The Game Awards 2025 Was Going Strong, Then Highguard Happened
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The Game Awards 2025 ended its run of reveals by announcing Highguard, a free-to-play hero shooter set to release on January 26th.
It left many confused, as one of the biggest events in the video game industry ended with a game that felt out of place.
The Game Awards 2025 Started Strong
The show was getting good momentum. A new Mega Man, Ace Combat 8, two new Tomb Raider games, plus they even had Larian Studios reveal that they’ve been working on a new Divinity game, and dropped the bombshell that Casey Hudson (Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic) and his new studio will be working on a new RPG called Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. These are the kinds of reveals that we believe would have been a solid mic drop before the Game of the Year presentation.
It felt like an awkward trip while crossing the finish line after a long marathon, as everyone’s watching a slow-motion stumble. With the massive reveals before it, in our minds, surely Geoff and company left the best for last.
Not this year. They went with Highguard.
It was a choice that broke the tradition of shows like TGA leaving on a high note. That “we have one last thing to show” moment fizzled out into nothing. It’s unfortunate, as it was a decent show, all things considered. A nice glimpse into 2026 and beyond. But that final reveal made us realize that, in the end, The Game Awards is also just a business.
Clair Obscur just took it all
As far as the awards go, it was expected that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would dominate, but just not to the extent that Death Stranding 2 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 walked away empty-handed. Kojima’s sequel easily could have taken at least one award given its strengths, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been met with near-universal praise since launch.
The Game Awards 2025 delivered on spectacle and surprises, but its final reveal exposed a worrying disconnect between what the show aims to value and what it now prioritizes.
About the Author - Carlos Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios put a ton of love and care into Yakuza Kiwami 2, and it runs flawlessly on Switch 2. If you’re like me and itching for a reason to take a plunge into the Yakuza universe, there’s no better time than the present.