In addition to celebrating the best video games of the year, The Game Awards doubles to announce what’s coming in the future.
One of the most popular parts of the evening is the announcer saying “World Premiere” before a debut trailer. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s surprise reveal overshadowed any award given out during the 2012 show.
Last year’s Game Awards show announced a new Star Wars game from Quantic Dream, a teaser for Alan Wake 2, and other highlights. We’re still a couple of weeks away from this year’s show, but we’re already seeing reports on what to expect from World Premiere trailers.
Doubling Down on Diablo 4 News
News about a new Diablo 4 trailer during The Game Awards broke last month from Windows Central. Mike Ybarra, President of Blizzard Entertainment, tried to dismiss the rumors by suggesting not to believe everything you see. New reports from Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming seem to collaborate with the Windows Central reporting: we’ll see Diablo 4 news at The Game Awards.
Henderson says the media embargo for hands-on previews and interviews will lift shortly before The Game Awards. While Henderson’s reporting mentions not to expect a trailer or in-depth preview during the show, an announcement regarding pre-orders is expected during the December 8th event.
Several outlets, including Windows Central via Jez Corden and Xbox Era’s Sikmamikanico, report that Diablo 4 will release in April 2023.
When the game ships, it will feature a return to basics for the Diablo franchise. It will feature four playable classes: Barbarian, Necromancer, Druid, Rogue, and Sorcerer. Diablo 4 creative director Sebastian Stepien has often talked about how the team aims to make the story more grounded than its predecessor. One common critique of Diablo 3 was how it got away from the look and feel of Diablo and Diablo II. For Diablo 4, the narrative moves away from high fantasy and towards the everyday people of Sanctuary.
But Wait, There’s More To Expect at the Game Awards
One game that is expected to see a trailer is the upcoming sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Revealed earlier this year, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the next game in the series from developer Respawn Entertainment. Jeff Grubb, an industry insider, reports the same thing, simply responding “yes” on Twitter to Insider Gaming when the story first broke. Both sources indicate that the game will release in Q4 of Electronic Arts’ Fiscal Year 2023, which ends March 31st, 2023.
Outside of the debut teaser trailer, EA has remained pretty silent on what to expect from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The game’s website mentions the following:
“Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Cal must stay one step ahead of the Empire’s constant pursuit as he continues to feel the weight of being one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Developed by the veteran team at Respawn Entertainment, Jedi: Survivor will expand upon iconic Star Wars stories, worlds, and characters, and thrilling combat first experienced in Jedi: Fallen Order. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is being built for the current generation of gaming hardware to create a deeper and more expansive Star Wars experience for players worldwide when the game launches in 2023.”
The Game Awards Takes Place December 8th
Airing on December 8th, The Game Awards looks to celebrate the best 2022 offers in video games. A full list of nominees is available here, and like any award show, there was plenty of discourse about which games were snubbed.
The following six games were nominated for 2022 Game of the Year:
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Elden Ring
- God of War Ragnarok
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Stray
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
