It was a night to be remembered for a long, long time. It was glitzy, it was glamorous, and it pretty much marks the end of a stellar year in gaming. The Game Awards 2023, hosted by Geoff Keighley, took place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles as the industry gathered for the 10th time to pat itself on the back.
Even though this is the 10th Game of the Year Awards — there can’t be many years in gaming’s relatively short lifespan where we have had the quality of AAA titles released seemingly one after another. True, some have only arrived in 2023 after delays caused by the pandemic, but the gaming stars have aligned to make 2023 and 2024 special and unique for gamers.
Some have called The Game Awards the “Oscars of Gaming
The night was filled with incredible videos and trailers; stars of the gaming scene, anybody who is somebody, the Who’s Who in the world of gaming, were in attendance.
The Game Awards Orchestra blew the socks off of every person in the room with its magnificence. Music and sound are central experiences in gaming and any game. Musical director and conductor Lorne Balfe pulled together the Game Awards’ Game of the Year medley.
As the nominees for Game of the Year sat on the edge of their seats, it was fitting that there was no clear winner even at that stage. Solid cases could be argued for any of them taking home the top gong on the night. But there could be only one from the list of nominees below:
- Alan Wake 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Resident Evil 4
- Super Mario Bros Wonder
Baldur’s Gate 3 is 2023’s Game of the Year
As this team came forward to accept the award, they dedicated it to all the people they had lost — even up to just a few months ago; someone passed away. Many of their team members in the audience were crying as the camera moved past them. There is a bigger story here that we can look forward to finding out about. They looked like a tight team of caring creatives building something for all the fans.
Other notable winners on the night — with many worthy opponents
Most Anticipated Game –Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Best Narrative — Alan Wake 2
Best Mobile Game — Honkai: Star Rail
Best Independent Game — Sea of Stars
Best Community Support –Baldur’s Gate 3
Best Fighting Game — Street Fighter 6
Best VR/AR –Resident Evil Village VR Mode
Best Game for Impact — Tchia
Best Score and Music — Final Fantasy XVI
Best Ongoing Game — Cyber Punk 2077
Best RPG — Baldur’s Gate 3
Best Action/Adventure Game — Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom
Best Adaptation — The Last of Us
Best Game Direction — Alan Wake 2
