The Game Awards 2019, which was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 12, shattered viewership records with more than 45 million livestreams, up 73% from last year’s edition.
The growth of the annual awards show’s viewership has been nothing short of impressive. From just 1.9 million livestreams in its inaugural 2014 edition, the numbers have steadily increased every year, to 2.3 million in 2015, 3.8 million in 2016, 11.5 million in 2017, 26.2 million in 2018, and now 45.2 million in 2019.
The Game Awards 2019 also had a peak concurrency of more than 7.5 million global viewers, including more than 2 million across Twitch and YouTube. Particularly on video game-focused Twitch, 4,700 streamers across the world co-streamed the show live, up from 3,300 streamers last year, with many doing real-time translations for their viewers. The peak was 1.3 million concurrent viewers on Twitch, up from 1.1 million in 2018.
Fan participation for this year’s The Game Awards was also up 50% from last year, reaching 15.5 million authenticated votes that were the basis for the awards that were handed out in the record-breaking show.
“We are grateful and humbled by the continued growth of The Game Awards over the past six years,” said the show’s creator and producer, Geoff Keighley, in a statement. “These record-setting results show that gaming culture continues to reach new audiences around the globe, and these numbers re-affirm our distribution approach of streaming the show live and free across more than 50 digital video platforms.”
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice took home The Game Awards 2019’s Game of the Year trophy, beating out Control, Death Stranding, Resident Evil 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Outer Worlds. The annual show, however, is now more than just handing out awards, as it also featured appearances by celebrities such as Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Margot Robbie, and J.J. Abrams, as well as performances by Green Day, CHVRCHES, and Grimes.
The Game Awards 2019 was also filled with major announcements, including the name of the next-generation Xbox console the Xbox Series X; Godfall, an action game that is the first title to be revealed for the PlayStation 5; and the May 2020 release of Amazon Games’ MMO New World, which is set during the 17th century in the Age of Exploration.
