The Game Awards added to its partnership tally, announcing deals with Twitter and NextVR for the Dec. 1 ceremony from the Microsoft Theater in LA. The honors will now be shown across a record number of global screens and platforms, including a live simulcast in China, courtesy of a new alliance with Tencent. Twitter’s deal with the event, which is produced, hosted and financed by Geoff Keighley, marks the first awards show to be streamed live on the platform. Other platforms delivering the stream include: Facebook Live, which will feature a special Backstage Facebook Live Room for nominees and digital influencers to go live on their pages and interact with fans in real time; as well as PlayStation Network, Steam, Twitch, Xbox Live, and YouTube. Snapchat will once again cover The Game Awards, partnering to produce a “Live Story” that curates highlights from the awards for the platform.
“Video games have the power to unite communities from all over the world, and this year we will share the power of gaming with more people than ever before,” said Keighley. “For 2016 we will expand our all-digital, no-friction path to global distribution through partnerships that include the first live awards show broadcast on Twitter, an initiative with Tencent to bring The Game Awards live to China, and our innovative, first-of-its-kind live VR broadcast with Next VR.”