With a massive global list of committed distribution services, E3 2021 is set to reach a broader audience than ever before
LOS ANGELES – May 21, 2021 – E3 2021 continues to add leading global video and social media services that will expand the reach for this year’s all-virtual showcase. Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Gaming, TikTok, VENN, Steam, Reddit, Entertainment Weekly, WEBEDIA, Wechat, Bilibili, AfreecaTV, and many more linked below, have signed on to officially broadcast E3 programming across their channels and services, allowing fans, media and industry professionals the ability to tune into and engage with E3 2021 from anywhere around the world.
In collaboration with E3, each live streaming and video content service will broadcast E3 events and activities live, and each social media site will execute campaigns around the event that are relevant to their user base.
“Working with these leading companies ensures that this year’s all-digital E3 experience will reach audiences around the world,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of the ESA. “This will be the first time ever that E3 will be freely available across all of these major services, allowing us to reach video game fans from all corners of the globe.”
E3 2021 will be filled with four days of programming hosted by iconic personalities from the video game world, with major reveals, press conferences, industry showcases and more. The all-digital experience runs from Saturday, June 12 through Tuesday, June 15. Media, creators, industry professionals and fans are encouraged to visit the E3 2021 website to sign up for updates and to check out the most up-to-date information.
E3 is the world’s premier event for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned and operated by the ESA, the US trade association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies developing and publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the internet. For more information, visit www.e3expo.com or follow E3 on Facebook @E3Expo or Twitter @E3.
About the ESA
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) serves as the voice and advocate for the U.S. video game industry. Its members are the innovators, creators, publishers and business leaders that are reimagining entertainment and transforming how we interact, learn, connect and play. The ESA works to expand and protect the dynamic marketplace for video games through innovative and engaging initiatives that showcase the positive impact of video games on people, culture and the economy. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA.
STOCKHOLM/COLOGNE/NEW YORK — DreamHack, the immersive, gaming lifestyle experience where the gaming community comes to life, has revealed the trailer, graphics and gameplay footage for the free hybrid festival and online multiplayer game, DreamHack Beyond. The interactive event will beginon Saturday, July 24 and continue through Saturday, July 31, 2021, featuring themed worlds, 20+ festival halls, game demos, hourly tournaments (including Hearthstone and Rocket League), cosplay, live streamed music and screenings, and more. For a complete list of all festival activities and interactive video game content visit dreamhack.com/beyond. DreamHack Beyond is FREE, and registration will be available beginning June 8.
DreamHack Beyond was created to both complement and showcase the best of DreamHack in a fresh, new way allowing players/attendees to enjoy the festival in any way they choose — from virtual cosplay competitions, amateur and professional esports tournaments, and game demos, to the expo, panels, speedrunning, live streamed music and screenings, community tournaments and more. DreamHack Beyond will offer a hybrid experience featuring everything gaming under one “virtual” roof.
“The goal for all of us at DreamHack is to provide great experiences for our fans, which have traditionally thrived by bringing communities together for these shared and beloved festivals all around the globe,” said Marcus Lindmark, President DreamHack, SVP Project and Event Operations at ESL Gaming.
“DreamHack Beyond is part of evolving DreamHack into a year-round gaming lifestyle brand for the community. To us, there is nothing better than developing a hybrid multi-player event and game that unites us during these times and brings our community together in a way we understand and love,” said Justin Burnham, Vice President, Creative, DreamHack. “DreamHack is more than an event — it creates an arena where you can come to connect, explore, win, play a part, and be yourself through a gaming lifestyle experience.”
DreamHack is collaborating with award-winning Super Crowd Entertainment for DreamHack Beyond to create this hybrid between reality and fantasy. Offering the most advanced online event frame available anywhere, the browser-based, multiplayer approach is unique but also user-friendly when navigating this digital experience. With proprietary Super Crowd X5 framework, the state-of-the-art game technology offers a booth editor for exhibitors, an ingame chat system, and full streaming and online product integration.
“One thing we do well is creating a link between reality and fantasy with real brands and real content, but as part of the digital world,” said Super Crowd Entertainment CEO Wolf Lang. “It is so much fun to do this, and with the perfect combination of the right product with the ideal community, this collaboration with DreamHack is a match made in heaven. DreamHack Beyond is going to be an alternative reality with friends where everyone can do challenges, cheer together, and connect with customized characters, interaction and engagement.”
Game Updates
With every DreamHack Beyond game update, DreamHack will continue to grow and improve the game as it is incorporated into the physical / in-person events, beginning with DreamHack Atlanta in November. Whether it is quality of life and bug fixes, or additional modes and content, players can expect exciting updates from DreamHack Beyond. See all the expected updates HERE.
We’re seeing more VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) events in 2021 than ever in past years. This might actually be the first year that one has the opportunity to attend some sort of major VR/AR conference every single month, maybe a couple of times even.
Plenty of interesting news is announced at these conferences with many new products and technologies often shown at the opening keynote events. Sometimes there’s diamonds in the rough of the background of conferences too, but today we pull one shiny diamond right out of the main keynote.
We’re huge hardware geeks here at Events for Gamers. Any chance we get to review or take a peek under the hood of a new piece of technology, we’re all over it. At VIVECON 2021 this year we got a glimpse of the next-level of VR headsets, software, and platforms. Even subtle improvements in comfort of headsets was a welcome announcement. Usually these are ignored for more mature technology, but anything that can improve new tech like VR is worth mentioning.
Don’t let the expectedly drawn out and PR-heavy speak of the keynote stop you from taking in what’s going to be an interesting next couple of years in VR technology:
A quick list of highlights that focus on the VR headset technology (VIVE PRO 2):
Healthcare and public safety AR software advances
VR headset that has many disconnecting parts for replacing, cleaning, etc.
Higher res (a crazy 4896 x 2448 which should mostly remove the screen door effect).
More indicators than we’ve ever seen for battery life and performance tiers
Microphones are now even being included in these headsets for multiplayer support.
Enjoyed the video? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos!
Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it!
During the Brazil’s Independent Games Festival, deemed the largest independent games festival in Latin America, the festival organizers have announced the winners of the 2021 BIG Festival Independent Game awards.
From 100 finalists, after being examined by 50 game industry pros, the winners were selected and announced. Check out the winners for each category as follows:
BIG Festival People’s Choice:Gravitational from Electric Monkeys (Brazil)
Best Game: Curious Expedition 2 from Maschinen-Mensch (Germany)
Best Game:Latin America: Per Aspera from Tlön Industries (Argentina)
Best Game: Brazil:Retro Machina from Orbit Studio (Brazil)
Innovation Award:Genesis Noir from Feral Cat Den (USA)
Best Multiplayer Game:Hypercharge: Unboxed from Digital Cybercherries (UK)
Best Mobile Game:HoloVista from Aconite Co. (USA)
BIG Impact: Diversity:Arrog from Hermanos Magia and Leap Game Studios (Peru)
BIG Impact: Educational:Please, Touch the Artwork from Studio Waterzooi (Belgium)
BIG Impact: Social Matters:Svoboda 1945: Liberation from Charles Games (Czech Republic)
Best Audio:Genesis Noir from Feral Cat Den (USA)
Best XR/VR Game: A Rogue Escape from Spare Parts Oasis (Italy)
Best Game for Kids:Vamos Brincar de Cozinhar from Akom Studio (Brasil)
BIG Brands:Cartoon Network Golf Stars from Avix Games (Argentina)
Best Student Game:Symphonia from ISART DIGITAL (France)
Best Art:Liberated from Atomic Wolf (Poland)
Best Narrative:Lost Ember from Mooneye Studios (Germany)
Best Gameplay:Not for Broadcast from NotGames (UK)
Xsolla’s Special Award:Figment 2: Creed Valley from Bedtime Digital Games (Denmark)
GameJam+ 2020 Award:Do Not Disturb from Hollow Harpy (Brazil)
If you’d like to revisit some of the talks, stop by the BIG Festival YouTube page (in Portuguese). To check out some of the games, including the festival’s nominees and winners, visit BIG’s games pavilion.
The Ninth Annual Survey of More than 3,000 Game Industry Professionals Reflects Improved Work-Life Balance and Creativity After More Than a Year of Remote Work
SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2021 — The Game Developers Conference (GDC) has released the results of the ninth annual State of the Industry Survey, revealing trends in the game industry ahead of GDC 2021 which will take place virtually July 19-23. More than 3,000 games industry professionals weighed in on what has been a tumultuous year as developers adjusted to remote work, dealing with pandemic stress and being increasingly isolated, while creating entertainment known for helping people get through feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety. The survey results show that while the pandemic caused delays for close to half of respondents, studios overall grew or stayed the same over the last year, and that work-life balance evened out after a rough first few months, with most developers now working standard 40-hour work weeks.
The survey also showed interesting shifts in larger industry trends, including greater disapproval of the 30% revenue share many digital storefronts employ, justifying newer, more developer-friendly revenue share models being introduced by Apple, Google, and Epic. There’s also growing interest in developing games for PlayStation 5, with PC continuing to reign as the platform of choice.
44% of developers said their game suffered a delay due to the pandemic. Studios grew during the pandemic: 47% expanded staff; 34% remained the same
Complications brought on by remote work have contributed to delayed games, more so than respondents initially thought they would when first asked this question last summer. Forty-four percent of those polled said “Yes” when asked if their game has suffered a delay due to the pandemic (up from 33% last summer); 48% answered “No” and the remainder said they were not currently working on a game. However, studios continued to grow over the last year, with 47% of those surveyed reporting that they expanded their staffs. Another shift can be seen in responses relating to productivity and creativity. While 41% of respondents polled last July said their productivity had taken a hit because of remote work, 66% of respondents this year said their productivity and creativity stayed the same or even increased to varying degrees, which goes against the narrative that working from home is inherently negative when it comes to getting work done.
Only 3% of those polled think the 30/70 revenue share on digital storefronts is justified
Down from 6% when this same question was asked for the 2020 survey, only 3% of polled developers believe the 30/70 revenue split on digital storefronts is fair. Game developers largely rely on third-party digital storefronts such as Steam, GOG, Google Play, Apple’s App Store, and the Epic Games Store to sell their games. Selling games via these services comes at a cost—the standard share has been 70% for the developer, and 30% for the platform holder. That standard has come into question in the past few years, so much so that the standard isn’t so standard anymore: Google Play’s fees will soon lower from 30% to 15% for the first $1 million generated by a developer, per year; Apple similarly reduced its cut to 15% for developers that sell under $1 million in a year (though the 30% cut reactivates to affect all revenue if sales go over $1 million); Epic Games aggressively launched its store with a 12% cut, challenging the industry standard; Steam is still holding tight onto 30%–but gives a discount if a game is making tens of millions of dollars.
PS5 most popular console to develop for; PC still most popular platform
Game developers are settling in with developing for next generation consoles and Sony’s PlayStation 5 is leading developer interest when it comes to game consoles. Forty-four percent of those polled said PS5 is the platform they’re most interested in right now, followed by Nintendo Switch at 38% and Xbox Series X/S at 30%. Among all platforms, the PC led developer interest for yet another year at 58%.
The full survey, which includes more insight into the game development community’s thoughts on discoverability, paid game subscriptions and a multitude of other facts and detail, can be downloaded for free here.
For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.
About GDC
The Game Developers Conference® (GDC) is the world’s largest professional game industry event with market-defining content for programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision makers, and others involved in the development of interactive games and immersive experiences. GDC brings together the global game development community year-round through events and digital media, including the GDC Masterclass, GDC Vault, Gamasutra, Game Career Guide, Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.
GDC is organized by Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organizer in the world. To learn more and for the latest news and information visit www.informa.com.
COLOGNE/STOCKHOLM/NEW YORK — ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has announced the renewal of its long-standing partnership with Intel® in what is the biggest brand partnership deal in esports history to date. Commencing in 2022, the renewal will see the brands invest over $100m in esports over three years up to and including IEM Katowice 2025, and marks 20 years of collaboration between ESL and Intel® — extending the longest running partnership in the esports industry.
Video from ESL (on YouTube)
ESL and Intel® have been building esports from the ground up for two decades, bringing world-class esports experiences to fans and players globally in that time. The partnership started with ESL’s early events in Germany before turning into a global arrangement in 2006 when Intel® became the official title sponsor of the Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM). Since then, ESL and Intel® have taken esports to all corners of the globe with live events spanning across North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, and Australia. To date Intel and ESL have executed 82 IEM events in a total of 15 seasons, and that number will continue to grow with the partnership renewal now in place.
The renewal is a continuation of the 2016 agreement in which Intel® became ESL’s Global Technical Partner powering some of the world’s most prestigious esports tournaments and pioneering stadium events worldwide, and which introduced one of the most prestigious accolades in CS:GO, the Intel® Grand Slam. Through the partnership and the success of the flagship IEM product, Intel has cemented their position as a key player in professional esports globally.
The extension will see the two brands continuing to deliver technology solutions that will power all pro-level tournaments and events, and will enable both to look towards an exciting future in which the growth of esports continues. It will also break new ground for Intel and ESL, with the partnership now expanding to include DreamHack Open and DreamHack Festivals for the first time.
The US $100m+ investment will bring further product innovations and improvements for fans and players alike, and guarantees that ESL and Intel will continue to take esports to all corners of the world. Reflecting both parties’ commitment to bring top-level esports to the fans, all non-league ESL Pro Tour circuit CS:GO tournaments will now be unified under the legendary Intel® Extreme Masters brand, including ESL One Cologne which is now transitioning to Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne (IEM Cologne).
Ralf Reichert, Co-CEO at ESL Gaming, said: “After 20 years of building something hand in hand it’s hard to consider Intel as merely a partner. The two-decade journey has forged a bond that has no parallel in the world of esports and we are excited to be extending it with a commitment of this magnitude; the next three years will be the greatest esports fans have seen yet.”
Marcus Kennedy, General Manager of Gaming and Esports Segment for Intel, said: “When we joined forces with ESL two decades ago, we never imagined just how powerful this partnership could be. We’ve shaped the esports landscape together, collaborated on some of the most spectacular events in the world, and brought the very best esports experiences to millions of fans around the globe. As a leader in PC gaming, we at Intel are excited about this next step in our successful history together and to elevate esports to an even higher level.”
May brings new events to spring season! We’ve started to see a confidence in physical events being planned for late 2021 and especially more being announced for next year. What’s also encouraging is the creation of new events never seen before, both virtual and physical.
To help you discover upcoming game industry events calendar that includes conferences, conventions, festivals and many other types of events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.
View this month’s event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view that includes events into 2022 and beyond.
Please note that due to world circumstances, some events that are listed as having a location are, at least for the meantime, online in some form. We expect the accuracy here to resolve soon as we reach mid-2021.
This game industry events calendar list is obtained from the main calendar. Did we miss an event? Let us know! Also check out the Google version of the calendar.
The die is cast, and the winners from the the 24th D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Awards have been chosen and announced. Hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), the D.I.C.E Awards awarded the top honor, the 2021 Game of the Year Award to Hades, a popular and critically acclaimed roguelike action dungeon crawler video game developed and published by indie star , Supergiant Games. In Hades, Zagreus, the son of Hades, the god of the dead, fights to escape the Underworld where his father rules.
With five wins, Hades led the overall award count, followed the Ghost of Tsushima with four, with GThe last of Us Part II and Half-Life: Alyx picking up two awards apiece.
More than just a by-the-book online awards show, however, the D.I.C.E. Awards offered a little glitz by being emceed by co-hosts Greg Miller, co-founder of the internet video show and podcast Kinda Funny, and Jessica Chobot, host of Expedition Unknown on the Discovery Channel. Also, to mix up the content, virtual panels of the nominees were hosted by moderated Kahlief Adams, host of Spawn on Me, and will be available later on via the AIAS site at interactive.org. In the meantime, IGN has the nearly-three-hour video of the whole presentation available through YouTube:
From the D.I.C.E blog post announcing the full list of winners in all 23 awards categories, here’s the complete rundown
Game of the Year
Hades
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Developer: Supergiant Games
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Hades
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Developer: Supergiant Games
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
Hades
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Developer: Supergiant Games
Mobile Game of the Year
Legends of Runeterra
Publisher: Riot Games
Developer: Riot Games
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
Hades
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Developer: Supergiant Games
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
Half-Life: Alyx
Publisher: Valve
Developer: Valve
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
Half-Life: Alyx
Publisher: Valve
Developer: Valve
Online Game of the Year
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developer: Mediatonic
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Asobo Studio
Sports Game of the Year
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Role-Playing Game of the Year
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Racing Game of the Year
Mario Kart Live
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Fighting Game of the Year
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Family Game of the Year
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Adventure Game of the Year
Ghost of Tsushima
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch
Action Game of the Year
Hades
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Developer: Supergiant Games
Outstanding Technical Achievement
Dreams
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Media Molecule
Outstanding Achievement in Story
The Last of Us Part II
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design
Ghost of Tsushima
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Ghost of Tsushima
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch
Outstanding Achievement in Character
Miles Morales – Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
COLOGNE/STOCKHOLM/NEW YORK — Cologne/Stockholm/New York — April 22, 2021- ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has revealed updates to its much-anticipated Counter Strike: Global Offensive competitions including both events in Q2 as well as Q3’s ESL One Cologne. In light of ongoing global health restrictions, ESL plans further quarterly updates to keep the esports community informed.
DreamHack Masters Spring, scheduled to take place between April 29th and May 9th, will play out as a global online tournament with teams competing from various locations in Europe. Similarly, Intel® Extreme Masters Summer slated for June will also move to an online-only format. Previous plans had been for both tournaments to be in-person competitions from within a controlled studio environment, however the changes have been announced with the safety of the teams, crews and the esports community being paramount.
July’s ESL One Cologne tournament falling into Q3 will unfortunately close its doors to any form of public attendance. However, pending continued evaluation, it will be the first in-person competition in ESL’s calendar since March 2020, with the 24 teams fighting it out from a controlled studio setting. Current plans allow for any tournaments after Cologne and to follow this format, again pending the latest health guidance and advice.
The past year has forced many changes to events and tournament formats, all of which will make the return of fans in future all the more sweet, but the response from the esports community has been incredible. The online formats have brought record broadcast numbers with ESL collaborating with teams and partners to bring the best possible viewing experience to fans around the world. While current plans entail all events after ESL One Cologne will be played out as in-person studio competition, ESL are also working hard and exploring all available options to bring back live events in November. Further quarterly updates will be given so that the esports community can be kept up to speed on all upcoming tournaments across ESL’s gaming titles.
EPT Masters & Masters Championship calendar for CS:GO in 2021 Q2 and ESL One Cologne :
DreamHack Masters Spring 2021 | 29 Apr – May 09 | USD $250,000 | 16 Teams | Online
IEM Summer 2021 | 03 – 13 June | USD $250,000 | 16 Teams | Online
ESL One Cologne 2021 | 06 – 18 Jul | USD $1,000,000 | 24 Teams | Studio
APRIL 22, 2021 — LAUSANNE — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will partner with five International Sports Federations (IFs) and game publishers to produce the Olympic Virtual Series (OVS), the first-ever, Olympic-licensed event for physical and non-physical virtual sports.
Taking place ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the OVS will begin on 13 May, continuing through to 23 June 2021. The Olympic Virtual Series will mobilise virtual sport, esports and gaming enthusiasts all around the world in order to reach new Olympic audiences, while also encouraging the development of physical and non-physical forms of sports in line with the recommendations of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The Olympic Virtual Series is a new, unique Olympic digital experience that aims to grow direct engagement with new audiences in the field of virtual sports. Its conception is in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and the IOC’s Digital Strategy. It encourages sports participation and promotes the Olympic values, with a special focus on youth.”
David Lappartient, Chair of the IOC’s Esports and Gaming Liaison Group (ELG), and President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), said: “On behalf of the ELG, as well as the UCI, I am delighted to be involved in the launch of the first-ever Olympic Virtual Series. A number of IFs have well established virtual sports initiatives; and thanks to the cooperation between the IOC, the IFs and the publishers, the OVS is an exciting step forward for the virtual sports world and the Olympic Movement”.
The following International Federations and gaming publishers will be part of the Olympic Virtual Series:
World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) – eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020, Konami Digital Entertainment
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – Zwift, Zwift inc.
World Rowing – Open format
World Sailing – Virtual Regatta, Virtual Regatta SAS
Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital
The OVS creates a stage to connect the physical sporting world with the virtual and simulation sports gaming community, providing an opportunity to engage with the Olympic Movement. Each IF will offer its corresponding event in a format that maximises online mass participation and prioritises inclusivity and participation through the OVS. The mass-participation Series allows participants around the world to compete from home or their training facilities in order to generate excitement in the build-up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
All five OVS events will differ in form and concept, and will operate via the sport’s respective publisher platform where participants will be able to take part. Fans will have the opportunity to engage and follow the events on the Olympic Channel. Additional information on how to participate, as well as prizes included with select events, will be announced soon. Information will also be available online at www.olympicchannel.com
In line with Recommendation 9 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which states “Encourage the development of virtual sports and further engage with video gaming communities”, the launch of the first-ever OVS supports the IOC’s Digital Strategy and aims to leverage the growing popularity of virtual sport to promote the Olympic Movement, Olympic values and sports participation and grow direct relations with young people. It supports the IFs in further establishing virtual and simulated forms of sports as a discipline within their regulations and strategies. Building on the success of their respective events, both the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), along with other International Federations such as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and World Taekwondo (WT) have confirmed their excitement and commitment to exploring inclusion in future editions of the OVS.
“DreamHack Beyond” to be All-Digital, Interactive Experience
Week to Include Tournaments, LAN Party, Streaming Studio, Cosplay Championship, Livestreamed Music and Film Screenings, Expo, Panels, Game Demos and More
STOCKHOLM/COLOGNE/NEW YORK — Imagine a giant titan in a fantasy world who trips, bumps his head and falls into a coma as a “sleeper” in an alternative reality. Along comes a community who, together, curate the world of which he dreams. They spread joy, love, good times, and celebrations all week long until the giant finally awakens. This is DreamHack Beyond, the new hybrid festival and online multiplayer game.
DreamHack, the immersive, gaming lifestyle experience where the gaming community comes to life, will launch the all-digital, at-home, interactive experience DreamHack Beyond on Saturday, July 24 and continue through–Saturday, July 31, 2021. DreamHack Beyond is free, and registration will be available soon.
DreamHack Beyond was created to both complement and showcase the best of DreamHack in a fresh, new way allowing players/attendees to enjoy the festival in any way they choose — from virtual cosplay competitions, amateur and professional esports tournaments, and game demos, to the expo, panels, speedrunning, live streamed music and screenings, community tournaments and more. DreamHack Beyond will offer a hybrid experience featuring everything gaming under one “virtual” roof.
“The goal for all of us at DreamHack is to provide great experiences for our fans, which have traditionally thrived by bringing communities together for these shared and beloved festivals all around the globe,” said Marcus Lindmark, President DreamHack, SVP Project and Event Operations at ESL Gaming. “This last year has been an extraordinary time for so many, but now we are ready to bring our community back together for this innovative and uniquely-engaging occasion — we are super excited to share DreamHack Beyond with our fans.”
“DreamHack Beyond is part of evolving DreamHack into a year-round gaming lifestyle brand for the community. To us, there is nothing better than developing a hybrid multi-player event and game that unites us during these times and brings our community together in a way we understand and love,” said Justin Burnham, Vice President, Creative, DreamHack. “DreamHack is more than an event — it creates an arena where you can come to connect, explore, win, play a part, and be yourself through a gaming lifestyle experience.”
DreamHack is collaborating with award-winning Super Crowd Entertainment for DreamHack Beyond to create this hybrid between reality and fantasy. Offering the most advanced online event frame available anywhere, the browser-based, multiplayer approach is unique but also user-friendly when navigating this digital experience. With proprietary Super Crowd X5 framework, the state-of-the-art game technology offers a booth editor for exhibitors, an ingame chat system, and full streaming and online product integration.
“One thing we do well is creating a link between reality and fantasy with real brands and real content, but as part of the digital world,” said Super Crowd Entertainment CEO Wolf Lang. “It is so much fun to do this, and with the perfect combination of the right product with the ideal community, this collaboration with DreamHack is a match made in heaven. DreamHack Beyond is going to be an alternative reality with friends where everyone can do challenges, cheer together, and connect with customized characters, interaction and engagement.”
– Complete the DreamHack Beyond adventure game narrative
– Create and customize their own game characters
– Collect limited edition items
– Look for side quests to build their XP
– Cheer on favorite teams with gear and custom animations
– Visit dynamically themed halls with their own lore
– Visit an interactive station for a personalized, one-of-a-kind experience, including seeing the latest and greatest from DreamHack partners
– Watch student, community, and professional esports tournaments (including Hearthstone and Rocket League)
– Attend panels
– Play game demos
– Enjoy live streamed music and screenings
– Participate in the beloved Cosplay Championship
– And take part in the event through the other more traditional DreamHack festival activities
See complete list of festival and interactive video game content HERE.
Burnham continued: “A lot of love and time went into creating DreamHack Beyond. Its rollout is strategically really no different than the big games of today — we’ll have major updates for new features, content, and more as we develop this to compliment our physical festivals. DreamHack welcomes everyone, from the novice to the expert, from the very small to the very old, from all backgrounds, globally. We are all DreamHack.”
While DreamHack started as a gathering of friends and their computers in a school cafeteria — with no online access — it has grown into a beacon of internet culture and a gathering place for gamers worldwide. DreamHack had its last in-person festival prior to the pandemic — February 2020 at DreamHack Anaheim. DreamHack had its last in-person festival prior to the pandemic — February 2020 at DreamHack Anaheim. The next scheduled in-person events are DreamHack Atlanta November 12-14, 2021, and DreamHack Winter November 26-28, 2021.
SAN FRANCISCO – April 20, 2021 – The finalists for the 21st Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, the leading peer-based video game event celebrating the industry’s top games and developers, have been revealed today. Winners in all categories will be honored at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) ceremony, taking place at the 2021 Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Wednesday, July 21 at 4:30pm and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF). The ceremony is available to watch for all GDC 2021 pass-holders.
The developer-picked nominations are led by a three-way tie between Ghost of Tsushima, Hades and The Last of Us Part II, with six nominations each, closely followed by Half-Life: Alyx, which received five nominations. All four of these titles are nominated for the Game of the Year award.
Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima, the beautiful open world, action-adventure game where players control a samurai that must use the shadows and other less-than-noble techniques to save his home from Mongol invaders, was nominated for six awards: Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year. Supergiant Games’ Hades, the stylish roguelike adventure to escape the Greek underworld as the rebellious son of the Greek god Hades, was also nominated for six awards: Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, which continues the story of the critically acclaimed The Last of Us in a gritty revenge story set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, was also nominated for six awards, including Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.
Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx, the immersive, genre-bending virtual reality game set in the legendary Half-Life series, follows closely behind with five awards, including Best Design, Innovation, Best Technology, Best VR/AR Game and Game of the Year. Nintendo of America’s adorable social sim and town building game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, rounds out the titles nominated for Game of the Year, as well as being nominated for the Best Design award. The final game up for more than two awards is Dreams, the clever game creation system developed by Media Molecule, which is nominated for three awards: Innovation, Best Technology and Best VR/AR Game.
Any video game that was released and made publicly available during the 2020 calendar year, irrespective of platform or delivery medium, is eligible for free nomination for the 2021 Game Developers Choice Awards. Both nominees and winners are selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is an invitation-only organization, composed of leading game creators from all parts of the industry.
The all-digital 35th edition of GDC will take place from July 19-23, 2021 and feature over 400 unique sessions, along with opportunities for education, inspiration, and networking all from the comfort of attendees’ own desks. The complete list of nominees, including honorable mentions, for the 21st annual Game Developers Choice Awards is as follows:
Confrontation scene from the Last of Us Part 2 (Image: Naughty Dog)
BEST AUDIO Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Half-Life: Alyx (Valve), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo), Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit), Fuser (Harmonix Music Systems / NCsoft)
BEST DEBUT Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games)
Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital)
Carrion (Phobia Game Studio / Devolver Digital)
Mortal Shell (Cold Symmetry / Playstack)
Raji: An Ancient Epic (Nodding Heads Games / Super!Com)
Honorable Mentions: Call of the Sea (Out of the Blue / Raw Fury), Röki (Polygon Treehouse / CI Games), If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
Ghost of Tsushima (Image: Sucker Punch Games)
BEST DESIGN Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Crusader Kings III (Paradox Development Studio / Paradox Interactive), Spelunky 2 (Blitworks, Mossmouth / Mossmouth), Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
INNOVATION AWARD Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic / Devolver Digital)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Honorable Mentions: Astro’s Playroom (Sony Japan Studio/Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment), The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Watch Dogs: Legion (Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft)
Genshin Impact (Image: miHoYo)
BEST MOBILE GAME The Pathless (Giant Squid / Annapurna Interactive)
Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (ustwo / PID Publishing)
If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive)
Honorable Mentions: Pokémon Café Mix (Genius Sonority / Nintendo / The Pokémon Company), Reigns: Beyond (Nerial / Devolver Digital)
BEST NARRATIVE Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (Cardboard Computer / Annapurna Interactive)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), Half-Life: Alyx (Valve), Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt), If Found… (Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Vanillaware / Atlus)
BEST TECHNOLOGY The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Astro’s Playroom (Sony Japan Studio/Team Asobi / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VISUAL ART Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios / iam8bit)
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt RED / CD Projekt)
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus Games), Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital / Playism, Origame Digital), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST VR/AR GAME The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (Skydance Interactive)
Paper Beast (Pixel Reef)
Dreams (Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Star Wars: Squadrons (Motive Studios / Electronic Arts)
Honorable Mentions: Phasmophobia (Kinetic Games), The Room VR: A Dark Matter (Fireproof Games), Iron Man VR (Camouflaj / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios), Until You Fall (Schell Games)
Animal Crossing (image: Nintendo)
GAME OF THE YEAR Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo EPD/ Nintendo)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Half-Life: Alyx (Valve)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Honorable Mentions: Spelunky 2 (Blitworks, Mossmouth / Mossmouth), Doom Eternal (id Software / Bethesda Softworks), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Microsoft Flight Simulator (Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios), Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Square Enix), Genshin impact (miHoYo)
For more information about the 21st annual Game Developers Choice Awards, visit: http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/ For more details on the Game Developers Conference, please visit the GDC’s official website, or subscribe to regular updates via Facebook, Twitter, or RSS. Official photos are available via the Official GDC Flickr account: www.flickr.com/photos/officialgdc/.
