| The Game Awards 2021 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | December 9, 2021 |
| Venue | Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Geoff Keighley |
| Preshow host(s) | Sydnee Goodman |
| Highlights | |
| Most awards | |
| Most nominations | Deathloop (9) |
| Game of the Year | It Takes Two |
| Website | thegameawards.com |
| Online coverage | |
| Runtime | 3 hours, 12 minutes[1] |
| Viewership | 85 million |
| Produced by |
|
| Directed by | Richard Preuss |
The Game Awards 2021 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2021. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 9, 2021. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across more than 40 digital platforms. It featured musical performances from Imagine Dragons, JID, Darren Korb, and Sting, and presentations from celebrity guests including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Keanu Reeves, Ben Schwartz, and Ming-Na Wen. Activision Blizzard was excluded from the show outside of its nominated games after the company was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on allegations of sexual harassment and employee discrimination in July 2021; Keighley's comments about the company received some criticism.
Deathloop led the show with nine nominations; it won Best Game Direction and Best Art Direction. Forza Horizon 5 and It Takes Two tied for the most wins with three awards, and the latter won Game of the Year. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was awarded Best Narrative, and Maggie Robertson won Best Performance for her role as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village. Several new games were announced during the show, including Alan Wake II, The Expanse: A Telltale Series, and Sonic Frontiers, and the first full trailers for Halo and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiered. The show was viewed by over 85 million streams, the most in its history to date.[a] It received mixed reviews, with some praise directed at new game announcements and criticism for its length and focus on announcements over awards.
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