EXCLUSIVE: Astrid A Lilly Save The World stars Jana Morrison & Samantha Aucoin will help celebrate noteworthy achievements gaming as the hosts of the 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards.
Now in its ninth year, the annual SXSW Gaming Awards seeks to celebrate the wide reach of gaming across art, design, music, gameplay and more across a total of 12 categories.
“We’re so excited…no…ecstatic to be your hosts for the 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards!,” said Morrison and Aucoin (“Lilly”). “As gamers and award show season stans, we promise an all-out good time with plenty of fun surprises.”
Also joining the ceremony as presenters are Michael Anthony, Kadeem Hardison, Doug Jones, Ivan Kbakop, Alan Tudyk, Corey Reynolds and Stephanie Sheh. Additional presenters and talent set to appear are Maria Ho, Ryan Johnson, Mercedes-AMC Petronas Esports Team, Taybor Pepper, Corsy Strassburger, World Boxing’s Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Wrestle Quest’s Jeff Jarrett.
Leading this year’s nominations, as Deadline revealed exclusively, is Ember Lab’s debut action-adventure game Kena: Bridge of Spirit, which is up for a total of four categories. Additional nominees are Deathloop, Inscryption, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Forza Horizon 5 and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. See the full list of nominees here.
The virtual ceremony will feature a first-ever integrated animated narrative, produced by Web3 animation studio Toonstar in partnership with 6th Wall, the Web3 arm of Mila Kunis’ Orchard Farm Productions. Featuring a quirky and fast-paced animation style, these NFT animated characters and their friends set on a misguided adventure to this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards and beyond.
Pop punk band Punk Rock Factory, known for covers on TikTok, will premiere a new song at the ceremony.
The 2022 virtual SXSW Gaming Awards are produced by Georgia-based Peach Maria Productions and executive produced by Laurie Lockliear. Winners will be determined through a weighted total of public voting, advisory board and SXSW staff input. The awards ceremony will be offered digitally as part of SXSW Online on March 12, 2022 at 7 p.m. CT, during the festival’s run from March 11-20.
![Ghosts: Was [Spoiler] Being Sucked Off Or Were They Dying For Good? I Have A Theory After The Season 3 Finale](upload/news/image_1714730406_68276089.jpg)