The Gaming Awards will return in 2022 with an in-person event, following a virtual event earlier this year.
“I’m thrilled and pleased to be able to bring the Gaming Awards back for a second year,” Gaming Magazine creator Robin Gray said of the news.
He added that they were blown away by the support they’ve received from fans and sponsors in their first year. He also said that it demonstrates the importance of an awards event dedicated to LGBT excellence in video games.
The in-person ceremony will take place in London in April 2022 and will be streamed internationally through Twitch. Nominations for a wider variety of categories will open later this year.
According to the press announcement, “everyone pioneering more representation throughout the industry will have an opportunity and platform, spanning from AAA titles to creator showcases.”
“The LGBTQIA+ community contributes an unparalleled and important contribution to the video gaming environment, and we are beyond pleased to collaborate with the Gayming Awards to both celebrate and recognize” Matt Webster, Senior Director of Marketing for EMEA at Twitch, said.
The awards were created to honor achievements in worldwide gaming culture that represent and support the LGBTQ+ community. The digital-only ceremony, which debuted earlier this year, drew over 150,000 unique viewers from across the world, making it Twitch’s largest LGBTQ+ event in the last year.
Hades was named Game of the Year, while DEERA was named LGBTQ Streamer of the Year and If Found… was named Best LGBTQ Indie Game and Best LGBTQ Narrative.
In other developments, in a recent interview, Gareth David of indie-pop superstars Los Campesinos! credited Twitch for the band’s long-term success.
He explained that there number of extremely well-known Twitch streamers who are fans of their band and one of them wears their stuff on his streams. We’ve sold a lot more of the merchandise… Our Spotify streams have increased by 100,000 listeners in the last year, and our demographics are heavily biased toward younger people. It took me by surprise.”