FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — February 22, 2022 — The South by Southwest® Gaming Awards (SXSW®), celebrating the wide reach of gaming across areas such as art, design, narrative, gameplay, cultural innovation, and more, has today announced that this year’s virtual Ceremony will be co-hosted by two of TV’s freshest faces — Jana Morrison (“Astrid”; Dragalia Lost video game, voice talent, English version) and Samantha Aucoin (“Lilly”), the heroic leads of Astrid & Lilly Save the World, SYFY network’s new, critically acclaimed series hailed as a “charming” and “refreshing” modern take on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In addition, a diverse roster of presenters from entertainment and sports has been assembled (see below), as well as some special partnerships and premiere content set to shape this ninth annual gaming industry celebration into a distinct, must-stream awards season event, Produced by Georgia-based Peach Maria Productions (pronounced muh-RY-uh), executive produced by Laurie Lockliear (upcoming esports reality competition series GameMaster), the Awards will stream for free as part of SXSW Online on March 12, 2022, at 7 p.m. CT.
Several platforms will be integrated to create the SXSW 2022 experience across web, mobile and TV. A dedicated SXSW TV app can be accessed via Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, and Android TV. In addition, SXSW TV is now available on iOS and Android. Additional live content, including Keynotes, Featured Sessions and Music Showcases, can be found in each of the 24-hour channels, during the SXSW 2022 event dates (March 11-20, 2022).
In terms of content, this year’s Ceremony will feature a first-ever integrated animated narrative, produced by Web3 animation studio, Toonstar (The Gimmicks, the first community-driven animated NFT series), in partnership with 6th Wall, the Web3 arm of Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Productions (Stoner Cats), Featuring a signature quirky, expressive and fast-paced animation style, these NFT animated characters and their friends set on a misguided adventure to this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards and beyond. See “The Gimmicks Road to SXSW” teaser clip HERE. In addition, viewers of this year’s Ceremony on March 12 will have special access to an exclusive offer from The Gimmicks.
Plus, Tik Tok sensation, pop punk band Punk Rock Factory (YouTube; Disney’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” cover) has written a new song, with its wet-and-wild video making its world premiere during the show. According to the South Wales-based band, they “rehearse, write, record, mix, master and film everything themselves in one dedicated space affectionately called The Sausage Factory and frequently bring friends along to enjoy the fun.”
The presenters reflect the most dynamic talent, executives and storytellers across the film/TV/music/gaming industry and sports, and represent some of the most distinctive and acclaimed projects in entertainment.
Presenters and talent appearing include (in alphabetical order):
- Michael Anthony, (Raising Dion, upcoming Paramount family action film Secret Headquarters)
- Kadeem Hardison, (upcoming AMC’s Moonhaven, A Different World)
- Ramon Hermann, SVP Americas, ESL Gaming
- Maria Ho (Women in Poker HALL OF FAME 2018 inductee, The Amazing Race)
- Hosts of G4TV’s XPlay
- Ryan Johnson, CEO, Cxmmunity
- Doug Jones (Star Trek: Discovery, upcoming Hocus Pocus 2)
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports Team
- Ivan Mbakop (Hawkeye)
- Taybor Pepper (NFL/San Francisco 49er’s long snapper, former Michigan State Spartan)
- Corey Reynolds (Resident Alien)
- Cory Strassburger (a.k.a. “Blu,” visual effects artist and one-man-band creator of YouTube show Xanadu)
- Stephanie Sheh (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, voice actress, ADR director, writer and producer)
- Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien, upcoming Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy)
- World Boxing’s Eric “Butterbean” Esch (3x Super Heavyweight Champion) & Larry Holmes (Hall of Fame Boxer & Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World)
- WrestleQuest’s Jeff Jarrett (My World with Jeff Jarrett)
“We’re so excited…NO… ECSTATIC to be your hosts for the 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards!,” said first-time co-hosts, Astrid & Lilly Save The World co-stars and on/off-set best friends Jana Morrison (“Astrid”) and Samantha Aucoin (“Lilly”). “As gamers and award show season stans, we promise an all-out good time with plenty of fun surprises.”
For more of the ladies’ reaction, watch HERE. Catch all-new episodes of Astrid & Lilly Save The World on Wednesdays at 10 P.M. ET/PT on SYFY.
As previously announced live on G4TV’s XPlay, leading nominees include: “Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” from developer and publisher Ember Lab, scored four nominations. Five titles – “Deathloop,” “Inscryption,” “Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker,” “Forza Horizon 5” and “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart” – each took three nominations.
Additionally, 12 titles received two nominations each, including “Before Your Eyes,” “Chicory: A Colorful Tale,” “Hell Let Loose,” “It Takes Two,” “Loop Hero,” “Lost Words: Beyond the Page,” “Resident Evil Village,” “Returnal,” “The Medium,” “The Wild At Heart,” “Unpacking” and “Valheim.”
Each year the SXSW Gaming Awards honor excellence throughout the industry, celebrating the talent that influences the medium and culture of gaming. The annual Gaming Awards celebrate the technical, artistic and design achievements of each year’s best titles and their creators.
Following a rigorous process of nominee selections, this year’s Awards will feature 40 unique games contending for honors in 12 categories (see list of nominees below).
As with each year, the SXSW community voted between February 1-8, 2022. Final winners will be determined through a weighted total of public voting, advisory board and SXSW staff input. More information about the entry and judging process is available here.
Editor’s note: For the full list of SXSW Gaming Awards nominees in this press release, proceed to page 2.
