Chapter 632: TGN Awards Ceremony
Inside the experience store.
Many people were gathered in the main hall, gathered around the TV to watch the TGN annual game awards ceremony.
"Hey, wasn't the store owner supposed to be there? Where is he?"
"With so many audience members, how are we supposed to spot him? It's not like those foreigners would give him a special camera shot, right?"
"What's there to worry about? When he goes up to accept the award, they'll have to show him, won't they?"
"This venue is huge, so impressive! The host standing on stage feels so small, good thing the camera zooms in close!"
"Which award are they on now? Did the store owner win anything earlier?"
"He did. 'Dark Souls' already won Best RPG, 'League of Legends' won Best Operations, 'Super Mario Odyssey' won Best Family Game, and also, the EC team from 'League of Legends' won Best Esports Team."
"Only that many?"
"...Damn, this is TGN. There aren't that many awards total. You think they're selling cabbages by the pound here?"
"Even though there are a lot of awards, they all make sense. 'Dark Souls' fits the tastes of those Western audiences perfectly, so winning Best RPG isn't a stretch. 'League of Legends' had an even bigger S2 event this year, with player numbers and revenue reaching new heights, so Best Operations is well-deserved."
"Right, the key is to see who gets the biggest prize, Game of the Year!"
"Is anyone watching the Game Committee's awards ceremony? How many awards has Sister Goldfish picked up?"
"The Game Committee's awards ceremony? Who cares? No matter what, the store owner will sweep them all. There's no suspense anymore!"
On the TV in the experience store's main hall, the TGN awards ceremony was being broadcast live. Many Thunder Entertainment employees and players were crowded in front of the TV, waiting for the final Game of the Year announcement.
Coincidentally, the Game Committee's awards ceremony this year basically overlapped with TGN's, so Chen Mo didn't go; he sent Su Jinyu instead.
But most people weren't paying attention to that side. For Chen Mo, he had already won the domestic Game of the Year last year, and this year 'Dark Souls' was a sure thing anyway. There was no point in focusing on that, so he just let Su Jinyu go up on stage and show off.
The real focus was on TGN.
As one of the most authoritative game media outlets in the world, TGN's ratings were generally considered objective, fair, and impartial. There was no official organization like the Game Committee worldwide that could oversee all game companies, so the global Game of the Year could only be judged by these authoritative game media outlets.
And no domestic designer had ever won the global Game of the Year honor.
"Here it comes, here it comes! The big one, revealing Game of the Year!"
The TGN stage was enormous. During the waiting period, the big screen had been showing the latest trailers for several games, including a special New Year DLC for 'Super Mario Odyssey,' which drew cheers from the live audience.
After the preparations were complete, the host came back on stage.
The TGN host was a handsome young man who had been hosting the TGN awards for many years. For many long-time overseas viewers, he was a familiar face.
The host walked to the front of the stage, and the venue fell silent. Inside the experience store, everyone in front of the TV held their breath.
Everyone knew it was time for the most critical award: Game of the Year!
The host cleared his throat solemnly and spoke in a very dignified tone: "This year has been a special one, and a year of rapid growth for the gaming industry. Many groundbreaking masterpieces have emerged in the gaming world, making the competition for Game of the Year incredibly fierce."
"And what's most astonishing this year is the sudden rise of Chinese games. Actually, Thunder Games already earned a nomination for Best Esports last year with 'League of Legends,' but at that time, we had to admit they were still a very young game company, not yet qualified to compete for Game of the Year."
"But this year, Thunder Games has forcefully entered our field of vision with two games, 'Dark Souls' and 'Super Mario Odyssey,' and will compete with the world's top game companies for the honor of Game of the Year."
"For TGN, this is a very good phenomenon. We look forward to seeing more game companies rise up and propel the global gaming industry forward. Now, please welcome the TGN orchestra to perform a medley for all the nominated games!"
The camera cut. Since it had been a close-up of the host, the viewers in front of the TV hadn't noticed that an entire orchestra was already set up on the stage.
First, a close-up of the violinist, then the camera pulled back, allowing everyone to see the full scene.
On the massive stage, the entire orchestra was playing the theme music of the games, while the big screen began showing game clips.
These were all the classic games of the year, with each game's music lasting about a minute.
"Oh, 'Blood Coast'!"
"'Dawn of the Gods 4'!"
"'Crisis Speed 3'!"
"Wow, TGN's Game of the Year contenders are all on this level? That's terrifying! These are the masterpieces from big studios we could only look up to before!"
"Here it comes! 'Dark Souls'! Looks like they're treating the main game and the prequel as one series!"
"Yeah, since they came out the same year, it's basically like a big DLC."
"Honestly, I'm a bit nervous. 'Dark Souls' already won Best RPG. Can it still win Game of the Year?"
"I don't know. Let's keep watching."
"Oh? 'Knight's Glory'? Whoa, is this rigged? A contender on this level can be nominated for Game of the Year?"
"...Give them some face. It's at least a GA production using the latest Origin engine. Are you being a bit too harsh by not even letting them be a runner-up?"
"Hey, why is Odyssey here too!"
"Wow, 'Super Mario Odyssey' has some prestige! Everyone else is just playing game music, but they're straight-up singing the theme song!"
"I remember they had a Western singer perform it back then, so it was convenient to just invite them to the stage..."
Many people in front of the TV were surprised. 'Dark Souls' being nominated was expected, but 'Super Mario Odyssey's' nomination caught many off guard.
Because while this game was also very good, its influence domestically was far less than 'Dark Souls,' and strictly speaking, even less than 'Prototype.'
For many players, 'Super Mario Odyssey' was just a game that did a good job of supporting the Switch's launch, without having that much of an impact.
But clearly, in the eyes of the TGN judges, it was fully capable of competing for the honor of Game of the Year.
The big screen began showing gameplay footage of 'Super Mario Odyssey,' and many players who had only played it on the Switch realized for the first time how high the graphical quality of this game was.