The Game Awards 2020 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2020. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, and took place on December 10, 2020. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Unlike previous Game Awards, the show was broadcast virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Keighley presented at a soundstage in Los Angeles, while musical performances took place virtually at stages in London and Tokyo. The show introduced the award's first Future Class, a list of individuals from the video game industry who best represent the future of video games, Innovation in Accessibility award, an award for games that featured notable accessibility options. The show was live streamed across 45 different platforms. It featured musical performances from the London Philharmonic Orchestra[b] and Eddie Vedder, and presentations from celebrity guests, including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Gal Gadot, Brie Larson, and Keanu Reeves.
The Game Awards 2020 | |
---|---|
Date | December 10, 2020 |
Location | Los Angeles[a] |
Hosted by | Geoff Keighley |
Preshow host(s) | Sydnee Goodman |
Highlights | |
Most awards | The Last of Us Part II (7) |
Most nominations | The Last of Us Part II (11) |
Game of the Year | The Last of Us Part II |
Website | thegameawards.com |
Online coverage | |
Runtime | 2 hours, 50 minutes[3][4] |
Viewership | 83 million |
Produced by | Geoff Keighley · Kimmie Kim |
Directed by | Richard Preuss |
The Last of Us Part II received the most nominations and wins in the show's history—eleven and seven, respectively—and was awarded Game of the Year. Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross won Best Narrative for their work on the game, while Laura Bailey was awarded Best Performance for her role as Abby. Several new games were announced, including Ark II, Perfect Dark, and an untitled Mass Effect game. The show was the most expensive ceremony to date. It was viewed by over 83 million streams, the most in its history to date,[c] with 8.3 million concurrent viewers at its peak. It received a mixed reception from media publications, with praise directed at new game announcements, and criticism for not allowing developers more time to speak. Some critics and viewers shared concerns over the success of The Last of Us Part II due to its developer's crunch practices.
Background
editAs with previous iterations of The Game Awards, the 2020 show was hosted and produced by Canadian games journalist Geoff Keighley. He returned as an executive producer alongside Kimmie Kim, and Richard Preuss and LeRoy Bennett returned as director and creative director, respectively.[5] Sydnee Goodman returned as host of the preshow.[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Keighley did not want to host a normal ceremony.[7] Not wanting to take a hiatus and inspired by the success of Summer Game Fest,[8] he considered hosting from his home but his board urged him to attempt a larger show on par with previous years.[9] In case of a significant surge of COVID-19 cases in California, the crew had several back-up plans, including broadcasting from Keighley's house.[2] He worked with his partners to develop a virtual show;[7] he and his team took inspiration from other shows throughout the year, including the Democratic National Convention, in which the "audience" was featured on virtual screens,[10] as well as the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, wherein the hosts were isolated on stage and the winners accepted via video call.[9]
The presentation used three soundstages in Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo; each had minimal attendees, mostly related to production crew and presenters. Keighley said this allowed them to include additional presentation events as with past shows, as well as explore taking future shows to different venues.[7] The 2020 show—featuring a production of more than 400 people, six of whom are full-time employees—had a budget of under US$10 million[11] and was the most expensive to date, partly due to the COVID-19 tests required for the crew and the worldwide remote camera set-ups.[2] It remained profitable due to revenue from advertisers and sponsors, as well as minor earnings from streaming services.[11] The show's theme was strength and comfort due to the impact of the pandemic. Keighley wanted to implore the theme of unity, given the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in November 2020; he cited The Game Awards 2018 as an example of this theme, which had led with Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé, Microsoft's Phil Spencer, and Sony's Shawn Layden sharing the stage.[12] Keighley felt the inclusion of film and television stars was an interesting way to show a wider appreciation for the industry. His team wanted to include Henry Cavill in the show, but he was busy working on The Witcher.[8]
While developing the show, Keighley spoke to hundreds of viewers via Zoom to discuss their own interests,[9] often alongside industry figures like Valve Corporation president Gabe Newell and Epic Games creative director Donald Mustard.[12] As with the previous show, the presentation ran alongside the Game Festival, consisting of playable demos and additional in-game content.[9] The show introduced the award's first Future Class, a list of individuals from across the video game industry who best represent the future of video games. The inductees included industry professionals such as Kinda Funny's Blessing Adeoye Jr., Naughty Dog's Halley Gross, and GameSpot's Kallie Plagge.[13] The presentation was aired on December 10, 2020, live streamed across more than 45 online platforms.[5] It aired on more than ten networks in China, including Bilibili, Douyin, and Huya Live, and on several networks in India including Disney+ Hotstar, JioTV, and MX Player.[14]
Announcements
editAround April and May in 2020, Keighley was worried about a potential lack of game announcements due to the impact of COVID-19 on the industry; however, several developers were able to submit their announcements and trailers for demonstration.[8] Announcements on recently released and upcoming games were made for:[4]
- Among Us
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Disco Elysium
- Dragon Age 4
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
- Fortnite
- Forza Horizon 4
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- It Takes Two
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Myst
- Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139...
- Oddworld: Soulstorm
- Outriders
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat
- Returnal
- Scarlet Nexus
- Sea of Solitude
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge
- Super Meat Boy Forever
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
- Warframe
New games announced during the ceremony included:[4]
- Ark II
- The Callisto Protocol
- Century: Age of Ashes
- Crimson Desert
- Endless Dungeon
- Evil Dead: The Game
- Evil West
- F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch
- Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection
- Loop Hero
- Untitled Mass Effect game
- Open Roads
- Perfect Dark
- Road 96
- Season: A Letter to the Future
- Shady Part of Me
- Tchia
- We Are OFK
Winners and nominees
editThe nominees for The Game Awards 2020 were announced on November 18, 2020.[15] Any game released on or before November 20, 2020 was eligible for consideration.[16] The nominees were compiled by a jury panel with members from 96 media outlets globally;[8] ballots were sent to outlets on October 29 and due back on November 6, though they had until November 13 to submit updated ballots. Outlets were required to submit three games for each category to determine the nominees.[16] Winners were determined between the jury (90%) and public votes (10%); the latter was held via the official website and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and closed on December 9.[17] The two exceptions were the Most Anticipated Game and Player's Voice awards, which were fully nominated and voted-on by the public;[18][19] the former was determined exclusively on Twitter and announced during the show,[18] and the latter was announced on December 8 after several rounds of voting.[19] A new Innovation in Accessibility award was added for games that featured notable accessibility options.[20] Around 18.3 million people participated in the public vote, doubling from the previous show.[21]
Awards
editWinners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[22]
Video games
editEsports and creators
editBest Esports Game | Best Esports Athlete |
---|---|
| |
Best Esports Team | Best Esports Coach |
|
|
Best Esports Event | Best Esports Host |
|
|
Content Creator of the Year | Global Gaming Citizens[26][h] |
|
Games with multiple nominations and awards
editMultiple nominations
editThe Last of Us Part II received eleven nominations, the most in the show's history. Other games with multiple nominations included Hades with nine, Ghost of Tsushima with eight, Final Fantasy VII Remake with six, and Doom Eternal with five. Sony Interactive Entertainment had 26 total nominations, more than any other publisher, followed by Supergiant Games and Xbox Game Studios with eight.[15]
Nominations | Game |
---|---|
11 | The Last of Us Part II |
9 | Hades |
8 | Ghost of Tsushima |
6 | Final Fantasy VII Remake |
5 | Doom Eternal |
4 | Fall Guys |
Half-Life: Alyx | |
3 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
Fortnite | |
Ori and the Will of the Wisps | |
Spider-Man: Miles Morales | |
Valorant | |
2 | Among Us |
Apex Legends | |
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | |
Call of Duty: Warzone | |
Carrion | |
Destiny 2 | |
Genshin Impact | |
No Man's Sky | |
Spiritfarer |
Nominations | Publisher |
---|---|
26 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
9 | Supergiant Games |
Xbox Game Studios | |
6 | Activision |
Devolver Digital | |
Nintendo | |
Square Enix | |
5 | Bethesda Softworks |
Riot Games | |
Valve | |
4 | Electronic Arts |
3 | Capcom |
Epic Games | |
Sega | |
Ubisoft | |
2 | |
2K Games | |
Annapurna Interactive | |
Bandai Namco | |
Bungie | |
Codemasters | |
Hello Games | |
Innersloth | |
miHoYo | |
Thunder Lotus Games |
Multiple awards
editThe Last of Us Part II received the most wins in the show's history, with seven. Four games—Among Us, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and Hades—won two awards. Across its two winning games, Sony Interactive Entertainment won a total of nine awards, while Innersloth, Square Enix, Supergiant Games, and Xbox Game Studios won two.[22]
Awards | Game |
---|---|
7 | The Last of Us Part II |
2 | Among Us |
Final Fantasy VII Remake | |
Ghost of Tsushima | |
Hades |
Awards | Publisher |
---|---|
9 | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
2 | Innersloth |
Square Enix | |
Supergiant Games | |
Xbox Game Studios |
Presenters and performers
editPresenters
editThe following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or introduced trailers. All other awards were presented by Keighley or Goodman.[1][27][28][29]
Name | Role |
---|---|
Rand Miller | Presented the launch trailer for Myst for Oculus Quest[30] |
Stephen A. Smith | Presented the award for Best Esports Athlete |
Brie Larson | Presented the award for Best Performance |
Chris Ashton | Presented the gameplay trailer for Back 4 Blood |
Josh Holmes | Presented the beta announcement trailer for Scavengers |
Glen Schofield | Presented the reveal trailer for The Callisto Protocol |
John David Washington | Presented the award for Best Narrative |
Swedish Chef | Presented the Swedish Chef trailer for Overcooked: All You Can Eat |
DrLupo | Introduced Future Class |
Gal Gadot | Presented the award for Games for Impact |
Tom Holland | Introduced presenter Nolan North |
Nolan North | Presented the award for Best Multiplayer Game |
Ralph Macchio | Presented the award for Best Fighting Game |
Yuji Okumoto | |
Josef Fares | Presented the reveal trailer for It Takes Two |
Reggie Fils-Aimé | Presented the award for Innovation in Accessibility |
Troy Baker | Introduced performer Eddie Vedder |
Jacksepticeye | Presented the award for Content Creator of the Year |
Donald Mustard | Presented the Master Chief, Blood Gulch, and The Walking Dead trailers for Fortnite Battle Royale |
Kaskade | Presented the Rocket League Season 2 trailer |
Keanu Reeves | Presented the award for Best Game Direction |
Christopher Nolan | Presented the award for Game of the Year |
Performers
editThe following individuals or groups performed musical numbers.[1][2][31] A planned orchestral version of Cyberpunk 2077's music was scrapped when the game was delayed to the same day as the ceremony, rendering it ineligible for nomination.[14]
Name | Song | Game(s) | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Lyn Inaizumi | "Last Surprise - Scramble" | Persona 5 Strikers | Tokyo[1] |
OFK[i] | "Follow/Unfollow" | We Are OFK | Virtual[31] |
London Philharmonic Orchestra[b] | Mario medley | Super Mario series | Abbey Road Studios, London[2] |
Game of the Year medley | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | ||
Doom Eternal | |||
Final Fantasy VII Remake | |||
Ghost of Tsushima | |||
Hades | |||
The Last of Us Part II | |||
Eddie Vedder | "Future Days" | The Last of Us Part II | Seattle[2] |
Ratings and reception
editNominees
editInverse's Corey Plante felt the cutoff date led to several games getting snubbed, including Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, as well as Pokémon Sword and Shield, which was eligible for both the 2019 and 2020 awards but was unrecognized in both. He felt Ghost of Tsushima was more deserving of a Best Score and Music nomination than Doom Eternal.[32] Den of Geek's Matthew Byrd similarly lamented the lack of recognition for Demon's Souls and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.[33] Kat Bailey of USgamer questioned Doom Eternal's nomination for Game of the Year, describing it as "messy, unfocused, and, well, just not as good" as its predecessor.[34] Kotaku Australia's Alex Walker similarly found the nomination misplaced and considered games like Half-Life: Alyx and Microsoft Flight Simulator more deserving.[35]
Ceremony
editThe show received a mixed reception from media publications. VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi praised the ceremony, particularly applauding its celebration of diverse games such as The Last of Us Part II and Tell Me Why as well as the varied and interesting new game announcements.[36] Todd Martens of Los Angeles Times felt the show should have allowed more time for the developers to speak and discuss their artistic visions behind the games, noting the presentation does little to demonstrate video games as art.[37] Eurogamer's Martin Robinson said the show was understandably "low-key" but called it a "three-hour long advert".[29] Inverse's Ana Diaz criticized the rapid announcement of winners between premieres and during the preshow, preventing developers from accepting the awards, and its focus on Hollywood actors over game creators.[38]
Similar to concerns over Death Stranding's predominance in the nominations and ceremony for the 2019 awards due to its creator Hideo Kojima's friendship with Keighley, some viewers shared concerns related to The Last of Us Part II at the 2020 awards, both for its awards success and due to the developer's crunch practices.[23] The Last of Us Part II was well-received at release but narrative elements polarized some critics and players, and the game had been subject to review bombing;[39] Keighley clarified the awards were not rigged in the manner some viewers had suggested and there was no influence of Naughty Dog or its staff on the award selection, citing the game's popularity among players and media alike as proven by its runner-up placement in the Player's Voice award.[23] Kotaku's Ian Walker criticized the game's Best Game Direction win, noting Hades should have won due to developer Supergiant Games's less demanding work culture.[40] TheGamer's Peter Glagowski similarly felt the game's awards were a message excusing crunch culture in game development.[41] Keighley felt it would be difficult to incorporate criteria related to games developed under poor industry practices like crunch into the awards selection process without becoming a slippery slope, but believes discussions of these practices should be a conversation held by the larger community.[23]
Viewership
editOver 83 million streams were used to view the ceremony, the most in the show's history to date,[c] with 8.3 million concurrent viewers at its peak.[43] On Twitch, the show had over 2.63 million concurrent viewers, more than double the previous year, with 9,000 creators co-streaming the ceremony. On YouTube, live viewership increased 84 percent over the previous year. In total, live hours viewed increased by over 129 percent across Facebook Gaming, Twitch, and YouTube. The show trended worldwide on Twitter, with a 31 percent increase in conversation from the previous year, while usage of the hashtag #TheGameAwards increased 107 percent.[14] Keighley expressed his surprise by the consistent growth of the show over the years, but confessed it has led him to fear "that year where it doesn't grow ... There's going to be a year where we don't have the same viewers".[8]
Notes
edit- ^ The show was broadcast virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with musical performances taking place in London, Tokyo, and Seattle.[1][2]
- ^ a b Conducted by Lorne Balfe[2]
- ^ a b The viewership record was beaten in 2021 with 85 million streams.[42]
- ^ Awarded for the best debut game by an indie studio in 2020
- ^ Voting for this award was held exclusively on Twitter.[18]
- ^ 100% public-voted award that had a three-round nomination process that began with 30 games[19]
- ^ The Last of Us Part II was runner-up for Player's Voice.[23] Other final placings were not revealed; Keighley updated the results four hours before voting closed:[24][25]
- Ghost of Tsushima (47 percent)
- The Last of Us Part II (33 percent)
- Hades (11 percent)
- Doom Eternal (7 percent)
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales (3 percent)
- ^ Presented in conjunction with Facebook Gaming
- ^ OFK is a fictional band from the game We Are OFK. Its performance served as the game's announcement.[31]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ruppert, Liana (December 9, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Will Offer 12 To 15 New Game Announcements". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Martens, Todd (December 10, 2020). "Getting Keanu Reeves for the Game Awards was easy, compared to all the COVID-19 precautions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020.
- ^ Brandt, Oliver (December 5, 2022). "The Game Awards will be shorter this year". News.com.au. News Corp. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c Miranda, Felicia (December 11, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Every Game Announcement and Reveal". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 18, 2020). "The Game Awards Nominees: 'The Last Of Us II,' 'Ghost of Tsushima' & 'Hades' Top 2020 List". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Miranda, Felicia (December 11, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: How to Watch and What to Expect". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c Watts, Steve (August 24, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Still Moving Forward". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Ruppert, Liana (December 17, 2020). "Behind The Scenes Of The Game Awards 2020 With Geoff Keighley". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Stedman, Alex (September 23, 2020). "The Game Awards to Stream Live From Los Angeles, London and Tokyo on Dec. 10". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Park, Gene (September 24, 2020). "After observing a year of digital events, The Game Awards will end 2020 with its own". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Schiesel, Seth (December 8, 2020). "Meet the man behind The Game Awards, the most influential event in the video game industry". Protocol. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Stedman, Alex (November 25, 2020). "How The Game Awards' Fans Helped Build This Year's Ceremony". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards announces inaugural Future Class". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Takahashi, Dean (December 17, 2020). "The Game Awards grows 84% to 83 million viewers". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Bailey, Dustin (November 18, 2020). "Hades and Last of Us Part II lead the Game Awards 2020 nominees". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (November 18, 2020). "Why some of 2020's big games didn't get Game Awards nominations". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Talbot, Carrie (December 10, 2020). "Here's how to watch tonight's Game Awards 2020 show". PCGamesN. Network N. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Spangler, Todd (November 16, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Sets Twitter as Exclusive Voting Partner for One Category". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c Watts, Rachel (December 8, 2020). "Ghost Of Tsushima wins the publicly voted 'Player's Voice' at The Game Awards". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (September 23, 2020). "The Game Awards arrives December 10 with new accessibility honor". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Dealessandri, Marie (December 17, 2020). "The Game Awards sets new viewership record with 83m livestreams". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Stedman, Alex (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Complete Winners List". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Ruppert, Liana (December 17, 2020). "Geoff Keighley Opens Up About The Last Of Us Part II Game Awards Backlash". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (December 9, 2020). "Ghost of Tsushima Wins Player's Voice Award at The Game Awards". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Keighley, Geoff [@geoffkeighley] (December 7, 2020). "With 4 hours to go, Ghost of Tsushima is leading in our Player's Voice poll #TheGameAwards" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (December 11, 2020). "The Last of Us Part 2 dominates at The Game Awards". Gamesindustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Walker, Alex (December 11, 2020). "Everything Announced At The 2020 Game Awards". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Ryan, Jackson (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Every result, winner, world premiere, trailers and more". CNET. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Robinson, Martin (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 live report". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Oculus (December 10, 2020). "Oculus @ The Game Awards 2020". Facebook, Inc. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c Carpenter, Nicole (December 10, 2020). "Hyper Light Drifter designer announces 'making-of-the-band' interactive series". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Plante, Corey (November 19, 2020). "Game Awards 2020 nominees: Snubs prove need for more categories, tighter rules". Inverse. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Byrd, Matthew (November 18, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Biggest Snubs". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Kat (November 19, 2020). "A Quick and Dirty Ranking of The Game Awards GOTY Nominees for 2020". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Walker, Alex (November 19, 2020). "Here's All The GOTY Nominees For The 2020 Game Awards". Kotaku Australia. Pedestrian Group. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 11, 2020). "The DeanBeat: The Game Awards show gaming's past and future". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Martens, Todd (December 11, 2020). "Review: The Game Awards wants to take video games seriously, but is the industry ready to follow?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (December 12, 2020). "The Game Awards are still trying to make video games something they're not". Inverse. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Nunneley, Stephany (June 19, 2020). "The Last of Us: Part 2 has been review bombed on Metacritic". VG247. videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ Walker, Ian (December 11, 2020). "Games Made Under Crunch Conditions Don't Deserve 'Best Direction' Awards". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Glagowski, Peter (December 11, 2020). "The Last Of Us Part 2's Game Awards Win Is A Loss For Overworked Developers". TheGamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Beresford, Trilby (December 20, 2021). "The Game Awards Claims High of 85M Views". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (December 17, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020 Show Hits Record Viewership With 83 Million Livestreams". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.