Xbox will reportedly make an announcement at The Game Awards next week

Microsoft will reportedly make an announcement at The Game Awards next week.

That’s according to prominent games journalist Jeff Grubb, who made the claim during a GamesBeat video stream on Friday but did not share further details on what it could entail.

Microsoft has shown that historically it’s willing to reserve its highest tier announcements for the awards show, such as last year’s Xbox Series X console reveal.

2020’s The Game Awards will be streamed live on Thursday, December 10 from 3.30pm PT / 6.30pm ET / 11.30pm GMT and feature new trailers, game demos and announcements, according to its organiser Geoff Keighley.

Microsoft itself has hinted that it could participate in the show’s announcements, by prominently tweeting to its fans to tune in to the show on December 10. It also concluded December’s Game Pass update with: “See you at the Game Awards friends!”

One game that will reportedly not appear is Halo. 343 Industries has told fans last month that Halo Infinite won’t be shown at The Game Awards. However, the studio said it was hoping to provide a “high level update” on the delayed game in the coming weeks before “restarting” the journey to release with fans again next year.

On Friday, organiser Keighley confirmed that EA will premiere a new look at BioWare’s Dragon Age 4 during The Game Awards.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s show will not be filmed in front of a live audience, although it will feature world premieres, musical performances and guests.

For the first time, the show will expand beyond Los Angeles, with this year’s edition set to be streamed from studios in London and Tokyo, in addition to California.

The event will also take place slightly earlier than normal to accommodate a global audience. Previously, European viewers looking to watch the show live have had to stay up until the early morning.

“I think the big opportunity that it presents to us is being a little bit more global in our rollout of the show, so normally the world comes to Los Angeles for the game awards physical event, and now we’re really taking the show to the world and being able to connect with more people and more places,” Keighley told The Hollywood Reporter in September.

The journalist and producer has already had a test-run with a digital format via August’s Gamescom: Opening Night Live, and The Game Awards is set to introduce means for its audience to interact via social media and “in-game experiences,” he said.

further reading

Halo Infinite won’t be at The Game Awards, but 343 is planning a ‘high level update’ soon

Studio hopes to provide more information about the delayed game in the coming weeks