I am Geoff Keighley, Producer of The Game Awards, AMA!

Will you acknowledge Activision's shitty behavior?

It's certainly been so sad to read all the stories - I'm thinking about the right way to address this in the show and how we can help the situation for developers. Last week I said I was trying to navigate what to do or say and that became a whole story unto itself. The situation at Activision is terrible, but there's also a larger industry conversation to have. How do you guys think I should handle it? I realize I have a big platform and am just trying to figure out how best to help tbh.

The most important question of them all - why Thursday?

It's a great question -- as well as the time of the show. We have to find a time that works globally, so 4pm PT is late in Europe, but relatively good for NA/Brazil/Asia. We do the Gamescom and SGF shows earlier in the day at 11am which is better for Europe, less great for Asia.

Thursday is just where we started. We've talked about doing the show on a weekend, but it's always tough with the holiday season. One year I would love to try doing the show on a weekend.

Will anything in this show put you back in gamer prison?

Oh probably? Expectations are a funny thing. I'm sure people will want more news than what we have in the show, but hopefully we also surprise folks with new games? I never quite know what to expect of the reaction. We just make the best show we can based on the content available to us. We don't make the games, and COVID is still a very real thing that has been impacting development. Given that we have a pretty amazing lineup I think.

How do you balance people viewing this as a place for big announcements like an E3 press conference while trying to make receiving an award prestigious? Do you worry by glossing over awards quickly they don’t show value?

Yeah that's always a tough balance to strike -- especially when a LOT of the audience just wants to see forward looking news. We never get it quite right (everyone has their own POV on this), but it's a constant conversation.

Hey Geoff, how long are "world-premiers" planned in advance? For example, how long was the planning to reveal Sephiroth or Joker take place?

It depends! Sometimes they are planned years in advance. Sometimes a few weeks. For Hades, we planned that out with SuperGiant for about 8 months. Often times we start to plan something and then plans change....as things go. Especially with the pandemic.

What time are you revealing GTA 6 tomorrow?

Shocking headline: We are not revealing GTA6 tomorrow.

Hi Geoff! Really excited for the show this year, and every year.

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Recently there have been some discussions about a number of gaming company CEO's or higher-ups that have been accused of misconduct in one manner or another. Are there any plans to limit or cease how much influence they have on the advisory board or other interaction with the show?

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Thanks for all that you do, again I always love watching the shows and seeing the reveals.

I think there's a general misunderstanding of the advisory board on the show. They have ZERO power related to the show. They are advisors, they aren't a board of directors, I don't answer to them. I own The Game Awards 100%.

Of course they are all big/important players in gaming so we care what they think, but it's not like the advisory board approves my scripts or decides on show content.

We started that board back in 2014, and the basic point was to get all the platforms and all the major publishers to back Game Awards as an official thing. It was needed when I was starting on my own, and it was important to have full industry support behind TGA.

Moving forward I'm definitely thinking about how to evolve our plans -- and new voices to add into the mix too. Today a lot of developer-publishers are making huge waves on their own and don't need to go through a publisher to reach the audience.

Hello, Geoff. First off, let me thank you for everything you’ve done for this industry; your hard work and dedication have helped elevate the perception of games in the public space as more than entertainment, but products that require dedication, love, and hard work on the side of developers to create and give to consumers.

In that vein, I wanted to ask you this- has there been any consideration in the game awards for opportunities to create better environment and workspaces for these employees by celebrating studios that DO treat their employees with dignity, distinction, and compassion- unlike some studios which have been under fire for doing the opposite. Do you think creating awards or distinctions that highlight good workplaces with low crunch, fair compensation, and respect for employees would help to foster more healthy working ecosystem in the industry that could also lead to better games and experiences on the consumer side of the spectrum?

Cheers, and tell Kojima I say hi.

Yep we're thinking a lot about this and how we could do some good. I've thought about doing some kind of award/recognition for this, the real question is how do you evaluate this? Do you survey employees? Have an independent group explore it? We could totally do a "Best Workplace" Award potentially, I'd just want to figure out a really fair and good way to judge that. Open to ideas, but love the sentiment.

Will you work with MEGA64 for TGA again?

I love Mega64! Rocco sometimes comes to the show, wonder if he will be in the audience this year?

Is anyone at the show going to say anything about Activision Blizzard?

How many world premieres are show/movie related?

People are certainly free to say what they want at the show. I'm trying to figure out the best way to address what's going on generally, and I certainly don't want to ignore it. But we're also a show about celebrating games and the industry, so it's a delicate balance. Hopefully it's ok to say I'm still figuring it out and trying to be thoughtful about it?

We have I think 3 or 4 movie/tv related things -- The Sonic movie, The Halo series, The Matrix are big ones. It's kind of cool how the movie/game/streaming worlds are all coming together.

What was YOUR favourite game as a child, and what is your #1 currently?

I loved the old adventure games from Sierra and LucasArts. Games like Monkey Island 2 and Gabriel Knight.

Could you tell us about Kyle Bosman?

Kyle is so great! He used to work with us on my SpikeTV show behind the camera, and one day we asked him to do something on camera. It was for the PlayStation 4 reveal event! The rest is history.

Hey Geoff, what would you say is your personal game of the year 2021?

Always hard to answer that, especially since I haven't had a chance to play anything for the past month due to the show. So I'd give you an incomplete answer. Ask me again in a month. Can't wait to play Halo Infinite campaign this weekend!

How difficult was it to transition from the VGX show to the VGA’s? It’s come a long way!

Thanks. It was super hard starting out on my own in 2014, but now I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

Are you excited to be back in gamer prison Geoff? 🤩

What's going to send me back? If you're waiting for more Elden Ring I think I'll stay out of prison hopefully.

How annoying is it dealing with people constantly complaining online? Appreciate all you do, Geoff!

Comes with the territory!

About the next Sonic announcement, can we rest easy knowing this isn't about another Sonic Classic Collection?

Rest easy

Will there be any surprise guests?

Yep!

Whats the biggest and hardest reveal you worked for to get at the VGA's?

That's a great question! I'm not sure. I guess getting the Breath of the Wild gameplay for the first show in 2014 will always have a special place in my heart.

What game are you most excited for 2022?

Oh wow LOTS of stuff (depending on when things ship). Horizon, Elden Ring, Suicide Squad, BOTW2, Starfield, God of War? Going to be a crazy year.

Hey Geoff, viewer from the Philippines here! I'm surprised that you got Rappler on board! So my question is, why get advisors from our country? Not to say our country is bad, but we don't have a lot of influence in the gaming sphere. Not a lot of gaming journalists or developers from here. Anyway, I'm glad that you took a chance with us.

We try to be as global as possible! SEA is an emerging market I'd love to do more there.

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I'm a big fan! What's your favourite part about doing the Game Awards each year and do you have a favourite year of the Game Awards? Have a good one!

My favorite part is just seeing how much the show means to fans and developers. It keeps me going. Favorite year? Great question. 2018 was pretty cool, with the big 3 opening the show and the God of War vs Red Dead rivalry.

game awards runtime?

I think the show will be around 3 hours long.

How did you kept your passion for the gaming industry for some many years?

I don't know tbh. Whenever I feel down I see a new game and just get so excited about the future potential of the industry. We have some amazing stuff tomorrow, lots of cool gameplay too!

You mentioned a game that’s been in negotiations for over two years being at this year’s show. How much of an anomaly is that? What’s the average time for negotiations, in your estimation?

There are a few games in the show this year that are the result of 2019 conversations. (A lot of stuff was delayed last year). Most of our deals happen in the summer after the SGF timeframe.

Since we're going to see a live audience this year, can we expect to see our beloved Dark Prince of Nerd Media on stage?

He's here! Working behind the scenes

Hey Geoff is Kojima involved in this year show ? 👀

He's never too far from my shows!

May I ask what jacket you are wearing in your picture?

It's a hoodie from ALYX I think

ELDEN RING?

Yep, pretty excited about that one....It's up for Most Anticipated Game.

Are we finally gonna see elden ring??? /s

You saw it back in June! Didn't you?

Will The Game Awards ever take place at a time slot that isn't so US-centric? If it were a few hours earlier many more Europeans would be able to tune in without worrying about work the next day.

We do gamescom and SGF at a Euro-friendly time. I'm not sure on TGA, it's harder to do like a mid-day show for a big awards gala.

Hey Geoff! Will TGA become more of a general entertainment event rather than focused on games in the future? I'm asking this because the presenters and live music performances this year are %95 more related to movies instead of games (I know some of them voiced gaming characters)

There's lots of gaming stuff we can't announce in advance -- but yes, there are some cool movie tie-ins etc too. We're trying to navigate the right balance here. I'm sure there will be some purists who say "Why would you ever show a movie at The GAME Awards?" I look at it through a different lens: How video games are taking over popular culture in a lot of ways. The Sonic 2 trailer is insanely awesome....just you wait. I wouldn't have done it unless I was excited by the content.

Ultimately I just book the show with things I think are cool, and I hope you agree. Maybe you won't!

Why wasn't Returnal a candidate for game of the year?

Because the judges didn't vote for it? Not trying to be flippant, it just didn't get enough votes to be top 6.

Hey Geoff! I was lucky enough to be on the calls you had for last years show, so thank you for that awesome experience! What would you say was the most difficult part of planning for this years show and what was surprising the easiest?

Hardest part has been all the COVID rules/figuring out how to do things safely. Easiest part? I'm not sure. I guess since the shown has grown it's easier to book content and sponsors.

Over the past few years people have had discussions about whether certain reveals/awards should've been featured in the main show rather than the Preshow (the FF7R and No More Heroes 3 trailers and the best Soundrack award come to mind to name a few), how do you tackle chosing which games fit in what spot other than trying to provide variety/alternating between reveals and awards?

Also have you finished all the games running for GOTY this year?

I have not finished all the games. I've finished Ratchet, ITT and Psychonauts, have not finished RE or Metroid (still playing) or Deathloop.

Oh and re: pre-show vs main show, it's always a toss-up. So many factors play into that. Honestly the distinction between the pre-show and main show isn't that much. It's all the same stream.

Ok... So.. i can say what is that rabbit in your tweet's? I think we have here a security breach ;)

Ha not Freddys -- more of a Matrix reference

Hey Geoff! Are there any presenters/performers that haven’t been announced yet?

Yes! We have some performances and presenters we won't pre-announce.

Hi Geoff! What is the most challenging thing in the organization of the Game Awards? Will the Suicide Squad game (by Rocksteady) be in the show?

Yep Suicide Squad will be there tomorrow!

What are your thoughts about game exclusives especially from third parties (timed exclusives) and exclusive content (Only on x platform)? Do they harm the industry more than do it good?

I'm not a huge fan of timed exclusives. One of the reasons we do Game Awards is to give developers a platform-agnostic stage to debut games. I don't care where you are shipping.

How do you find the balance between indie and AAA titles for world premieres?

It's always a careful balance. We have to turn down lots of games unfortunately. We have some great indie reveals!

Whats your favorite game that will be revealed tomorrow?

Haha can't tell you that! I have a couple :). What we're doing with The Matrix is also super dope.

Why are you supporting Activision-Blizzard after everything that has went down? silence is compliance.

How exactly I'm a supporting Activision-Blizzard? We've said Activision-Blizzard is not participating in The Game Awards.