Also, a ton of new games were announced at the awards show.
The end of the year is swiftly approaching, a time when award bodies and institutions in the arts and entertainment sector begin to take stock of the previous 12 months and all the best releases.
In keeping with this, The Game Awards – an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry – took place in Los Angeles on Thursday (8 December) and saw action role-playing game Elden Ring crowned Game of the Year.
Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin, Elden Ring also won three other awards on the night for Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction and Best Role Playing Game.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, Game of The Year! A massive congratulations to @ELDENRING for their big win! @fromsoftware_pr #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/3042IRMEcm
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 9, 2022
However, the team behind Elden Ring had their Game of the Year victory speeches partly overshadowed by a stage crasher who stood with the developers before taking the microphone briefly.
The Game Awards’ creator and host Geoff Keighley wrote on Twitter that the man was later arrested.
The individual who interrupted our Game of the Year moment has been arrested.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 9, 2022
Another big winner on the night was the action-adventure game God of War Ragnarök, which walked away with trophies in six categories – the most of any 2022 game.
These included in the categories Best Narrative, Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Performance – with actor Christopher Judge winning the latter for his role as the game’s protagonist Kratos.
Also at the event, a number of new games were announced, including sequels to the popular titles Death Stranding and Hades.
Meanwhile, Idris Elba was confirmed to be joining Cyberpunk’s 2023 expansion and the first full clip for The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered.
You’ve never seen the Mushroom Kingdom quite like this! Join Toad & Mario for an exclusive look at the big city! #SuperMarioMovie pic.twitter.com/1SLw5PkenM
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 9, 2022
The full list of winners for The Game Awards 2022 can be found below.
Game of the Year – Elden Ring
Best Game Direction – Elden Ring
Best Narrative – God of War Ragnarök
Best Art Direction – Elden Ring
Best Score/Music – Bear McCreary – God of War Ragnarök
Best Audio Design – God of War Ragnarök
Best Performance – Christopher Judge – God of War Ragnarök
Games for Impact – As Dusk Falls
Best Ongoing Game – Final Fantasy 14 Online
Best Indie Game – Stray
Best Debut Indie Game – Stray
Best Mobile Game – Marvel Snap
Best Community Support – Final Fantasy 14 Online
Best VR/AR Game – Moss: Book II
Innovation in Accessibility – God of War Ragnarök
Best Action Game – Bayonetta 3
Best Action/Adventure Game – God of War Ragnarök
Best RPG – Elden Ring
Best Fighting Game – MultiVersus
Best Family Game – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Best Sports/Racing Game – Gran Turismo 7
Best SIM/Strategy Game – Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Best Multiplayer Game – Splatoon 3
Content Creator of the Year – Ludwig
Best Esports Athlete – Jacob “Yay” Whiteaker (OpTic Gaming, Valorant)
Best Esports Coach – Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi (Loud, Valorant)
Best Esports Event – 2022 League of Legends World Championship
Best Esports Game – Valorant
Best Esports Team – Loud (Valorant)
Most Anticipated Game – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Adaptation – Arcane: League of Legends
Main image via Twitter/TheGameAwards