Jimmy Fallon isn't well-known outside the United States, but it's a name gamers should familiarize themselves with; he's one of us.
Last week, Fallon began his tenure as host of The Tonight Show on NBC with a ridiculously star-laden opening. Fallon took over from long-running host Jay Leno.
Fallon fronted the eponymous Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for five years; the show followed the Tonight Show in the less desirable timeslot of 0.30 am. Fallon targeted a younger demographic via social media integration and, of course, video games. Fallon himself is a gamer and is passionate about the genre; he frequently referenced video games on Late Night (including this zinger at Nintendo) and would bring on developers for live game demonstrations. It was hard for Fallon to hide his glee in these segments. Fallon's enthusiasm is a stark contrast to fellow talk show host Conan O'Brien, who absentmindedly tries his hand at video games in a segment on his show titled Clueless Gamer.
The Tonight Show is an institution; it's been on the air since 1954 and historically garners an older audience than Late Night along with a higher level of celebrity – President Obama has been a frequent guest of the programme.
NBC (the American network that broadcasts Late Night) may tell Fallon to 'class up' his show. In 2009, NBC gave The Tonight Show to the Clueless Gamer himself, Conan O'Brien. After a tumultuous saga, NBC forced O'Brien to quit the show after seven months; NBC subsequently gave The Tonight Show back to former host Jay Leno. NBC argued that Conan failed to attract the valuable older demographic that the elder Leno garnered. However, Fallon has gone on record stating that he's "not going to change anything" and that his Tonight Show will be "the same show" as Late Night.
There have been minor gaming reveals on Late Night; Ubisoft demoed a new section from Watch Dogs on the show. Publishers could conceivably use The Tonight Show platform for higher profile reveals; unveiling the newest Far Cry on NBC will garner tons of mainstream attention.
It remains to be seen whether that will be the case and if Fallon will be allowed to bring on Cliffy B instead of Jennifer Garner. It would be a massive coup for gaming to see Jay Z clutching a PS4 controller on America's #1 talk show.
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