The end of the year is nearly upon us, which means it’s time to look back on the year of video games and pick out the winners from the runners-up at the The Game Awards 2015. Produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, the Game Awards recognize the video games and developers - from AAA to the indie scene - that have stood out in 2015. The nominees were announced last month, and games up for Game of the Year include Fallout 4, Super Mario Maker, and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
The first annual Game Awards took place last year, as a replacement for the Spike Video Game Awards (or VGAs) that Keighley previously produced. Guest presenters included Nintendo of America COO Reggie Fils-Aime, actor Kiefer Sutherland, and talk show host Conan O’Brien. We now know which famous faces will be present at the Game Awards 2015, and there are some returning names along with some new ones.
Sutherland, who voiced Snake in Game of the Year nominee Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, is back again this year, as is Conan O’Brien, who became involved with the video game community following the success of his “Clueless Gamer” segments on Conan. The Game Awards are also tapping into the current Star Wars: The Force Awakens fever by including Mark Hamill among the list of presenters. In addition to playing Luke Skywalker, Hamill also has a long and successful career as a voice actor, with one of his most distinguished roles being the voice of the Joker in the Batman: Arkham series and other Batman-related video games, cartoons, and animated films.
Another celebrity set to make an appearance at the Game Awards is former NBA player and current NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal has been featured in a number of NBA video games as well as being the star of the 1994 fighting game Shaq Fu, and more recently joined the world of mobile gaming in titles like Caddyshaq and Shaqjack.
Rounding out the list of guest presenters are YouTube personality iJustine, Metal Gear Solid V voice actor Stefanie Joosten, Quantum Break’s Shawn Ashmore and studio representatives Tim Schafer (Double Fine Productions), Bonnie Ross (Microsoft Studios), Ed Boon (Warner Bros.), Jade Raymond (Motive Studios), Palmer Luckey (Oculus) and - once again - Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime. There will also be musical performances from CHVRCHES and deadmau5.
The Game Awards 2015 will take place on Thursday December 3rd at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, kicking off at 6PM. You can watch a live stream of the event on the official website.
