The Game Awards 2023: Celebrating Excellence in Gaming

The Game Awards 2023 marked a pivotal moment in the world of gaming as it recognized and celebrated the outstanding titles that graced the industry throughout the year. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the 10th annual Game Awards ceremony was a spectacular event that took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on December 7, 2023. This article dives deep into the highlights of the event, including the winners and the surprises that captivated gaming enthusiasts worldwide.

Game of the Year: A Triumph for Baldur’s Gate 3

In a stunning turn of events, Baldur’s Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios, emerged as the crowning jewel of the evening, securing a total of six prestigious trophies. Among these accolades, the coveted Game of the Year award shone the brightest, solidifying its status as a game-changing masterpiece. Baldur’s Gate 3 also clinched victories in categories like Best Community Support, Best RPG, Best Multiplayer, Players’ Voice, and Best Performance, with the latter being attributed to the remarkable portrayal by Neil Newbon, who breathed life into the character Astarion.

Alan Wake 2: A Tale of Excellence

Sharing the limelight with Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2 also garnered well-deserved recognition, amassing three trophies. These included awards for Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best Game Direction, reflecting the game’s immersive storytelling, visually captivating world, and exceptional creative direction.

The Grand Event

The Game Awards 2023 was streamed live across a multitude of platforms, ensuring that fans across the globe could partake in the excitement. Platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok Live, and X hosted the event, making it accessible to a diverse and extensive audience.

Unveiling Surprises

As tradition dictates, The Game Awards was rife with surprises that left the gaming community in awe. Notable announcements included the reveal of EA Originals’ upcoming title Tales of Kenzera: ZAU and Sega’s ambitious plan to resurrect classic franchises such as Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, and Shinobi.

The Full Winners List

Here is the complete list of winners that made The Game Awards 2023 an unforgettable night for the gaming industry:

Game of the Year

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Game Direction

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Adaptation

• The Last of Us (PlayStation Productions/HBO)
• Castlevania: Nocturne (Powerhouse Animation/Netflix)
• Gran Turismo (PlayStation Productions/Sony Pictures)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination/Nintendo/Universal Pictures)
• Twisted Metal (PlayStation Productions/Peacock)

Best Narrative

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt Red)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)

Best Art Direction

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Score and Music

• Final Fantasy XVI, Composer Masayoshi Soken (Square Enix)
• Alan Wake 2, Composer Petri Alanko (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3, Composer Borislav Slavov (Larian Studios)
• Hi-Fi Rush, Audio Director Shuichi Kobori (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Composed by Nintendo Sound Team (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Audio Design

• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Dead Space (Motive Studio/EA)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

Best Performance

• Neil Newbon, Baldur’s Gate 3
• Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
• Cameron Monaghan, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
• Idris Elba, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Melanie Liburd, Alan Wake 2
• Yuri Lowenthal, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Innovation in Accessibility

• Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)

Games for Impact

• Tchia (Awaceb/Kepler Interactive)
• A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio/Toge Productions/Chorus)
• Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc/Focus Entertainment)
• Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)
• Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver Digital/Netflix)
• Venba (Visai Games)

Best Ongoing Game

• Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
• Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
• Destiny 2 (Bungie)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Independent Game

• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• Dave the Diver (MINTROCKET)
• Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Debut Indie Game

• Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• Pizza Tower (Tour de Pizza)
• Venba (Visai Games)
• Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Mobile Game

• Honkai: Star Rail (HoYoverse)
• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (Applibot/Square Enix)
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Sunblink Entertainment)
• Monster Hunter Now (Niantic/Capcom)
• Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver/Netflix)

Best VR/AR Game

• Resident Evil Village VR Mode (Capcom)
• Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
• Humanity (tha LTD/Enhance Games)
• Horizon Call of the Mountain (Guerrilla Games/Firesprite/SIE)
• Synapse (nDreams)

Best Action Game

• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
• Dead Island 2 (Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver)
• Ghostrunner 2 (One More Level/505 Games)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games/Gearbox Publishing)

Best Action/Adventure Game

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Respawn Entertainment/EA)

Best RPG

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)

Best Fighting Game

• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
• God of Rock (Modus Studios Brazil/Modus Games)
• Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment)
• Pocket Bravery (Statera Studio/PQube)

Best Family Game

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Disney Illusion Island (Dlala Studios/Disney)
• Party Animals (Recreate Games)
• Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Sonic Superstars (Arzest/Sonic Team/Sega)

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (WayForward/Nintendo)
• Cities: Skylines II (Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive)
• Company of Heroes 3 (Relic Entertainment/Sega)
• Fire Emblem Engage (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)

Best Sports/Racing

• Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• EA Sports FC 24 (EA Vancouver/EA Romania/EA Sports)
• F1 23 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (Milestone)
• The Crew Motorfest (Ubisoft Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)

Best Multiplayer

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Party Animals (Recreate Games)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Players’ Voice

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt Red)
• Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games / SIE)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Most Anticipated Game

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)
• Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
• Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco/Arika)

Content Creator of the Year

• IronMouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Game

• Valorant (Riot Games)
• Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
• Dota 2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot Games)
• PUBG Mobile (LightSpeed Studios/Tencent Games)

Best Esports Athlete

• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
• Max “Demon1” Mazanov (Valorant)
• Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
• Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (League of Legends)
• Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen (Apex Legends)

Best Esports Team

• JD Gaming (League of Legends)
• Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
• Fnatic (Valorant)
• Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
• Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)

Best Esports Coach

• Christine “potter” Chi (Evil Geniuses – Valorant)
• Danny “zonic” Sorensen (Team Falcons – Counter-Strike)
• Jordan “Gunba” Graham (Florida Mayhem – Overwatch)
• Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Team Vitality – Counter-Strike)
• Yoon “Homme” Sung-young (JD Gaming – League of Legends)

Best Esports Event

• 2023 League of Legends World Championship
• Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
• EVO 2023
• The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
• Valorant Champions 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was the significance of The Game Awards 2023?

A: The Game Awards 2023 was a pivotal event in the gaming industry, celebrating outstanding titles from the year. It marked the 10th annual ceremony, hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 7, 2023.

Q: Which game emerged as the top winner at The Game Awards 2023?

A: Baldur’s Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios, was the highlight of the evening, winning a total of six prestigious trophies, including the Game of the Year.

Q: How was Alan Wake 2 recognized at the event?

A: Alan Wake 2 also gained significant recognition, securing three trophies including Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best Game Direction.

Q: What made The Game Awards 2023 accessible to a global audience?

A: The event was streamed live on multiple platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok Live, and others, making it accessible to a wide and diverse audience worldwide.

Q: Were there any surprising announcements at The Game Awards 2023?

A: Yes, the event was filled with surprises, including the reveal of EA Originals’ upcoming title Tales of Kenzera: ZAU and Sega’s plan to resurrect classic franchises like Crazy Taxi and Streets of Rage.

Q: Can you provide a brief overview of the winners at The Game Awards 2023?

A: The Game Awards 2023 saw Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 as major winners, with other notable games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also receiving accolades in various categories.

In conclusion, The Game Awards 2023 was an extraordinary celebration of the gaming industry’s finest achievements. With remarkable titles, surprising announcements, and exceptional performances, it showcased the remarkable talent and innovation within the world of gaming.