The Game Awards 2018: all the announcements and trailers – The Verge

The Game Awards has made its peace with what it can and can’t do

2018-12-07T16:06:01-05:00

It's been two years, and Geoff Keighley, creator of The Game Awards, is still thinking about the Schick Hydrobot.

In 2016, while the glitzy industry celebration was enjoying its third show, viewers were preoccupied with the night's strangest guest: a marketing gimmick in the form of a shockingly buff blue-and-silver robot with a nightmarish razor blade for a head. It walked the red carpet. It posed with games luminary Hideo Kojima. And, much to the chagrin of many viewers, its silent, hulking form appeared in segments throughout the night.

Marketing integration isn't a sexy concept, and not even broad shoulders and biceps can make it so. O …

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The 13 biggest announcements from The Game Awards 2018

2018-12-06T23:58:33-05:00

The Outer Worlds.

The Game Awards is ostensibly the equivalent of the Oscars for the video game industry, but the biggest names in interactive entertainment have never been known to turn down a good marketing opportunity. So The Game Awards have also evolved into a jam-packed news event, with new trailers, game announcements, and other surprises packed in between the night's slate of prizes.

This year was no different, and The Game Awards were home to some big announcements from Fortnite creator Epic Games, Ubisoft, and a slew of indie developers. If you weren't able to watch it live, here's the biggest news from the show:

Simogo announces Sayonara Wild Hear …

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Persona 5’s Joker is the first Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character

2018-12-06T23:37:51-05:00

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is almost here, but Nintendo isn't resting on its laurels. On the eve of the game's launch the company announced the first of five DLC characters for the fighting game: Joker from Persona 5.

There's no word yet as to when the DLC will be out, but we do know that along with Joker as a playable character, the DLC pack will also include a new, Persona-themed stage and a collection of new music from Persona.

Each Smash Bros. ultimate DLC pack will cost $5.99 separately, with Nintendo also offering a bundled "Fighter's Pack" for $24.99.

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Fortnite’s new block area will feature player creations

2018-12-06T23:22:06-05:00

Fortnite is a game that just won't stop. In addition to announcing a brand-new creative mode this week, a new Epic Games store, and the start of season seven, the developers behind the battle royale game announced "The Block" today at The Game Awards, an area of the battle royale island that will highlight some of the best creations made by players in the new creative mode. You can load Fortnite right now and see it yourself at the Risky Reels location, which has been cleared to make space for the new addition.

To enter the competition, players must build something in Creative Mode and share it on social media using the hashtag #Fortnite Blo …

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Magic: The Gathering is getting a pro league with $10 million in prizes

2018-12-06T22:47:14-05:00

One of the world's most enduring game is getting a high-level professional league for its top players. At the Game Awards this evening, Wizards of the Coast revealed a new e-sports initiative that covers both the physical version of Magic: The Gathering, as well as the PC iteration, Arena. The competitions will include a combined $10 million in prizes.

At the core of this new venture is the Magic Pro League, which will include 32 of the world's best players, competing in a series of weekly match-ups as well as major tournaments, called Mythic Championships. Each MPL player will receive a $75,000 contract in addition to the opportunity to ea …

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Dark Souls-style adventure Ashen is out right now on Xbox One and PC

2018-12-06T22:33:29-05:00

It's been a long wait for Ashen, an intriguingly dark action-adventure game that was first revealed back in 2014. At the Game Awards this evening, developer A44 revealed the game's long-anticipated release date - and it's actually available right now. You can grab the game now on Xbox One and PC, through Epic's new game store.

Despite being in the works for so long, Ashen still remains something of a mystery, combining elements of Dark Souls and Shadow of the Colossus into a strange fantasy adventure. Here's how A44 describes it:

Ashen is a co-op adventure game about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. At its core, Ashen is about …

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No Man’s Sky developer Hello announces its next game, The Last Campfire

2018-12-06T22:15:53-05:00

While No Man's Sky continues to grow in interesting new directions, developer Hello Games is announcing its next project, and it's something very different. Called The Last Campfire, the game is a beautiful, and much smaller experience compared to the sprawling No Man's Sky. "We call it a Hello Games Short," says Hello's Sean Murray. "Like Pixar shorts, it's a way to foster creativity and new voices in the studio."

We don't know much about the game, but here's how the studio describes it:

The Last Campfire is an adventure, a story of a lost Ember trapped in a puzzling place, searching for meaning and a way home. Together you will discover …

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Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds looks like sci-fi Fallout

2018-12-06T22:08:27-05:00

Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment's newest RPG is The Outer Worlds.

Obsidian Entertainment brought the first teaser for The Outer Worlds to The Game Awards, giving fans of the developer just a small glimpse into the newly crafted world. The trailer showed off intergalactic travel, numerous planets, and sci-fi technology. A brief introduction to weapons and characters players will encounter also appear.

A teaser for the announcement was posted on Obsidian Entertainment's website prior to the game awards, and used images of retro space guns and local grocery store items like bread and skincare to tease out the next adventur …

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 announced as a Nintendo Switch exclusive

2018-12-06T21:52:32-05:00

Nintendo has announced Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order exclusively for the Switch. The game was announced through a trailer shown off at The Game Awards, which are currently in progress; it'll be out in 2019. Team Ninja, the studio behind Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Nioh, is on board as developer, marking its first Nintendo collaboration since Metroid: Other M.

It's been a while since the last Ultimate Alliance game; the second came out in 2009 for various platforms. The series focuses on Diablo-style action RPG combat, and features characters from throughout the Marvel universe. Ultimate Alliance 3 will allow for up to fou …

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Epic’s PC game store is live now

2018-12-06T21:41:05-05:00

Epic Games announced earlier this week that it was entering the digital game store business, and just a few days later the Fortnite developer is ready to open its marketplace. The new Epic Games Store, which will live inside the Epic Launcher app for Windows and Mac, is now live after a surprise launch in the middle of the Game Awards in Los Angeles this evening.

Epic is only confirming 14 titles right now, but its first two to be available right now are high-profile ones: Ashen from developer A44 and publisher Annapurna Interactive, and an all-new game from Bastion and Transistor developer Supergiant Games called Hades. Some other big name …

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