The Game Awards 2017 has wrapped up its show, and the official numbers are in — this year’s Game Awards has been the biggest yet. Compared to last year, 2017 saw a staggering 200 percent increase, with over 11.5 million live stream views around the world. That’s a massive increase and The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley is blown away by the response.
“It was sort of shocking. We had no expectation for that kind of growth this year,” Keighley told Player.One. “Last year, we had a big bump because we added streaming in China with a partnership with Tencent. That was a massive new platform and audience. This year, we kept the distribution largely similar and scaled it with our partners. We were hoping to do similar numbers to last year, maybe a slight increase. I had no expectation we were going to see that.”
Keighley thinks The Game Awards’ partnerships have really helped drive eyeballs to the show. The show also offers interactivity that other awards shows can’t match. For example, Steam hosted a game giveaway and Twitch had a built-in feature for viewers to vote along with the show.
“Not surprising, but gamers like to do interactive things,” Keighley said. “We let each platform do what they want, but the general trend is there is more interactivity than ever before.”
Of course, The Game Awards becoming a platform for major announcements and new game trailers helps bring in viewers as well. Keighley thinks that’s another major reason why people are tuning into The Game Awards more than ever. “That’s the unique thing about our show, celebrating the year that was and the year that will be,” he said. “They [video game publishers] see this as a marketing platform, but also a chance to drive excitement for the industry and where it’s going in the future.”
The Game Awards’ embrace of the internet has also helped the show more than getting onto a major television network. “Part of the reason why I started The Game Awards was based on the belief that we no longer need television,” Keighley said.
Aside from reaching everywhere in the world thanks to livestreaming, the show can be specifically catered to gamers without pleasing any executives. “There’s no network restrictions, so we can do what we want to do,” said Keighley. “It was a risky bet four years ago, but every year we see an increase in viewer numbers. This is the way the world is going. We don’t want to be on television, we think we’re the new television.”
Of course, big numbers have little meaning without context, and Keighley thinks the conversation surrounding The Game Awards has been more positive this year than ever before. “There’s a sense of ownership gamers are having over the show. Now’s the time to keep building,” he said.
It seems too early to already be talking about The Game Awards 2018, but Keighley and his crew are already starting to hash out ideas for next year’s awards show. If you liked the live orchestra, you’re in luck. Keighley says he would like to see it make a comeback. “I think the orchestra was something the audience really responded to, so I would like to see that back next year,” he said.
As for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild taking the Game of the Year award, Keighley recognizes how the game deserved the praise, but wouldn’t reveal if it would be his personal pick. “I’m somewhat Switzerland on this,” he joked.
So what do you think? Did you watch The Game Awards this year? What were your thoughts on the show? Let us know in the comments section below.
