First, several smaller awards were presented for graphics, music, and story, followed by awards for foreign games. A lifetime achievement award was then presented to a game developer, and finally, the grand prize for Game of the Year was awarded.
As the venue darkened, many people's hearts began to race.
The competition for Game of the Year is fierce this year, with games scoring 9.5 points appearing in various provinces.
The most competitive titles are generally considered to be "Battle Armor" from the established company in the third-star province and "Xia Ke Xing" from Blue Star Studio in the sixth-star province.
People outside are betting on whether it will be the former or the latter.
The host looked surprised when he opened the envelope.
Then, music started playing appropriately, and a game cutscene appeared on the large screen behind them.
That was the opening animation of "Armored Warriors".
"Let's congratulate the 'Beyond' team from the Third Star Province on their game 'Warframe' winning the title of Game of the Year!"
As the production team of "Armored Warriors" wept with joy and embraced each other, the lights came on one by one.
The audience at Blue Star remained quiet until the lights came on, at which point Ming Yan led the applause for this year's best game.
Beside him, the head of the plot planning team buried his face in his hands, struggling to hold back his tears.
Mingyan gently patted his shoulder without saying much to comfort him.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, the lights suddenly went out again.
Many people at the scene exclaimed "Eh!"
The host then said with a smile, "Almost every year, outstanding game developers from various provinces bring us surprises, and this year is no exception. Moreover, the judges from the A-League have also brought us a surprise!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the large screen behind him lit up again.
Then, the background music from the promotional video for "The Knight Errant" titled "White Horse" began to play.
[A Zhao guest wears a silk tassel on his hat, his Wu hook sword gleaming like frost and snow!]
Chapter 122 Three times in one night?
The awards ceremony was still going on even after the winner of this year's Game of the Year had been announced.
The host smiled and stepped aside, allowing everyone to see that the big screen was indeed playing a promotional CG for "The Wandering Swordsman".
Next, the screen started playing gameplay footage of "Xia Ke Xing," showing the actions of famous players as well as the actions of the game's chief NPC captured by players.
They traversed mountains and valleys, crossed rivers on a single reed, amidst the glint of swords and the shadows of spears, with swords flashing overhead.
This is the biggest charm that makes "Xia Ke Xing" so irresistible to players!
"This year, we witnessed the birth of a brand new game in the hands of Blue Star Studio."
The host smiled and said,
"Blue Star has never let us down, and has never let all players down. 'Xia Ke Xing' has created an extremely grand yet detailed world, with countless mysterious and captivating cultural concepts."
"The ever-changing combat and life systems in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' allow us to appreciate the combination of ingenious design and ingenious craftsmanship, which can create a moving work of art."
"Now I announce that this year's Game of the Year award also goes to 'Xia Ke Xing' – Blue Star Studio of the Sixth Star Province!"
At this moment, the guests in the room had all realized what was happening, and applause rang out in unison.
Everyone had a smile on their face. Some were surprised that the league would make such a decision, but most felt a sense of "unexpected but reasonable".
—That's more like it! How could Blue Star's "The Wandering Swordsman" not win an award?
Mingyan patted the head of the scriptwriting team on the shoulder again and said, "Go up and receive your award."
The lights shone on them, and the team leader quickly wiped the marks off his face, saying, "No, no, boss, you go. I... what kind of work did I do..."
Overwhelmed by his emotions, he was momentarily at a loss.
Then Mingyan stepped on his foot and, taking advantage of the moment when he looked down, shoved him with his palm.
"ah."
A brief gasp escaped as the team leader was pushed to his feet.
The applause grew even louder, and now the team leader was caught in a dilemma, and was directly pushed into the aisle by Mingyan.
Standing on the stage, this veteran scriptwriter seemed to be blinded by the glaring lights, and tears welled up in his eyes again.
The audience was completely silent. Everyone understood his excitement and helplessness, and they encouraged him with a small round of applause.
This allowed him to organize his thoughts and say, "Thank you... thank you Chief Designer Ming. Thank you to everyone at Blue Star Studio, thank you to everyone present and to each and every one of our players. Blue Star's success today is the result of everyone's joint efforts."
Then, he looked at Mingyan in the audience and said, "In fact, as the plot planner, I'm the one who's dragging down the ratings of 'Xia Ke Xing'. Everyone knows how vast the culture of Earth's civilization is; it's not something that can be mastered overnight. For the past year, we've lived and eaten like the NPCs in 'Xia Ke Xing,' and when we greeted each other, we used Earth's language half the time..."
"The world of chivalry is vast, and the task ahead is arduous. We often feel lost, but we don't get discouraged; we sometimes encounter bottlenecks, but we never give up. The reason is simple—"
"We have Chief Designer Ming behind us. There is a man who is like a god in the field of game development, who is providing us with a solid support. This is what I think is the most reassuring thing about working at Blue Star Studio."
The spotlight then shone on Mingyan, who was sitting in the audience.
Mingyan blushed and quickly raised his hand to block it slightly.
On stage, the script leader said again, "We are all dissatisfied with the rating of 'The Wandering Swordsman' because we could have done better. We have Chief Craftsman Ming standing behind us!"
At this point, the audience members were a little confused.