2020 served as a year many found themselves missing regular events in, and The Game Awards had to adjust by streaming it live to a mostly empty studio. Luckily, this year serves to also be a comeback for many, and The Game Awards is joining in with that as well, with an announcement at Summer Games Fest that the 2021 show in December will allow in-person attendance.
For the longest time, with award shows such as the Golden Globes or the People's Choice Awards representing all kinds of forms of entertainment, video games went without the same type of recognition. That was until 2014, when Geoff Keighley came forward with The Game Awards; an award show aiming to give necessary achievements that the best video games of the year required and deserved.
Part of the awards show for the last five years was the attendance of special guests as they accepted their awards and showed off announcements in the form of The Game Awards' World Premieres. The crowd could be heard reacting to the trailers shown, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that part of the show was missing. As part of the Summer Game Fest, Geoff has expressed that the show will once again have the award winners and nominees in attendance at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Beyond that confirmation from Keighley himself during the event, not many details are known, but Keighley has said that more details will be available "this Summer." For what guests are invited, and just what the show has in store, viewers will have to wait for The Game Awards to be streamed again; or they may find out with their own eyes in-person after a long year of social isolation.
The Game Awards has always provided entertaining surprises in the form of announcements and live performances. While Summer Game Fest delivered on plenty of World Premieres and its own surprises, for the regular attendees of The Game Awards, going back should feel like a breath of fresh air as the presents waiting there might be all the sweeter.
Perhaps the expectations may lead to the opposite effect, however. Some gamers have voiced opinions that the general feel of The Game Awards seems slightly sold out to the big-name gaming companies, and the show returning fully "back to normal" may lead to more of the same rather than anything new like The Game Awards promises and strives for. All the same, December leaves plenty of room for announcements to make 2022 one to look forward to with The Game Awards' help.
The Game Awards is to be streamed from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles in December 2021.
Source: Summer Game Fest