December 12, 2024, marked a memorable evening for the gaming world. Geoff Keighley took center stage at his 10th annual Game Awards, which received glowing praise from the online community. If you’re not familiar, the event has drawn some flak in the past for leaning too heavily on ads rather than giving the spotlight to game developers, who are the true stars of the show.
Last year’s awards ran into an unusual hiccup with a teleprompter message bluntly instructing winners to “Please Wrap it Up,” which quickly went viral. It seems clear that Keighley and the Game Awards team listened to feedback and made some significant tweaks this year.
The 2024 Game Awards delivered delightful surprises and kept viewers engaged from start to finish. Among the notable announcements was Elden Ring Nightreign—a fresh cooperative roguelike addition to the celebrated souls-like franchise by FromSoftware. Other thrilling reveals included Hazelight Studio’s Split Fiction, an innovative co-op game promising unique mechanics and diverse settings throughout its narrative. Echoing their past success with It Takes Two, which snagged Game of the Year in 2021, Hazelight’s new venture was eagerly received by fans expecting epic reveals from the Game Awards.
One standout trend this year was the generous screen time allowed for developers and winners. Swen Vincke, CEO of Larian Studios, known for Baldur’s Gate 3 (a 2023 Game Awards winner), delivered a poignant speech reflecting on the essence of games and critiquing industry pitfalls—a moment captured by @Rurikhan on X.
The evening’s second shocker came with Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Astro Bot clinching the coveted Game of the Year award. This was particularly surprising given the competition from heavyweight titles like Black Myth: Wukong, a blockbuster which sold 18 million copies in a month and took home the “Player’s Voice” accolade. The win underscored Astro Bot’s ability to resonate with critics and players alike, sending a strong message to Microsoft and Xbox about the critical gap in their strategy compared to Sony’s successful gamble.
Astro Bot is a masterfully designed third-person platformer, drawing clear inspiration from Nintendo’s beloved Super Mario Bros. series. It’s seemingly simple but cleverly captures elements from games like Super Mario 3D World and Sunshine, with a delightful twist akin to Pikmin. Players collect Bots across dynamic stages to advance in the game’s central hub world, invoking nostalgia with characters like Kratos, Raiden, and Crash Bandicoot, among others—forming a delightful homage to PlayStation’s 30-year legacy.
While Sony has carved its niche with cinematic third-person titles, Astro Bot breaks away with its whimsy and universal appeal—a quality that Microsoft’s library sorely lacks despite its varied genres. Microsoft is known for its niche franchises like Age of Empires and Microsoft Flight Simulator, but there’s a conspicuous absence of family-friendly platformers.
With Banjo-Kazooie’s reappearance as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC in 2019, a resurgence for the beloved series seems ripe. Alternately, Conker the Squirrel could also make a comeback, albeit a risky choice given its transition from family-friendly roots to mature themes. Revival strategies for these franchises require careful handling to align with fan expectations, especially to replicate the cultural impact seen with Astro Bot’s recent success.
Following their acquisition of Double Fine in 2019, there’s potential for Microsoft to delve deeper into third-person platformers, as evidenced by the critically acclaimed Psychonauts 2. With new projects underway, this division might light up a similar path to glory reminiscent of Astro Bot’s achievements.
Should these avenues fall short, Microsoft might find a strong partner in Toys for Bob, known for works like Crash Bandicoot’s latest installment and the Spyro the Dragon trilogy remaster. With classics like Crash and Spyro originally birthed in PlayStation’s fold, a nostalgic resurgence might just provide the spark needed to captivate audiences across generations.
For Microsoft and Xbox to bridge the gap highlighted by Astro Bot’s success, they could explore their wealth of peculiar titles, or even develop fresh IPs, albeit with inherent risks. Yet, leveraging their expansive legacy, they could create a new mascot capable of celebrating Xbox’s storied history. Imagine an adventure featuring tributes to beloved characters like Master Chief or Tracer, encapsulating happy memories from past Xbox eras.
Though it appears a daunting task, such a venture could reinforce Xbox’s legacy as it nears the 25-year milestone—akin to PlayStation’s own reflections, reminding players of the games that helped shape their virtual landscapes.
