The 2018 version of The Game Awards happened this past week, which included several surprises, yet understandable decisions considering how strong this year has been for the gaming industry.
“…We forecast that 2.3 billion gamers across the globe will spend $137.9 billion on games in 2018. This represents an increase of +13.3% from the year before, or $16.2 billion. Digital game revenues will take 91% of the global market with $125.3 billion,” Newzoo begins in an April 2018 report. “In our latest update, we also present our forecasts for the global games market toward 2021. We expect that consumer spend on games will grow to $180.1 billion by 2021, a CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] of +10.3% between 2017 and 2021,” they continue.
The Big Winners
“God of War” (Sony Santa Monica/SIE) took home ‘Game of The Year’ honors beating out acclaimed competition like “Marvel’s Spider-Man” and “Red Dead Redemption 2.” Some may consider this a surprise with the massive box office and critical claim received by the latest “Red Dead” title, however, “God of War” has been overwhelmingly praised as being a phenomenal entry within the franchise. Last year “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” took home the award.
The blockbuster hit “Fortnite” (Epic Games) defeated the likes of “Overwatch” and “Destiny 2” in the ‘Best Ongoing Game’ category. Of note, the much-maligned “No Man’s Sky” was nominated in the category. A victory for the title would have been a virtual head-scratcher considering the slew of issues the title has encountered since its release.
“God of War” also won ‘Best Game Direction’ which is “awarded to a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.” The popular again bested “Red Dead Redemption 2” and “Marvel’s Spider-Man” among others.
“Red Dead Redemption 2” (Rockstar Games) won ‘Best Narrative’ awarded “for outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.” Besting “God of War,” “Detroit: Become Human,” and cult favorite “Life is strange 2: Episode 1,” among others.
Other Notable Winners
“Monster Hunter: World” (Capcom) won ‘Best Role-Playing Game” over popular titles “Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age,” ““Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom,” and “Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.”
“Celeste” (Matt Makes Games) won ‘Best Independent Game’ over titles like “The Messenger” and “Into the Breach.” Independent developers have helped bring in new gamers to the industry and have played an undervalued role in the current video game boom.
Box office hit “Dragon Ball FighterZ” (Arc System Works/BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment)” won the ‘Best Fighting’ category over other mainstream brands “Soul Calibur VI” and “Street Fighter V Arcade.” The lesser known “BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle” was also nominated in the category.
“Into the Breach” (Subset Games) won the ‘Best Strategy Game’ category over the latest entry into the Valkriya Chronicles franchise “Valkyria Chronicles 4” and the hit “BATTLETECH” from Paradox Interactive.
