What just happened? The Game Awards is set to air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 12 (that's tomorrow). To help drum up more of a connection with viewers, Canadian game journalist and The Game Awards creator / producer Geoff Keighley has put together a 48-hour "digital consumer event."
The Game Festival launches on Steam at 10 a.m. Pacific on Thursday. The two-day-long affair will feature more than a dozen first-look game demos that'll be playable over a 48-hour period. Titles on the docket include System Shock, Spiritfarer, Eastward, Moving Out, Roki, Wooden Nickel, Chicory, Haven, Heavenly Bodies, The Drifer, Carrion, SkateBird and Acid Knife.
Once the timer is up, they'll disappear from Steam.
"The Game Festival is designed from the ground-up as an event without barriers, extending the benefits of a physical event to the global gaming community that watches The Game Awards," said Keighley.
Indeed, not everyone can attend a physical trade show or consumer event. The Game Festival gives fans the opportunity to experience some of what it is like to attend a convention without leaving home.
Now in its sixth year, The Game Awards is bigger than ever and will air live across more than 60 global digital networks including Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, Steam, Mixer and Facebook Live, just to name a few. It all starts at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.
Who do you think will take home Game of the Year honors?