‘Lots of games get sold out of The Game Awards’: There has to be a balance between reveals and awards, Keighley says
Both are important, he says, because people come for the announcements then buy the award-winners
The Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley says it’s important to strike a balance between new game announcements and the actual handing out of awards.
In an interview with The Game Business, Keighley said he understands that some viewers watch The Game Awards mainly because they want to see trailers for new game announcements, while others watch because they want to see who wins the awards themselves.
It’s a balance that has to be maintained, he says, because the people who come for the announcements may discover the games that win awards and buy them as a result.
“There are many different constituents that tune in,” he explained, “and it is a balancing act. You correctly pointed out that there’s the awards aspect of the show, there’s the announcement aspect, and yes, there are some people that would like to see the show be all awards. Some would like to see all announcements.
“My view always is that the announcements create a very wide audience that tunes into the show. And because of that, when we do give out these awards, they’re seen by a lot of people.
“Lots of games get sold out of The Game Awards. Balatro had a huge boost. So hopefully it’s a good thing for developers. But that careful balance is a hard thing to strike and we don’t always get it right.”
Keighley added that maintaining this balance isn’t a science, and as a result each year’s edition of The Game Awards is received differently depending on how big the announcements were, which games won the awards or a combination of the two.
“Every year is different,” he explained, “so it’s very hard to predict what the reaction will be. We wake up the next morning and we see how people feel about it.
“Last year people generally liked the show, the year before people didn’t. And we’re going to show up every year and keep building it with the industry. And if people don’t like something, we come back and try and do it better.”
The Game Awards will stream live from its traditional venue of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 4.30pm PT / 7.30pm ET (December 12 at 12.30am GMT).
