Tonight’s Game Awards 2020, Epilepsy Warning in Cyberpunk

A dozen new games at The Game Awards

The Game Awards host and founder Geoff Keighley has revealed that over a dozen new games will be shown during this year’s awards show.

Many of these will be entirely new announcements, while other games like Dragon Age 4, It Takes Two and Crimson Desert that have been announced earlier will hopefully premiere gameplay footage.

The show must go on: This year's event was almost cancelled, but the hosts decided to try a new format with streams from several different studios and hosts across the world. One of the presenters will be actor Keanu Reeves, who recently starred in Cyberpunk 2077.

Global streaming: The Game Awards 2020 goes live from Los Angeles, London and Tokyo at 4:00pm PT on December 10th, or 12:00am GMT on December 11th.

Who wrote the Cyberpunk P&P RPG and consulted on Cyberpunk 2077?

a) Mike Pondsmith
b) Sandy Peterson
c) Jordan Weisman
d) Jeff Dee

The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today's issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.

Expect no quarter from Chicken Overlord

If you visit the Primordia dungeon in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after completing the game, you can test your skills against a whole new enemy type: The Chicken Overlord.

The two evil cluckers breathe fire when attacking you, but are otherwise indistinguishable from garden-variety poultry. Kingdoms of Amalur was originally supposed to be an MMO, but 38 Studios decided to scale back their ambitions and make a single player RPG to establish the world and story before braving the MMO market.

Join our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today's fact.

A game so gripping it causes seizures

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t shy away from blinking lights in your face, and after players expressed worry that susceptible players could suffer from seizures, CD Projekt RED added a warning when the game starts.

Game Informer first raised the issue and reported that one of their staff suffered an epileptic seizure while playing because parts of the game features light patterns that can induce them.

Quick fix: For now, CD Projekt RED added a more prominent epilepsy warning. The EULA warns of blinking lights, but it's safe to assume the majority of players do not take the time to read the end-user license agreement before jumping into the most anticipated game of the year.

Brain dance: The game's so-called brain dance sequences apparently use light patterns similar to the ones doctors use to diagnose epilepsy, and CD Projekt RED is working to avoid triggering seizures.

BioShock 4 could be an open world RPG

Developer Cloud Chamber is looking for staff, and their job listings suggest that BioShock 4 could be an open-world RPG.

The BioShock games have tended to offer exploration and a certain amount of freedom to move freely around already explored areas, but have never strictly speaking been open-world games.

Chattering classes: Cloud Chamber are looking for developers with RPG experience to flesh out BioShock 4's dialogue systems, suggesting the next game in the series will offer a bit more choice than earlier. One of the job listings also mention AI systems for managing crowds in urban environments.

Time will tell: Maybe the next BioShock will let players explore one of the series' trademark utopias before it inevitably collapses? Don't hold your breath: The game is most likely years away from launch.

Fan starts bringing Rayman 2 to VR

Finally a VR game that explains why the main character has weird, disembodied flying hands! A fan has been hard at work making Rayman 2 playable in VR, and have shared a quick look at the fruits of their labours.

There is still no way to finish the level, and there are no cut scenes – it's just a 3D level that can be explored in 3D. The developer also warns that the demo could vanish at any time if Ubisoft intervenes.

Ryte: The Eye Of Atlantis delayed

Orichalcum Pictures and VR Connection didn't manage to launch Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis on December 8th as planned, but expect the game to release on January 27th.

The studio had to adjust to a new development style after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to work from home, which means we will have to wait a little longer to explore Atlantis in virtual reality.

• Pokémon Go and The Game Awards 2020 crossover event on December 11th and 12th, starting at midnight
• Rocket League Season 2 patch notes are live and the next ranked tournament has started on all platforms
• Minecraft Dungeons: Howling Peaks trailer is out, showing off new mobs, armour, weapons, artefacts and missions
• Over 1 million Cyberpunk 2077 players on Steam, and over 8 million pre-orders worth around $500m
• Little Nightmares II demo available on Steam and pre-orders have opened ahead of February 10th launch

As we head into the end of the year, we're going to be giving away a PlayStation 5 to one lucky reader. The winner will be revealed in the Christmas eve issue of DailyBits.

Here’s the code for Week 50, which will allow you to gain more points: 5444

Who wrote the Cyberpunk P&P RPG and consulted on Cyberpunk 2077?

ANSWER: Mike Pondsmith!

Make sure to send a warm thought to Mike Pondsmith while you’re exploring Night City. The pen-and-paper RPG designer is best known for his work on the Cyberpunk game system and rule books, but he also made the anime-inspired Mekton and steampunk-flavored Castle Falkenstein.

He has also consulted with CD Projekt RED to make sure Cyberpunk 2077 stays true to its roots, and that’s not the only videogame he has contributed to. He worked on Mechwarrior 2, The Matrix Online and Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. Let’s hope his contributions to Cyberpunk 2077 earns him the accolades he deserves!

Today's issue of DailyBits was written by Gavin Herman, Erlend Grefsrud, Simon Priest, and Jamie Davey.