GamesMaster is officially coming back this year as a brand new E4 TV show.
After a notable 23 year absence from our lives, GamesMaster is returning in partnership with Oculus Quest 2 from Facebook, and will premiere later this year on E4's YouTube channel before airing on the channel itself.
We got the chance to hear directly from showrunner Céin McGillicuddy about what to expect from this new beginning of GamesMaster and he tells us: "We’re not looking to recreate what came before, but capture the spirit of GamesMaster for both the fans of the original and the young gamers today."
"Which is why it will still be a show by gamers, for gamers, and why it won’t be a squeaky clean shiny floor show. This is the gritty, edgy, subversive GamesMaster that we know and love."
We also know that the show will pit gaming stars, celebrities, and fans against each other in all manner of challenges to earn the famous Golden Joystick trophy, while the all-seeing (and all-new) GamesMaster, famously portrayed by Sir Patrick Moore in the original series, will be keeping their eye on them.
The show's iconic imagery and portcullis is still being developed, although the classic M symbol will remain - as below.
***Update: we originally reported that the image below was the new logo but we've been told that the final design may vary***
McGillicuddy knows just how important to the show was to a generation of young gamers, saying: "GamesMaster was an institution for me. I'd rush home from school and scoff down my dinner so I could spend half an hour watching the latest games and a curmudgeonly monoculed astronomer’s distorted head floating over an oil rig. It was weird, funny, and different. Bringing a new incarnation of something I loved so much is a huge honor."
He concludes by telling us: "When people decide to bring back old TV shows, it always makes me worried. Will it be the same? Will they ruin it? Or will it be brilliant? The answer to at least one of those questions is yes. You’ll have to watch to find out which."
Be sure to head back to 12DOVE to get the very latest news on the new GamesMaster show, including who will be taking on the role of the titular Master...
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Ben Tyrer is a freelance games journalist with over ten years experience of writing about games. After graduating from Bournemouth University with a degree in multimedia journalism he's worked for Official PlayStation Magazine as a staff writer and games editor, as well as 12DOVE (hey, that's this website!) as a news editor. He's also contributed to Official Xbox Magazine, Edge, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, PC Games N, and more. His game of the year - no matter the year - is Rocket League.