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The 11 biggest announcements and trailers from the 2017 Game Awards

The 11 biggest announcements and trailers from the 2017 Game Awards

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Death Stranding.
Death Stranding.

Unlike most awards shows, the biggest appeal of The Game Awards isn’t the accolades themselves: it’s the multitude of new trailers and reveals that accompany them. (If you’re curious, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild brought home the game of the year award this year.) The 2017 edition of the show, which took place this evening, is no different. Its two hour-long-plus runtime included announcements that covered everything from a new map for PUBG to an actual motorcycle in Breath of the Wild. But if you weren’t able to catch it all, we’ve got you covered. Here’s all of the important news to catch up on.

New “50 vs. 50” mode for Fortnite

Fortnite has seen a lot of success with its PUBG-like “battle royale” mode, and now developer Epic is going to be adding a new way to play to differentiate it somewhat. Starting now players will be able to jump into a new “50 vs. 50” variant of the experience, where two teams of 50 players square off in a massive battle to see which side is left standing. Curiously, Epic says that the mode will only be available for a limited time, so you might want to check out the battles soon while you can.

A good look at PUBG’s new desert map

Not to be outdone, the developers behind PUBG showed off the battle royale game’s long-awaited second map, which takes place in a desert locale called Miramar. It looks much more sparse than the game’s current map, with harsh desert land surrounding a handful of small cities. The new map will also introduce some new weapons and vehicles when it debuts on December 20th.

Co-op adventure A Way Out is launching in March and getting a free trial

First revealed at E3 this year, A Way Out is a co-operative adventure from the team behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Unlike most story-driven games, it’s designed explicitly to be played with another person, so today EA announced a clever new free trial option; those who buy the game will get another copy to share with a friend, so they can play together. The publisher also revealed the game’s release date: A Way Out will be available on March 23rd on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

World War Z is turning into a game

Just in case there weren’t enough zombie games for you, book-turned-movie World War Z is now getting a video game adaptation. Developed by Saber Interactive, there’s not a lot in the way of detail about the game, but it looks like what you’d expect from an undead action experience: namely, hordes of zombies and plenty of ways to dispense of them. It offers four-player co-op play, and is coming to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC next year.

From Software is making... something new

The teasiest of teases at the show revealed that From Software — the iconic studio behind Dark Souls and Bloodborne — is making something new, though unfortunately we have no idea what it actually is. It doesn’t even have a name yet. But based on the brief clip it looks bloody, and you can bet it’ll be hard.

After Job Simulator comes Vacation Simulator

Fresh off being acquired by Google, Owlchemy Labs is following up its quirky VR game Job Simulator with what looks to be an equally quirky game called Vacation Simulator. It’s coming to Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and the HTC Vive, and here’s how the studio describes it:

First you JOBBED, now you VACATION. Visit Vacation Island and experience RECREATION, optimal RELAXATION, and classic human pastimes like SUNBURN. Vacation Island offers all this and more so that you can discover the lost art of TIME OFF.

Campo Santo follows Firewatch with In the Valley of Gods

For its sophomore effort, Firewatch studio Campo Santo is heading to Egypt. Much like its predecessor, In the Valley of Gods is a first-person, narrative driven adventure. The studio says that players will “explore a remote and ancient valley in the Egyptian desert, uncovering treasure and treachery in pursuit of a discovery that could bring you fame and fortune — or leave you for dead, buried beneath the sands.” The game will be coming to Steam, though there’s no word yet on when.

Breath of the Wild’s next big expansion has a motorcycle

Nintendo finally revealed the release date for the second downloadable add-on for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it’s incredibly soon: Zelda fans can grab it today. More importantly, the expansion, known as “The Champions' Ballad,” will introduce a freaking motorcycle. Seriously.

Soulcalibur is back

Revered fighting game Soulcalibur is back with the sixth entry in the series, and the first since 2012. Not much is known about the weapons-based fighter, but Soulcalibur VI is coming next year and will be available on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Bayonetta 3 is coming, and it’s a Switch exclusive

Revered action studio Platinum Games revealed that the third entry in its acclaimed Bayonetta series is in the works, and it’s coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. We don’t know much else about the game, but the studio does have something else coming as well: both the original Bayonetta and its sequel will are being ported to the Switch, and are launching in February.

A third Death Stranding trailer, and it’s just as weird as the rest

As is becoming tradition, former Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima provided another glimpse of his new game Death Stranding at The Game Awards. And once again, the game — which stars the likes of Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, and Guillermo del Toro — looks downright bizarre. The latest trailer has a bit of an Alien: Covenant vibe, but also adds in strange towering alien monsters and the recurring appearance of a baby in a tube. The trailer clocks in at around eight minutes, though there’s still no sign of any gameplay — or anything resembling a release date.