Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is one of the breakout stars of the 2020 gaming year. While the game certainly had some excitement built up behind it before launch, not many anticipated the Fall Guys dominating the world of video games over the summer and into the fall. Developer Mediatonic is definitely thrilled with the success of the game so far, and in celebrating a major video game award, the lead game designer took a slime path.
Fall Guys was nominated for the best multiplayer game for this year's Golden Joysticks. Fall Guys and Mediatonic took home the victory, and Lead Game Designer Joe Walsh thanked publisher Developer Digital, as well as the millions of fans that have been "subjected to the slime" in Fall Guys. To make things even, Walsh had a massive bucket of pink slime dumped on his head, a representation of the slime that has taken down so many in-game.
Mediatonic has had a lot of fun with the fans, often finding ways to connect with them online. The Fall Guys Twitter page is filled with memes, competitions, and more to keep fans engaged. The lead designer being soaked in slime is just the latest example of the developer's ability to not take themselves too seriously, which comes across in the game itself.
Fall Guys was up against a few interesting nominees in the best multiplayer game category, including Valorant, Call of Duty: Warzone, and even Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Although games like Warzone had massive milestones in downloads and Animal Crossing: New Horizons broke sales records, the game that seems to have best lived up to a pure and fun multiplayer experience was Fall Guys, which is why it took home the trophy.
Even if this award is for 2020 and Fall Guys is clearly off to a great start, the game doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. Mediatonic continues to support the last-man-standing title with new seasons, crazy skins (like Untitled Goose Game content in Fall Guys), new game modes, and more. Many game awards have a category for best ongoing game, and Fall Guys is the type of title that could easily be up for that award next year, and or even beyond.
With many multiplayer games being focused on competitive play, it is nice to see a game take home the prize that is simply built around chaotic fun, similar to a game like Mario Party. Mediatonic created a game in Fall Guys that puts laughs and crazy moments above try-hard balance, and that is doubly evident in the way it celebrated its Golden Joysticks victory.
Fall Guys is available for PC and PS4.