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Host Sam Maggs also named several canceled games that will never see the light of day.
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"There are so many innovative games coming up that I can't wait for," Game Developers Choice Awards host Sam Maggs said Thursday night. That doesn't sound like the setup for a spot of black comedy, but wait until you hear the names of the games Maggs rattled off.
Perfect Dark? Canceled, as Microsoft shut down the studio it had founded to make that very game. Rare's Everwild? Canceled, alongside massive layoffs. Wonder Woman and Black Panther? Canceled, aaaaaand yep, canceled, with both studios boarded up and the lights turned off.
During Maggs' pointed monologue, which preceded the award show's innovation award, acclaimed composer Austin Wintory sat on stage playing a delicate song on a keyboard—a choice that was, itself, a bit of intentional commentary. Jump to the 1:00:23 mark above to watch this bit of the awards show play out.
"Legitimately, this is music I wrote for a certain Humanoid games studio, my dream job of all time, and this is my very very public therapeutic coping mechanism for that project's cancellation," he said. "So at least now it's at least been heard once in the world. That's very exciting. I'm making some emotional progress."
Wintory told PC Gamer that Mass Effect is not just his favorite game ever, but maybe his favorite anything ever, which is why the opportunity to work at Casey Hudson's studio Humanoid Origin on what was meant to be a spiritual successor was the "dream job of all time." Alas, the game itself never came to be: the studio closed in 2024, and Hudson is now staffing up to develop Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. At least a snippet of music that would've otherwise disappeared with the rest of the game made it out into the world.
Another piece of Wintory's music accompanied the Game Developers Choice Awards' In Memoriam segment honoring members of the games industry who died in the past year.
Among those honored in the In Memoriam segment were gaming pioneer Rebecca Heineman, the "father of Elder Scrolls" Julian Lefay, Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella, and PC Gamer contributor Leif Johnson.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Test...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
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Every Thursday
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Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
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From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
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Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
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Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
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"There are so many innovative games coming up that I can't wait for," Game Developers Choice Awards host Sam Maggs said Thursday night. That doesn't sound like the setup for a spot of black comedy, but wait until you hear the names of the games Maggs rattled off.
Perfect Dark? Canceled, as Microsoft shut down the studio it had founded to make that very game. Rare's Everwild? Canceled, alongside massive layoffs. Wonder Woman and Black Panther? Canceled, aaaaaand yep, canceled, with both studios boarded up and the lights turned off.
During Maggs' pointed monologue, which preceded the award show's innovation award, acclaimed composer Austin Wintory sat on stage playing a delicate song on a keyboard—a choice that was, itself, a bit of intentional commentary. Jump to the 1:00:23 mark above to watch this bit of the awards show play out.
"Legitimately, this is music I wrote for a certain Humanoid games studio, my dream job of all time, and this is my very very public therapeutic coping mechanism for that project's cancellation," he said. "So at least now it's at least been heard once in the world. That's very exciting. I'm making some emotional progress."
Wintory told PC Gamer that Mass Effect is not just his favorite game ever, but maybe his favorite anything ever, which is why the opportunity to work at Casey Hudson's studio Humanoid Origin on what was meant to be a spiritual successor was the "dream job of all time." Alas, the game itself never came to be: the studio closed in 2024, and Hudson is now staffing up to develop Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. At least a snippet of music that would've otherwise disappeared with the rest of the game made it out into the world.
Another piece of Wintory's music accompanied the Game Developers Choice Awards' In Memoriam segment honoring members of the games industry who died in the past year.
Among those honored in the In Memoriam segment were gaming pioneer Rebecca Heineman, the "father of Elder Scrolls" Julian Lefay, Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella, and PC Gamer contributor Leif Johnson.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Test...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?