The Game Awards keeps getting bigger each year. When the annual kudofest recognizing the best of the video-game industry kicked off in 2014, it registered 1.9 million livestreams. It has exploded exponentially since then: The 2025 Game Awards show on Dec. 11 broke viewership records with an estimated 171 million global livestreams of the full […]
After actor Charlie Cox spoke out in support of motion capture performances following his Game Awards nomination, the rest of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s cast have joined in, acknowledging their co-stars.
Last month, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 voice actor Charlie Cox drew a crowd when he spoke out in support of mocap actor Maxence Cazorla, who helped bring the Expedition 33 character Gustave to life. Cox insisted the real credit for his Game Awards nomination in the Best Performance category should go to Cazorla, stating, “Any nomination or any credit I get, I really have to give to him.” The voice of Gustave has been adamant about the acting prowess of his ‘co-star’ since June 2025, often heaping praise on the motion-capture actor when he himself received acknowledgement for his role in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Since his statements, the motion capture actor Cazorla has responded on X with a heartfelt post thanking Cox for his kind words, saying, “Bringing Gustave to life was a team effort, and I’m honoured to have played my part in it.” The full post can be seen below, bringing the acknowledgement moment between the two actors full circle.
Today, the rest of the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cast has also spoken out in support of motion-capture performers, particularly how they’re often overlooked in an interview with VGC.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cast members, Jennifer English, Shayla Nyx, Devora Wilde and Aliona Baranova, have called on The Game Awards to introduce more performance categories, namely, a motion capture category. All of the actors agree that motion capture should get its own category at The Game Awards, and the actors figure the reason it hasn’t happened yet is that game development secrets can remain hidden.
Aliona Baranova (who also served as motion capture director on Baldur’s Gate 3) said, “The audience doesn’t know enough about this because there’s not enough attention on it,” adding, “If we had an award category for mocap specifically, then studios would be encouraged to release that behind-the-scenes footage because people are desperate for it. Studios keep that a bit quiet because it gives away details on how they made the game.”
While there is clearly demand for a motion capture category at The Game Awards, it remains to be seen if one will be implemented in later showcases. The Game Awards kicks off on Thursday, December 11, at 8:00 p.m. EST, and it can be watched on the official Game Awards YouTube Channel.
The Game Awards is teasing one of its biggest reveals with a mysterious giant statue that has already sparked intense speculation across the community. Fans believe it may hint at a major PlayStation title, but theories range from Saros to God of War and even The Elder Scrolls.
Ahead of The Game Awards 2025, it has been revealed that the anticipated remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will not be at the event. This news is disappointing to fans, as reports have suggested theremake could be released by the end of January 2026. While the game could still hit this release window, players will have to look somewhere besides The Game Awards to learn more information about the project.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows – you definitely get your money’s worth (Ubisoft)
As publishers continue to make less and less single-player games, a reader recommends Assassin’s Creed Shadows as one of the most enjoyable solo adventures of 2025.
I noticed that Assassin’s Creed Shadows is out on Nintendo Switch 2 next week and I’m honestly half tempted to buy it. I already have it on PlayStation 5, but I’ve enjoyed it so much I would honestly pay to experience it all again with the novelty of it being portable. I’m already resigned to it not winning any major awards but for me it is definitely my game of the year.
At the end of the day, game of the year just means what you’ve enjoyed the best and for me that is definitely Shadows. I tried Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 but while I could see the craft I just don’t really like that kind of role-player and in the end I regretted even getting it. I didn’t like the original Hades or Hollow Knight and while Donkey Kong Bananza was good, I feel it’s miss that extra spark to make it something special.
I’m sure lots of people would say the same about Assassin’s Creed Shadows but for me it worked. I’d say it’s easily the best Assassin’s Creed game and one of the best open world games I’ve ever played.
Assassin’s Creed has always been like comfort food to me. I know that could be seen as a negative but there is nothing I enjoy more than coming home from work and putting a couple of hours into a well design open world. and I don’t think I’m alone. In fact, I’m prepared to say that’s probably the secret of the franchise’s success.
I’m not trying to run the game down though. It has really good combat, two very different characters, and decent stealth. The story isn’t necessarily the best, but you always know what’s going on and it keeps everything ticking along.
The game is big and, like all Assassin’s Creed games, a little bloated but not so bad, in my opinion. There’s plenty of variety in missions and the graphics are fantastic. I feel the game overall is underrated but the graphics in particular are so good and with zero performance problems, despite the open world.
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There’s a lot of talk nowadays about how big publishers don’t want to make single-player games anymore, even though that’s what everyone still prefers, and I feel a game like Shadows is exactly what most people are looking for. It’s literally the opposite of being clowned on in a game of Call Of Duty by a 12-year-old.
Shadows is a game where you’re in control of everything and you decide how and when you play it, not some young tyke in another country. Everything in Shadows is dedicated to entertaining me, and only me, and I don’t feel that’s the case with multiplayer games.
It might not be high art, even by the standard of other video games, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and I feel sad at the idea that games like this may become more and more rare in the feature. To put my money where my mouth is though I’m going to pick up Star Wars Outlaws in the Black Friday sales and give that a go as well.
To split the difference I’ll get it on Switch 2, as I heard it’s a good port, and see how this sort of thing works on the go. I know fashions change over the years, but I never would’ve thought we’d be in a position where single-player games were becoming rare and you had to force yourself to support them or they might go away.
If that’s the reality of the situation though I can’t recommend Assassin’s Creed Shadows enough. But if it doesn’t seem like your sort of thing, because of the setting or the Ubisoft-ness or whatever, please just support whatever single-player game does take your interest, or otherwise they might become a thing of the past.
By reader Hackle
Star Wars Outlaws is pretty good too (Ubisoft)
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.
While we’re still two weeks away, there’s already rumours (and in one case, confirmation) of what games to expect at the event. To keep all the leaks under control, we’ve directed them into one big bucket below.
What is confirmed for The Game Awards 2025?
At the time of writing, the only confirmed title is sci-fi role-player Exodus. This was originally revealed at The Game Awards in 2023, by none other than Interstellar’s Matthew McConaughey, who voices a character in the game.
While the screenshots look generic, the main reason to be optimistic is the talent involved, with developer Archetype Entertainment run by BioWare veterans James Ohlen, Chad Robertson, and Drew Karpyshyn. A spiritual successor to Mass Effect? We hope so.
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There are several titles rumoured to make an appearance. Based on Ubisoft’s release slate, the Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time remake looks like a shoe-in, since it’s expected to launch in January. Similarly, the rumoured remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is said to be slated for March, so a long overdue announcement could happen at the show.
Based on a recent trademark filing, the sequel to Control could debut as well. As spotted by MP1st, a trademark with the name ‘Control Resonant’ was filed on Thursday (November 27), under the Nordia Attorneys At Law representative associated with Remedy.
It’s unclear if this trademark specifically relates to Control 2, which was announced back in 2022 but still hasn’t been revealed, or some kind of extended universe shenanigans like new DLC, a TV adaptation, or a book. However, considering Control 2 went into full production in February this year, a reveal doesn’t feel out of the question.
Another rumour claims the remake of Silent Hill 1 could get some kind of trailer too. This comes from Peruvian outlet MasGamers, citing a Japanese insider. Details are scarce, so we’d take it with a pinch of salt, and considering developer Bloober Team only announced its existence in June, we doubt it’ll be anything more than a pre-rendered teaser.
A more likely candidate is the announcement of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach on PC. A post on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) outed the existence of a PC port earlier this week, before it was swiftly taken down. The architect behind The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, is famously pally with Hideo Kojima, and with the original Death Stranding being available on PC, this seems inevitable.
The only game which has been ruled out is The Witcher 4. CD Projekt co-CEO Michał Nowakowski shared a post on X stating so, in response to their nomination for Most Anticipated Game.
‘I’m very happy to see The Witcher 4 nominated in the Most Anticipated Game category at The Game Awards,’ he wrote. ‘Thanks to everyone who has already voted – your support means a lot to us. We won’t be bringing any new content to TGA [The Game Awards] this year, but we’re, as always, excited to watch the show and celebrate this amazing industry’s great night alongside all of you.’
While it hasn’t been explicitly ruled out, reputable insiders have claimed Naughty Dog’s next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, will also not be shown. A trailer for the sci-fi adventure game, starring Tati Gabrielle, debuted at The Game Awards last year.
The entire gaming industry is merely a farce: a place where people gather not to play games but to hope for new ones. It's the ultimate assembly of tinfoil hatters, who predict, decrypt, and huff and puff the hopium. And this time, it's the HL and GoW fans doing it together.
After Geoff Keighley, the host of The Game Awards, shared two cryptic images portraying some sort of demonic portal and a desert in the middle of nowhere, fans were quick to conjure up hype. For what? No one seems to know, but some think it's a new God of War game that is to be announced at the upcoming TGA.
There's a lot to back this up: the portal has various fantasy creatures that are reminiscent of the last two games, and a chest plate on it is strikingly similar to one Kratos wears in God of War: Ragnarok. The portal is in more ways than one borne out of the fantasy genre, which is hard to connect with Half-Life. But that hasn't stopped its eager fans.
Jumping on the second image shared by Geoff, the one showing just a desert in California (that curiously contains the name of the road running through it, Yucca Mesa Road) Half-Life fans are convinced this is red hot desert proof that HLX is going to be announced at The Game Awards. I mean, Half-Life starts in a desert and a facility called Black Mesa, so this is as clear cut as it gets? Right? Maybe. Probably not, though.
Geoff Keighley is known for sharing images that are oddly similar to various games, usually done to generate hype and excitement for annual events like the Summer Games Fest or The Game Awards. Sometimes these are actual teases of what is to come, but usually end up being something completely different to what fans imagined.
HL fans are extra eager to believe anything and grasp at any straws they can reach for, given how much hype was generated for Half-Life 3 in previous weeks. This hypothetical final game in the 27-year-old series hasn't been talked about more ever since HL2 Episode 2 came out, so I can understand the fans who are desperate to get closure on one of the biggest cliffhangers in the industry's history.
The Game Awards is going to give us a ton of good announcements, that much is sure, as it does every year. Whether or not that'll end up being a new God of War or Half-Life (or even both) is anyone's guess. But I think it's safe to say that no, Geoff did not just reveal these two games to us.
Over a week is left for The Game Awards 2025 to go live, and there's plenty of exciting reveals to catch, along with rewards to be handed out.
The Game Awards 2025 will be streamcast live on Twitch and YouTube for gamers and fans to catch all the action from the comfort of their homes. This guide will help you stay on track with when the event goes live so that you don't miss out on any of the major announcements.
The Game Awards 2025 countdown
The dates for The Game Awards 2025 were announced previously, along with the nominations. The countdown below will expire once this year's award ceremony begins. It will be taking place on Dec. 11 (Dec. 12 in certain regions).
[hurrytimer id="1150524"]
The countdown is based on the following timings.
4:30pm PST
6:30pm CST
7:30pm EST
00:30am (Dec. 12) BST
1:30am (Dec. 12) CEST
The first 30 minutes are expected to be an extension of the main show. We can expect premieres and reveals in the first 30 minutes as well, but the awards will be announced only after the main show begins.
The number of categories for this year's awards remains the same. Games like Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2 have received multiple nominations, while a few other popular names like ARC Raiders haven't received as many.
It will be interesting to find out who ends up as the winner come Dec. 11. More importantly, all eyes will be on the prestigious GOTY award. While Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is undoubtedly the favorite to win that title, there can always be last-minute surprises.
In the meantime, you can go through all the nominations to find out if your favorite games have made the cut this year. The voting is also on as of writing, so make sure to cast your vote and help your favorite game win.
UPDATED: The Game Awards have removed the game “MegaBonk” from the Best Debut Indie nominee category. In a statement sent to its jury members Tuesday, along with the final voting ballot, TGA said: “While many of you voted for ‘MegaBonk’ for Best Debut Indie Game, the developer contacted us to share that he is in […]
This year’s Game Awards will take play on December 11. While it’s a somewhat divisive event, it’s still usually worth tuning in, even if its just to check out what new games get announced. But if you are interested in seeing this year’s categories and nominations ahead of the show, then we’ve got the entire […]
