Two of the most significant yearly gaming events will come to the big screen, as The Game Awards and the Summer Game Fest will air live in IMAX theaters. As Deadline reveals, Geoff Keighley, producer of both events, partnered with IMAX to offer gamers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom a new way to celebrate their passion.
During its eight years of existence, The Game Awards highlighted the best games of the year, with prizes such as Game of the Year and Best Game Direction and specific prizes for Best Action Game and Best Fighting. In addition, the Game Awards try to put indie developers in the spotlight, with Best Indie and Best Debut Indie awards being distributed in multiple editions. The event also awards the best content producers, e-sport players, and games with a positive mental health message. Although the event is relatively new, with the ninth edition being set for 2022, The Game Awards is already recognized as the main award event in the gaming industry.
Even more recent is the Summer Game Fest, which in 2022 will receive its third edition. The event was created in response to the E3 cancelation in 2020 and features new announcements, trailers, and gameplay demos from some of the most anticipated titles in the industry. Although E3 still exists, the Summer Game Fest has been competing for the position of main gaming event of the year, with each new edition trying to one-up the previous by bringing more exciting news. For instance, the 2021 edition of the Summer Game Fest offered sneak peeks at Elden Ring and Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, showing how big gaming producers are slowly moving away from E3.
Commenting on the new partnership with Keighley’s events, Megan Colligan, President, IMAX Entertainment and Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp, said:
“We are thrilled to be a part of these rapidly growing events. The two video game events are a part of IMAX’s continued efforts to diversify its content portfolio with more live and interactive events and we are looking forward to being a part of them for years to come.”
Keighley also added:
“Video games are the most powerful, immersive and spectacular form of entertainment in the world, so it’s only natural to bring them to fans in IMAX, the world’s most immersive cinema format.”
The 2022 edition of the Summer Game Fest will start on June 9 at 2 p.m. ET.