Death Stranding 2. | Image: Kojima Productions
Star Wars, Death Stranding, Street Fighter, Super Mario, and much more.
Itās that time of the year when we all gather āround Twitch to watch three hours of video game announcements punctuated by some awards. Yes, itās The Game Awards 2022. As always, this yearās edition of the annual event was full of big reveals and lots and lots of trailers (there were a few awards as well). If you didnāt manage to sit through the whole thing, donāt worry, we have you covered. Here are the biggest things you mightāve missed.
Some more Final Fantasy XVI
The trailers for Final Fantasy XVI keep on coming, and the latest ā as always ā is full of gigantic monster battles and political intrigue. We even got a proper release date: the game will hit the PS5 on June 22nd, 2023. But because of all the blood, youāll have to go to YouTube to watch it.
Armored Core VI is on the way
FromSoftware took a break from accepting awards from Elden Ring to make the surprise announcement that Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is in the works. Itās coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam, and while it doesnāt have a specific release date, the studio says itāll be out next year.
The Mario Bros. movie looks like a toad-ally good time
Mushroom Kingdomās top tour guide gives Mario an exclusive look at the big city. #SuperMarioMovie pic.twitter.com/JsQgZ3aWSW
ā The Super Mario Bros. Movie (@supermariomovie) December 9, 2022
It wasnāt all games. Nintendo and Illumination also showed off a brief new clip of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, focused mostly on the always-overlooked Toads. Our previous looks focused on the Chris Pratt-voiced Mario and, more recently, Princess Peach.
Horizon Forbidden West is getting an expansion
The open world of Horizon Forbidden West is about to get even bigger. Sony announced the gameās first expansion, called āBurning Shores,ā which will let you explore new locations including the Hollywood sign. Itās due out next April, though only for PS5.
And so is Cyberpunk 2077
We got a fresh look at Cyberpunk 2077ās first expansion, Phantom Liberty, which will be out next year. It will star none other than Idris Elba.
Diablo IV is out next June
The long-in-development Diablo IV now has a release date. The dark action RPG will be out on June 6th, 2023, and you can check out a brand-new trailer for a taste of what to expect. (Just be warned that itās age-gated, so youāll have to click through to YouTube to watch.)
Amazon is trying for its own Genshin Impact
Amazon announced its latest publishing deal, teaming up with Bandai Namco on a title called Blue Protocol. Itās an MMO with anime-style visuals and action-RPG gameplay, which sounds a little like the massively popular Genshin Impact. The game will be coming to the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in the second half of 2023, which a closed beta on PC expected early next year.
A Dune survival MMO
Funcom provided a new look at Dune: Awakening, a survival MMO set in the iconic sci-fi universe. It sounds harsh:
In Dune: Awakening you strive to survive the countless dangers of Arrakis alongside thousands of other players. Explore your role and identity in this harsh environment, on an epic personal journey that will have you searching for water and building shelters against storms to controlling the flow of spice in the top echelons of this unforgiving planet.
A new trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
EA first revealed the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order back at Star Wars Celebration, and now we have a fresh trailer for the sequel giving us a good look at the gameplay. Even better, it now has a release date, launching on March 17th.
Kojima has a new game, and itās more Death Stranding
Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima stopped by to show off his next game, which heās been teasing for some time. Itās a sequel: right now itās known as DS2, but thatās just a working title. The important thing is that it looks extremely weird.
Hades has a sequel
The classic roguelike Hades is getting a sequel. Developer Supergiant Games revealed Hades II at the awards, though there arenāt many details beyond the fact that itās in development. But like its predecessor, itāll be available in early access to begin with.
A sweet surprise for Suicide Squad
We got a deeper look at Rocksteadyās Suicide Squad game, and it came with a nice surprise: the late Kevin Conroy will be playing Batman one last time.
Street Fighter 6 gets a release date
We finally know when the excellent-looking Street Fighter 6 is launching: June 2nd, 2023. We also got a new trailer that showed off a fresh look at a number of different characters in action, including Dee Jay, Manon, Marisa, and JP.
The first release from Ghost Story Games
Ghost Story Games, a studio led by former BioShock creative lead Ken Levine, showed off its first game with a brief trailer for Judas. We donāt know much else about the single-player shooter, but itās coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC whenever it does launch.
Hide and seek is coming to Among Us
The next big update for Among Us is a hide and seek mode called, appropriately, āhide n seek.ā The best part is itās coming very soon: the update will be out on December 9th.
Dead Cells, meet Castlevania
The very Castlevania-like game Dead Cells is getting a crossover with… Castlevania. The gameās next expansion is called āReturn to Castlevania,ā and itās due out early next year.
Returnal and The Last of Us are coming to PC
The extremely hard atmospheric shooter Returnal is the latest PlayStation title to make its way to PC. It doesnāt have a release date yet, but the PC version is listed as ācoming soon.ā Joining it will be The Last Of Us Part I, which will be available on March 3rd.
Hellboy is looking good
A new game starring Hellboy is in the works, and based on the first trailer, it looks like a beat āem up that really captures Mike Mignolaās art. Itās called Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, and while it doesnāt have a release date, itās coming to a number of platforms: Steam, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
The first trailer for Earthblade
The team behind indie classic Celeste is back with a new game called Earthblade, due out in 2024. Hereās the premise:
You are NĆ©voa, an enigmatic child of Fate returning at long last to Earth, in this explor-action platformer. Earthbladeās lush pixel art world offers seamless exploration, challenging combat, and countless mysteries to pick apart. Travel the remnants of a ruined world, encounter denizens both friend and foe, and piece together the Earthās fractured history.