For years, PlayStation exclusives reigned at The Game Awards. For three straight years, a PlayStation exclusive went ahead and won arguably the most prestigious award in all of gaming, starting with God of War in 2018 until The Last of Us Part II in 2020. Sony even had a chance to make it a four-in-a-row with Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart both in the running. However, against seemingly all odds, Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two won in the end.
Josef Fares accepts It Takes Two’s award
The Game Awards gives out several noteworthy awards every year. Naturally, the most important of them all is the Game of the Year award. For 2021, Sony had two exclusive titles in the running, Deathloop and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Meanwhile, Capcom's Resident Evil: Village, as well as Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 were all nominated for Game of the Year this 2021 alongside MercurySteam's Metroid Dread.
By night's end, It Takes Two stood tall, which surprised many. However, being surprised doesn't necessarily mean it's not worthy of the award. If nothing else, It Takes Two is a good example of how important it is for developers to deviate from what's popular.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, Game of The Year! A massive congratulations to It Takes Two @hazelightgames + @ea + ​​@josef_fares for your big win! #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/3o2kGm8qHm
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 10, 2021
We ranked It Takes Two as one of the best co-op games of 2021. Now, we have a reason to add it to our future round-up of the best games of the year if not all time. The game's premise is unique as it is a co-op-only game that puts players in the shoes of Cody and May, a couple on the verge of divorce. However, their daughter isn't happy about this decision, so she seeks help from Dr. Hakim to transform the two of them into dolls.
What follows their transformation is a perilous but heart-warming journey that sees the couple work together to overcome all obstacles.
Hazelight Studios' director Josef Fares was there to accept the award. To much disappointment, his acceptance speech wasn't as epic as the one that he gave at the 2017 Game Awards where he effectively told off the Oscars.
A complete list of all the award winners at The Game Awards 2021
Game of the Year
- It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
Best Game Direction
- Deathloop by Arkane Studios
Best Ongoing
- Final Fantasy XIV Online by Square Enix
Best Indie
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits by Ember Lab
Best Debut Indie
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits by Ember Lab
Best Narrative
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos Montreal
Best Art Direction
- Deathloop by Arkane Studios
Best Score and Music
- NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 - Keiichi Okabe, Composer
Best Audio Design
- Forza Horizon 5 by Playground Games
Best Performance
- Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village
Games for Impact
- Life is Strange: True Colors by Deck Nine
Best Community Support
- Final Fantasy XIV Online by Square Enix
Best Mobile Game
- Genshin Impact by MiHoYo
Best VR/AR
- Resident Evil 4 by Armature Studio
Best Action
- Returnal by Housemarque
Best Action/Adventure
- Metroid Dread by Mercury Steam
Best Role Playing
- Tales of Arise by Bandai Namco
Best Fighting
- Guilty Gear -Strive- by Arc System Works
Best Family
- It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
Best Sports/Racing
- Forza Horizon 5 by Playground Games
Best Sim/Strategy
- Age of Empires IV by (Relic Entertainment
Best Multiplayer
- It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios
Most Anticipated Game
- Elden Ring by FromSoftware
Innovation in Accessibility, Presented by Chevrolet
- Forza Horizon 5 by Playground Games
Content Creator of the Year
- Dream
Best Esports Game
- League of Legends by Riot Games
Best Esports Athlete
- Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev
Best Esports Team
- Natus Vincere (CS:GO)
Best Esports Coach
- Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun
Best Esports Event
- 2021 League of Legends World Championship
