God of War is the game of the year at TGA 2018. Ceremony Recap

The Game Awards 2018 is over - and we finally have a true GotY title winner (unlike some other award ceremonies - yeah, Golden Joysticks, we are looking at you). The best game of the year in the wonderful God of War by Sony Santa Monica, and it's worth noting that we have a PlayStation exclusive as the superior project of the current year. That should give you some thoughts to consider, shouldn't it?

There's still a slight sense of Fortnite in The Game Awards, as it has won a few categories like "Best ongoing game" which it actually deserves, and also "Content creator of the year" handed in to Ninja. Why Fortnite then? If that's a legit question for you, it means you are spending time mostly outside of the Internet - and it's good for you. Ninja's considered to be among the most popular Fortnite streamers being watched on Twitch. He even teamed up with Drake, you know.

The list of The Game Awards 2018 winners reads as follows (sadly, nothing for Marvel’s Spider-Man):

• Game of the Year: God of War
• Best Ongoing Game: Fortnite
• Best Game Direction: God of War
• Best Narrative: Red Dead Redemption 2
• Best Art Direction: Return of the Obra Dinn
• Best Score/Music: Red Dead Redemption 2 – Woody Jackson
• Best Audio Design: Red Dead Redemption 2
• Best Performance: Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2
• Games for Impact: Celeste
• Best Independent Game: Celeste
• Best Mobile Game: Florence
• Best VR / AR Game: Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
• Best Action Game: Dead Cells
• Best Action / Adventure Game: God of War
• Best Role-Playing Game: Monster Hunter: World
• Best Fighting Game: Dragon Ball FighterZ
• Best Family Game: Overcooked! 2
• Best Strategy Game: Into the Breach
• Best Sports / Racing Game: Forza Horizon 4
• Best Multiplayer Game: Fortnite
• Best Student Game: Combat 2018
• Best Debut Game: The Messenger
• Content Creator of the Year: Ninja

The Games Awards also hosts a few esports categories, and the best discipline this year is Overwatch. Should it be Artifact next year, remains to be seen. Here's the full list of winners:

• Best eSports Game: Overwatch
• Best eSports Player: Dominique "SonicFox" McLean (Echo Fox)
• Best eSports Team: Cloud9 (League of Legends)
• Best eSports Coach: Bok "Reapered" Han-gyu (Cloud9)
• Best eSports Event: League of Legends World Championship
• Best eSports Host: Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere
• Best eSports Moment: C9 Comeback Win In Triple OT vs FAZE at ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018

God of War is undoubtedly a majestic game. Do you recall that moment when Cory Barlog shed a few tears in his very own reaction video to all the scores the game received from media outlets? It was indeed a genuine response to all the work put into this game being recognized worldwide. "Best Game Direction" also goes to God of War - and you already know why. The fresh Red Dead Redemption 2 won several categories too, and the most notable one is "The Best Narrative". One might argue that RDR2 should've won the GotY award as well, but let's be honest. Its singleplayer campaign is absolutely astonishing, while RDR Online still has a long way to go. It's just a beta - and as far as it's a part of the game, the whole experience simply can't be the best one this year due to RDR Online's existing issues.

Major announcements

The Game Awards isn't just about the awards, which may sound a bit odd. We have a bunch of major announcements straight from the ceremony, and we are really looking forward to them. Well, almost all of them. On a mainstream note, Ubisoft has announced a direct sequel to its Far Cry 5 titled Far Cry: New Dawn. It depicts the post-apocalyptic future set 17 years later after the events of previous game. New Dawn utilizes the map of Hope County which was drastically changed due to the outrageous nuclear war around the world and a few nukes, that reached the aforementioned area. Back in the old days it would've been an expansion pack, but the market has changed since and New Dawn is going to be a full standalone game.

We also have a surprising announcement from Ed Boon, one of the creators of Mortal Kombat franchise. He took the stage at The Game Awards to announce the winner for the "Best Sports / Racing Game" category, but that was just a clever cover for his real intentions. We now have Mortal Kombat 11 and the amazing debut trailer featuring Raiden and Scorpion. Heroes are extensively using melee weapons, so we might be looking at some kind of an attempt to include SoulCalibur mechanics. Violence, blood and gore are also on the spot in the video in order for you to quench your thirst for brutal fights.

Finally, we've got a look at the new and original RPG by Obsidian named The Outer Worlds. The events of the game take place in a retro-futuristic setting, and we are going to explore a bunch of colorful planets on our journey - with a humorous twist. According to the game's lore, the romance of space exploration is spoiled by megacorporations that own the very culture on the furthest colonies from Earth. Player's choice will have the major role here as it determines not only the outcomes of your short-term decisions but also the finale as well.

It's a "proper Fallout", let's put it this way. Chris Avellone has already left a joyful joke on Bethesda after viewing the announcement, although he has nothing to do with the project. Still, two of the original creators of Fallout are deeply involved in development of The Outer Worlds. We are talking of course about Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain. Judging by the trailer, the atmosphere of Fallout is really strong here - unlike the notorious Fallout 76.

There're also some other announcements worth noting, like the new Dragon Age and a few others, and we'll definitely cover them as well in the coming articles.