisoft
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Ongoing Game
Apex Legends, Electronic Arts
Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss Corp.
Endzone – A World Apart: Prosperity, Assemble Entertainment
Most Original Game
Dice Legacy, Koch Media / DESTINYbit
Riders Republic, Ubisoft
tERRORbane, Whisper Interactive
Elden Ring launches January 21, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: VideoGameChronicles