The Xbox Game Pass announced today they are hosting the first Non-Player Character Awards to celebrate the upcoming release of Free Guy. As revealed by Xbox on Twitter, the awards are hosted by Ryan Reynolds, who stars as a self-aware NPC in Free Guy.
The awards nominations were revealed in a video featuring Reynolds, presented as the “master of shameless self-promotion.” First, Reynolds welcomes everyone to the first “and let’s be honest, the last” award put together to honor the “underappreciated heroes in gaming”, the NPCs. Then, Reynolds says that NPCs might seem “unidimensional”, but that feeling might come from the player’s projection of their own lack of power. Lastly, after shattering our self-confidence, Reynolds presents the four nominees for the NPC Awards, three characters taken from the Xbox Game Pass library, and Guy, the hero of Free Guy.
The complete nominee list, as revealed by Xbox, includes:
- Samuel Hayden, from 2016’s Doom and Doom Eternal: A high-ranking UAC official who may or may not be entirely machine at this point. He’s always watching.
- Parvati Holcomb, from The Outer Worlds: Everyone’s favorite shy and empathetic mechanic. She’s the heart of the ship and the crew, and she’s the NPC for you.
- Chief Trader Mollie, from Sea of Thieves: Animal lover and vendor for the Merchant Alliance, she always has a voyage for you!
- Guy, from Free Guy: Portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, Guy is a creature of habit. He has the same daily routine and has never done anything all that extraordinary. Outgoing and perpetually cheerful, but a tad naïve, Guy is a teller in a big city bank who is a fan of mid-90s pop divas.
Fans can cast their votes so that the winner can be appropriately awarded. And, as Reynolds says during the presentation, “Guy should win”.
Free Guy is directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Date Night) from a script written by Zak Penn (Ready Player One) and Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles). Starring Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Taika Waititi, Free Guy comes to theaters on August 13, 2021. Check the NPC Awards announcement below: