8 big Game Awards reveals you may have missed

Award shows are usually all the same. Someone comes onstage, talks about a category of games, movies or shows, reads out the nominees, then opens the envelope. What's different about the annual Game Awards show: It's known for mixing in game trailers and big reveals. 

The 2017 Game Awards was no different. 

Some notable winners this year were Cuphead, which won Best Action Game as well as both the Best Debut Indie Game from fan voting and also Best Indie game overall. The breakout hit PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) took home Multiplayer Game of the Year. But the ultimate honor of the night went to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which (probably unsurprisingly) won Game of the Year. 

Like I said, for many, it's the announcements and trailers that are the main reason to watch the awards to see what's coming from the biggest developers in the industry. I rounded up some of the biggest highlights from the show so you can get a taste of what's coming down the pike.

In the Valley of Gods

From Firewatch creators Campo Santo comes In the Valley of Gods. In this single-player first-person adventure set in 1920s Egypt, players take on the role of Rashida, a former explorer and filmmaker. 

Though it's hard to tell too much from the trailer, it has a neat art style, with lots of nail-biting exploration through the darkness of Egyptian tombs by flashlight. After playing Firewatch, I can't wait to see what this title is really all about.

In the Valley of Gods is set for release in 2019 on Steam.

World War Z

Once a book that was turned into a movie, World War Z is now becoming a game. Since it's described as a four-person co-op game, I'm immediately reminded of Valve's Left 4 Dead series, but from what I can see in the trailer, this game adaptation of the movie looks like it'll have a lot more zombies. 

We don't know yet what all the game mechanics will be, but it's got a photorealistic bent, and it looks like a game that'll be utter mayhem as you try to survive an undead onslaught.

World War Z has no precise release date, but it's scheduled to come to the PS4, Xbox and PCs next year.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild expansion

In another exciting announcement, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild expansion trailer dropped, finally giving us a release date for the expanded game: NOW. The new expansion, called The Champions' Ballad, includes a new dungeon, a new weapon called the "One-hit Obliterator," and there's even a new motorcycle you can ride called the Master Cycle Zero.

There are also nine new treasure chests in Hyrule where you can find new armors and a new bridle for your horse that makes it so you can hail your horse from farther away.

Bayonetta 3

Platinum Games announced that a new installment to the beloved Bayonetta franchise would be coming soon: Bayonetta 3. The only catch is that it'll be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch . There aren't many details about the game except what you see in this brief, action-packed trailer. Platinum also announced, though, that the first two games would be ported to Switch as well on Feb. 16, ahead of Bayonetta 3.

SoulCalibur VI

The last time we saw SoulCalibur was on the most recent generation of game consoles , back in 2012. Finally ready for next-gen, SoulCalibur VI is a 3D fighter known for its fast action and its weapon based combat. We don't know much more about the sequel, beyond what you see here, but we do know it's slated to hit the PS4, the Xbox One and PCs in 2018. It's important to note this is the first time SoulCalibur has ever been on PC, so that's pretty exciting.

As Mitsurugi says in the beginning of the trailer above: "The wait is over! Let's begin!"

Fortnite's new game mode

Riding the success of PlayerUnknown's Battle Royale (PUBG), the Battle Royale edition of Epic's Fortnite (there's also a co-op mode) does a great job of simplifying the game type down to its most basic elements, with a fun art style, shorter games and extremely competitive gameplay. But at the Game Awards, Epic made an announcement that Fortnite fans will love: a 50 vs. 50 multiplayer game mode, and you can play it now. The company pointed out that it would be available for only a limited time, so you'd better get in there if you want to check it out.

So I get to drop in on the island as part of huge team and go head-to-head against another huge team? Sign me up.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds new map

The game that started Battle Royale style combat had an announcement of its own. PUBG will be getting a second map, which has you battling it out in the desert in a place called Miramar. You'll get new weapons and vehicles, and the map looks a lot more spread out, with fewer places to hide, which will make for some interesting (and more dangerous) matches. 

The new desert map will be released officially when the full game comes out of beta on Dec. 20, but you can try it out right now on the test servers.

Death Stranding

Perhaps the weirdest yet most exciting announcement of the night was from Hideo Kojima, the man behind the Metal Gear Solid games and one of the world's leading game developers. Death Stranding, which stars Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro, is intense -- to say the least -- from what we can see in the trailer. At this time there's no release date.

Also, if you figure out what this game is about, please get back to us. It looks cool, but it's just plain strange.