The Best Announcements at The Game Awards 2018

The Game Awards might not be the Oscars of gaming, but it's still one of the biggest nights of the year, celebrating all of videogames with special performances, exclusive announcements and of course, awards, awards, awards.

And while executive producer and host Geoff Keighley is obligated to hand out most of the awards to the shiniest most triple A games and the most obviously beloved creators, he does the entire industry a solid by ensuring that diverse games, big and small share the stage.

So at the end of a depressing year filled with scandal, regulatory threats, shuttered studios, labor malpractice, and broken launches, The Game Awards gave us some hope for 2019 in the form of big announcements from Epic Games, Nintendo, Supergiant Games, Ubisoft, Obsidian, Capcom & Bioware as well as a whole slew of indie devs.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is the most exciting new Switch game

This stylish new game is from Simogo, the Swedish studio behind cult hits like Device 6 and The Sailor’s Dream. Described as a “a euphoric music video dream about being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200mph,” it debuts as a Switch exclusive next year.

Epic Games Store is the would be Steam competitor

Epic made waves days ago when it announced it would be opening a digital storefront that directly competes with Steam’s turf. The store is now live, with surprise launches like Ashen, old hits like Super Meat Boy and recent big releases like Darksiders 3, with more to come.

Journey finally steps outside of PlayStation to debut on PC

This indie classic has remained a PlayStation exclusive for years. But next year its mystical narrative, stunning visuals and ingenious multiplayer that pairs players with silent, anonymous strangers will be stepping outside of Sony’s garden for the first time via the Epic Games Store.

Supergiant Games unveils Hades on the Epic Games Store

The indie darling studio behind Bastion, Transistor and Pyre revealed its latest game -- an isometric roguelike RPG that asks you to “defy the God of Death as you hack and slash your way out of the Underworld.” It’s now in early access exclusively on Epic’s store.

Far Cry New Dawn is the apocalyptic follow-up to Far Cry 5

This standalone installment lets players experience Joseph Seed’s vision of a new world. Set 17 years after the events of Far Cry 5, it’s the series’ first post-apocalyptic setting. The first footage of New Dawn introduces us to villainous twins, Mickey and Lou. It will be out for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 15, 2019 for $39.99.

Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds is the most exciting new IP

This brand new IP is tongue-in-cheek take on humanity’s spacefaring future is being developed under the leadership of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, two of the co-creators of Fallout from way back. They’ll bring to bear the expertise of Obsidian Entertainment, the creative force behind Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity.

No Man Sky studio unveils the adorable The Last Campfire

Hello Games, the studio behind the once-controversial now-very-much-improved No Man’s Sky unveiled this surprising new game. Dubbed a “Hello Games Short,” The Last Campfire is about “A lost ember trapped in a puzzling place, searching for meaning and a way home.” It’s set in a wilderness of “lost folk, strange creatures and mysterious ruins.”

NetherRealm Studios finally announces Mortal Kombat 11

In one of those blink and you miss it moments, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon was on stage to present the nominees for best sports/racing game. But as the video for nominees played, a spear pierced through and the Mortal Kombat logo heralded a new trailer. More details will be had at a community reveal on January 17, with a release set for April 23, 2019.

Devil May Cry 5 trailer unleashes all the playable characters

Capcom’s latest trailer shows all three playable characters - Dante, Nero, and V - taking down demons, showing off how unique each character is. Capcom also teased the game’s Cameo system, which will look like the other characters are with you, fighting the good fight. We can’t wait for this game. You can check out Miggy’s impressions of Devil May Cry 5 here.

Bioware promises Dragon Age will return in teaser

While Bioware GM Casey Hudson showed up to promote Anthem, what really got everyone’s attention later was a Dragon Age 4 announcement. We got a teaser that ended with the hashtag #DreadWolfRises. It’s still a ways out from release, but we recommend you play Inquisition again as a refresher. But how about that Anthem footage, eh? Anybody?

Persona’s Joker joins the fight in Super Smash Bros

Super Smash Bros Ultimate was just hours away from release as The Game Awards went live, but Nintendo had a surprise. Persona 5’s very own Joker is the first character announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s first DLC pack. No one saw this coming, and we can be sure the other characters planned for release will be just as surprising.

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