This Saturday at 8pm EST, the SpikeTV Video Game Awards will be aired live. The show will feature a collection of many of the industry’s heavyweights gathered to see who will take home the awards for categories ranging from the Best Studio to the Best Game of the Year, but when fans tune in they can expect more than just developers thanking their loved ones.
The VGAs have become a jumping off point for developers looking to make a big announcement late in the year. The Tokyo Game Show in September features plenty of unveilings and GDC in March will have a few surprises, but between the two there aren’t many other major gatherings when the attention of the gaming world will be fixed on one event. Enter the VGAs.
Although we usually have to wait until the actual show to hear what to expect, we now know of at least one developer that has something planned. In an interview with the VGA’s host Zachary Levi that was published today on Digital Trends, the actor let slip that Epic Games has something cooking.
“I was talking with [Epic Games Design Director] Cliff Bleszinski when I first got the job,” Levi said, “and he said Epic has a great first look that they’re going to be unveiling at the awards show, which I’m super excited about.”
What game they will be unveiling is still a mystery, and it may even be a completely original IP. Currently the developer’s biggest property is the Gears of War franchise, and while a fourth game is almost certainly coming someday, a followup to September’s incarnation is likely years away. A sequel to this year’s Bulletstorm is also a possibility, but perhaps unlikely as Epic confirmed that the title failed to turn a profit.
On the other hand, it has been a few years since we’ve heard anything about a new Unreal Tournament game… Remember, you heard it here first! And if it turns out to be another game entirely, we were totally joking.
We’ll have to wait until December 10 when the SpikeTV VGAs air to find out for sure.
