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The Game Awards 2021: What you should and shouldn't expect to see

With the show just around the corner, we take a look at what we know will and won't be making an appearance.

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It's almost that time of the year where we celebrate and recognise the top games, developers, and industry members with a series of awards and trophies handed out by various celebrities and people of interest. The annual show, The Game Awards, ran and hosted by Geoff Keighley is set to take place at the ungodly hour of 1:00 GMT / 2:00 CET on the morning of Friday, December 10, and while we'll be watching (no doubt in a near comatose state) to see who will be taking trophies home and to catch all of the exciting announcements, as is typical for a Keighley organised show, various announcements have already been teased.

So, with a little while to go before the show kicks off, we've condensed everything that has already been teased so that you know what to expect throughout the entire three hour duration.

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First of all, it has already been revealed that there will be 40-50 announcements as part of this show. That doesn't mean there will be that many new game announcements, as Keighley has previously also said the number of new games being announced will probably be in the double digits.

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So, with these "double digits" game announcements in mind, what do we know will definitely be a part of this show?

Improbable's new game

It's been stated by Improbable NA studio's GM Aaryn Flynn on Twitter that the developer will be revealing its latest game during the show.

"Very excited to share that we'll be revealing our game at #TheGameAwards this week!" said Flynn. "I can't believe this is actually happening..."

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There's no mention or information as to what this will be, but the team is known for creating big multiplayer projects, so this sort of seems to be a likely direction.

The Game Awards 2021: What you should and shouldn't expect to see

ARC Raiders

Following on from Improbable's announcement, Embark Studios will also be making an appearance at The Game Awards to give us a look at its first project. Known as ARC Raiders, the details of this one are also a little fuzzy right now, but in the short teaser trailer that has been released, we can see a short clip of a soldier shooting at what seems to be a giant ball, so mashing that up with the tagline of "Enlist. Resist" it seems like this could be a shooter of some kind.

As for what we do know about ARC Raiders and Embark Studios, the developer consists of a bunch of former EA executives, with the aim of being able to "blur the line between playing and making games", as the studio's website states.

The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine Experience

Unlike the first two, we actually know a little about this project already. Following a leak it has since been revealed that The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine Experience will be available on Xbox Series and PS5 and has been made by Lana Wachowski, with both Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss set to star.

It's expected to serve as a way of offering a "glimpse into the future of interactive storytelling and entertainment", as the project's website reveals. In fact, that very website also comes with a timer that suggests exactly when we'll get the reveal, with the timer set to run out at 3:59 GMT / 4:59 CET, which could make it the final announcement of The Game Awards this year.

With The Matrix Resurrections also set to hit theatres shortly afterward, all the stars seem to be aligning to this project officially dropping after its announcement during The Game Awards. Whatever might happen, check out the teaser trailer for the experience below.

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More day one Xbox Game Pass announcements

Microsoft and Xbox have spoiled us so much with Xbox Game Pass recently that the novelty of new announcements for the service has actually worn off a little. But, they shouldn't since a game getting a day one launch in what is often regarded as "the best deal in gaming" shouldn't be overlooked.

And this is exactly what we'll be getting during The Game Awards, as Xbox will be revealing four games that are joining the service as "Unannounced Day One PC Games" that are coming down the line.

There's no word as to what these will be yet, as the Xbox Game Pass social team and the increasingly tricksy Melissa McGamepass are up to their usual antics of redacting the finer details, meaning we'll just have to watch the show to know more.

The Game Awards 2021: What you should and shouldn't expect to see

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

It has also been revealed that Gearbox's upcoming fantasy take on the Borderlands universe, will also be making an appearance at the live show. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will be at the show in some form - if we had to guess, as a new trailer highlighting what will be on offer come its launch day of March 25, 2022.

Halo TV Series

We've had a bunch of information trickling out for the Halo TV series, but we're still yet to get a trailer for the anticipated live-action adaptation of 343 Industries' sci-fi shooter. Fortunately, that will be coming to an end come at The Game Awards as we're promised a "first look trailer" for the series during the broadcast, meaning we'll hopefully get to see an initial look at what Pablo Schrieber's take on Master Chief will be bringing to the table.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

While we're only three months out from the next expansion coming to Destiny 2, the game has just been significantly bolstered with its 30th Anniversary DLC. But that expansion of content isn't all we have to look forward to, as The Game Awards promises a new trailer for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, ahead of its release on February 22, 2022.

The Game Awards 2021: What you should and shouldn't expect to see

While there will be plenty of other announcements and reveals coming that we don't already know about, there are certain publishers and titles that are definitely not making an appearance.

Geoff Keighley has already stated that Activision Blizzard "will not be a part" of this year's show, and in a recent blog post by BioWare it was revealed that we'll have to wait until 2022 to hear more about Dragon Age, which basically rules the game out of making a surprise showing as well.

The Game Awards 2021: What you should and shouldn't expect to see

But aside from that, the show is shaping up to be a great way to close another packed year of gaming. So, be sure to catch all the action live, when it kicks off at 1:00 GMT / 2:00 CET on Friday, December 10.



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