For Polish studio CD Projekt Red, at least, Gamescom was a success.
Cyberpunk 2077, the studio’s long-awaited action role-player, was the big winner at the 2020 European games fair, winning the overall Best of Gamescom Award as well as prizes for best PlayStation game, best PC game, best roleplaying titles and the Most Wanted consumer prize voted on by regular gamers.
The dystopian title, in which players take on the role of a mercenary called an edgerunner, a cyberpunk figure who jacks into a Matrix-esque version of the “deep net,” has been at the top of gamers’ wish lists at least since last year’s E3 conference when designers revealed that Keanu Reeves who play the character of Johnny Silverhands, a legendary edgerunner whose character lives inside the player’s mind.
In June, Netflix announced it had ordered a 10-episode anime series based on the game, which Trigger Studio will produce and Hiroyuki Imaishi is attached to direct. The series is set to debut in 2022. Cyberpunk 2077 the game is set for release Nov. 19.
CD Projekt Red also won over the online gaming community, which was forced to stay home and experience Gamescom virtually this year. The trade fair, Europe’s largest, which ran Aug. 27-30, was online-only due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fans gave Cyberpunk 2077 the Best of Gamescom Award as the number one title on offer.
Other winners, announced Sunday, included best family game for KeyWe, a cute puzzler from Stonewheat & Sons involving a pair of Kiwi birds who work at a post office; historical turn-based title Humankind from SEGA and Amplitude Studios, which won best strategy game; and 2K’s shooter Borderlands 3, which took the award for best ongoing game.
Gamescom organizers said more than two million viewers in more than 180 countries caught the market’s opening ceremonies, broadcast online, on Aug. 27. Gamescom recorded some 300 million views for challenges on social media platform TikTok using the Gamescom hashtag.
To compare, some 370,000 attended in person in Cologne, Germany for Gamescom 2019. If the pandemic permits it, organizers plan to restart the physical trade fair in August 2021.
A full list of Gamescom winners is below.
WINNERS OF THE 2020 GAMESCOM AWARDS
Best of gamescom
Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED
gamescom “Most Wanted” Consumer Award
Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED
Best Action Adventure Game
Watch Dogs: Legion, Ubisoft
Best Action Game
Star Wars: Squadrons, Electronic Arts
Best Family Game
KeyWe, Stonewheat & Sons
Best Ongoing Game
Borderlands 3, 2K
Best Racing Game
DIRT5, Codemasters
Best Remaster
Mafia: Definitive Edition, 2K
Best Role-Playing Game
Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED
Best Simulation
Project CARS 3, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Sports Game
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, Activision
Best Strategy Game
Humankind, Amplitude Studios & SEGA Europe
Best Multiplayer Game
Operation: Tango, Clever Plays
Most Original Game
Voidtrain, Hypetrain Digital
Best Indie Game
Curious Expedition 2, Maschinen-Mensch
Best Microsoft Xbox Game
Tell Me Why, Microsoft
Best Nintendo Switch Game
Little Nightmares 2, Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Sony Playstation Game
Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED
Best PC Game
Cyberpunk 2077, CD PROJEKT RED
Most Wanted Hardware/Technology
Xbox Series X, Microsoft
Best Announcement
Unknown 9: Awakening, Reflector Entertainment
Best Lineup
Bandai Namco Entertainment
Best Presentation/Trailer
Little Nightmares 2, Tarsier Studios
Best Show
World of Tanks Blitz gamescom Stream, Wargaming
Best Streamer
Erik “Gronkh” Range
Heart of Gaming Award
Indie Arena Booth, Super Crowd Entertainment
