The Game Awards broadcast was streamed on December 1, 2016 at 5:30 pm PST across several video sharing sites, including
YouTube and
Twitch, as well as on the gaming services
Xbox Live,
PlayStation Network, and
Steam. For the first time, the YouTube stream included options for
virtual reality and
4K resolution. Keighley and other event organizers worked with
Tencent QQ to have the show
livestreamed and translated for Chinese viewers using Tencent's
QQ and
WeChat clients, and to participate in the Fans Choice Awards; the two services combined had potential for more than 1.5 billion additional viewers. Keighley identified that with
China's ban on video games having been lifted in 2015, it has become one of the fastest growing markets for video games, and obtained the Tencent deal was "really an experiment" to see how well the awards presentation would be taken there. Keighley served at the host of the live event from the
Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The event featured live performances by
Run the Jewels, the
Doom soundtrack by
Mick Gordon, and
Rae Sremmurd. The event included new gameplay videos for several upcoming games. Prior to the event, Keighley stated that the show would have less reliance on
computer generated (CGI) trailers and more on in-game footage, which was due to the effect of ''
No Man's Skys misleading marketing earlier in the year. Among games shown during the broadcast included Mass Effect: Andromeda, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, Prey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
, Halo Wars 2, Death Stranding, Dauntless from Phoenix Labs, a Bulletstorm'' remaster, Telltale's
Guardians of the Galaxy,
LawBreakers,
Warframe, ''Assassin's Creed: The VR Experience
, and clips from the 2016 Assassin's Creed film. Breath of the Wild'' was also featured in the pre-show. With the addition of streaming to Asian audiences, the broadcast saw a total
viewership of about 3.8 million, an increase of 65% from the 2015 show. The show is infamous for its marketing tie-in with
Schick razor blades. Hydrobot, a buff, humanoid robot with a razor blade head, appeared throughout the show and posed with game developer
Hideo Kojima. The stunt was criticized for its commercialized nature. == Winners and nominees ==