All the winners from The Game Awards 2024

The Game Awards took place last week. We compiled a list of all the winners and the top announcements. Also, when will the media know the basics of a hobby almost 75% of Americans enjoy? The answer is not yet. That and more. Let’s go!

The Game Awards

The Game Awards took place last week, with Astro Bot taking Game of the Year. 

Astro Bot led the way with four wins, while Metaphor: ReFantanzio and Balatro both won three awards. You can check out the full list of winners below. 

Apart from the accolades, The Game Awards is about announcing new games. We posted the top announcements and trailers in a separate article, but some of the big ones include Witcher 4, Elden Ring: Nightreign and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet from The Last of Us creator Naughty Dog. You can watch the show in its entirety online, but here is a complete list of the winners:

Game of the Year: Astro Bot
Best Game Direction: Astro Bot
Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantanzio
Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantanzio
Best Score and Music: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Best Audio Design: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Best Adaptation: Fallout
Best Performance: Melina Juergens (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2)
Best Independent Game: Balatro
Best Debut Indie Game: Balatro
Games for Impact: Neva
Best Role-Playing Game: Metaphor: ReFantanzio
Best Action/Adventure Game: Astro Bot
Best Action Game: Black Myth: Wukong
Best Strategy Game: Frostpunk 2
Best Sports/Racing Game: EA Sports FC 25
Best Multiplayer Game: Helldivers 2
Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8
Best Ongoing Game: Helldivers 2
Best Community Support: Baldur’s Gate 3
Best Mobile Game: Balatro
Best VR/AR Game: Batman: Arkham Shadow
Best Family Game: Astro Bot
Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto 6
Innovation In Accessibility: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Best Esports Game: League of Legends
Best Esports Team: T1
Best Esports Player: Faker
Content Creator of the Year: CaseOh

Media misses

Luigi Mangione was arrested for the murder United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. While his motive was clear early on, one major news outlet instead chose to focus on a disproven trope, that videogames are behind violent behavior. But rather than blame a game like Call of Duty, the article cites a game of social deduction: Among Us.

Over 400 million people have played Among Us, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders. Nearly 3 of every 4 Americans play video games. Media companies need to realize this and hire staff or consult with game reporters before writing articles about a topic they do not understand. This is journalism 101. The article from NBC News is poorly reported and factually wrong in its assertions.

Nearly 3 of every 4 Americans play video games. There seems to have been a drop in some of the ridiculous stereotypes some have about video games, but a bunch persist, especially when doing so fits a sus-pect agenda.

— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) December 10, 2024 at 9:54 AM

Also read: Reminder to the media: Research video games before reporting on them.

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

🌐 Independent gaming site Itch.io was knocked offline by "bogus phishing reports” from Funko. 

📱 Epic Games signed a deal with telecommunications provider Telefónica to have Fortnite preinstalled on Android phones sold in the UK and Spain. 

🥽 Apple Vision Pro is reportedly getting PlayStation VR2 controller support.

🇪🇸 Anti-fascist Spanish Civil War board game Land and Freedom won the 2024 Summit Award, an award for “historical board games that have successfully broadened the hobby.”

🤝 Nintendo now fully owns Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenoblade games.

💰 Former Bungie Director Chris Barrett is suing Sony and Bungie for more than $200 million. 

📱 Mobile Pokémon trading card game Pocket has been downloaded 60 million times since its launch in October. 

🔽 Steam is changing how update downloads will work. 

🎮 Check out everything announced at the recent Day of the Devs and the Wholesome Snack showcases. 

✖️ Microsoft is testing allowing users to stream games they own to their Xbox. 

📈 Warhammer, League of Legends and Fallout are among the top entertainment franchises of the year. 

🏆 Balatro and Thank Goodness You're Here were winners at Apple's 2024 App Store Awards.

✨ Lenovo is reportedly building a handheld gaming system that uses SteamOS. 

⭐ Have we reached the Golden Age of licensed video games? 

👎🏽 More gaming layoffs: People Can Fly laid off 120 employees while Warner Bros Games Montreal cut 99 positions. Also, gaming media sites IGN and GamesIndustry.biz are losing staff due to “soft layoffs.”

✊ 461 employees at The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios have unionized.

🚫 Suicide Squad now has offline mode, as developer Rocksteady announced their current season will be their last. 

📈 Infinity Nikki has over 10 million downloads worldwide since being released Dec. 5.

🏒 Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy is getting its own video game in 2025. 

New Releases this week:

Check out our article on 10 New Games to Play in December.

12/17: Flint: Treasure of Oblivion (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
12/19: Alien: Rogue Incursion (PlayStation, PC and Quest)
12/19: Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero (PlayStation, Switch and PC)

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