grayson

One of the most meaningful things I do to prepare for #TheGameAwards is editing our nominee hype trailer. All year long I capture little clips and moments from the games I play and jot notes in my Notepad. Then, in the final weeks, I comb through hundreds of hours of footage to find the story I want to tell. On the surface, it’s just a reel of cinematic moments from the nominees — but to me, it represents something deeper. Building this trailer helps me discover the emotional core of the show. It’s easy to look at TGA as a giant marketing event, but the reason this night resonates is because it means something to all of us. These trailers are my way of expressing that. Every year I agonize over which song to use. I create playlists, audition tracks during morning runs, and think about how lyrics and energy might illuminate the themes of the year’s games. This year, I chose Rain by Sleep Token — an extraordinary song about pain, rebirth, and catharsis. It reflected not just the journeys inside this year’s nominees, but a personal journey for me as well after losing my Dad a few months ago. A small note you might not know: when Sleep Token performs Rain live, Vessel often begins with chords from the Halo 3 theme — a beautiful, unexpected connection. When I reached out, the band was gracious enough to let us use the song for this project. I then worked with my musical collaborator @martinwavemusic to shape a custom version for the trailer. What you see here is the result — a three-minute piece that takes dozens of disparate games and finds a universal story running through them. Like any creative pursuit, the edit is a journey. After hundreds of hours, there’s a moment where things fall into place — when the right quote lands perfectly on the right note, and suddenly the whole timeline in Premiere lights up with meaning. I’m always deeply proud of these videos. They’re part of how I host this show. I’m not doing jokes or monologues — this is how I connect with you. And I hope that somewhere in this trailer, there’s a moment that resonates with how you feel when you play games. Thank you for watching, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to make this show every year. We can’t wait to share what’s coming this Thursday night.