Last night’s Game Awards ended on a bizarre and somewhat uncomfortable note, as the Elden Ring development team’s acceptance speech for their Game of the Year win was interrupted by a stage crasher. This individual, who was not affiliated with Elden Ring in any way, managed to leave his seat and get on stage alongside director Hidetaka Miyazaki. Although his presence was presumably noted by security, the individual was not apprehended until after the acceptance speech had concluded.
Following an emotional speech by Miyazaki, in which he thanked the fans and promised that there was “a lot [he] still wanted to do with Elden Ring,” the stage crasher walked up to the microphone and delivered a mumbling, nearly incomprehensible speech. The details of the speech are unclear, but former US President Bill Clinton seems to have been mentioned in some capacity.
Attendees at the event confirmed that the stage crasher was apprehended by event security when attempting to return to his seat following his impromptu “speech”. Geoff Keighley, who hosted the 2022 Game Awards, later confirmed on Twitter that the individual had been arrested. Further details regarding his arrest and potential punishment have not been revealed at this time. However, although Keighley confirmed that the individual had been arrested, he has since been active on Twitter and other social media, meaning that he may have been released.
The individual who interrupted our Game of the Year moment has been arrested.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 9, 2022
Investigation into the individual indicates that this may not be the first time he attempted to crash a major event. He is believed to be the same individual who crashed a 2019 World of Warcraft event and an NBA game to speak out regarding police brutality in Hong Kong. The individual has also been connected to far-right Web site InfoWars. Initially, he was believed to possibly hold anti-Semitic views, but an interview with games media personality Jason Schreier seemingly confirmed that he did not have anti-Semitic intentions, and may in fact be Jewish himself. It seems that the individual, who is 15 years old, may simply have intended the stunt as a prank.
While this dramatic moment certainly garnered attention, it was far from the most exciting thing to happen during the 2022 Game Awards. A number of new games and expansions to existing games were announced, including the highly anticipated Hades 2 and a crossover between Castlevania and Dead Cells.
