The Game Awards 2023: A Record-Breaking Celebration of Gaming

The Rise of The Game Awards

The ultimate winner of The Game Awards 2023 ended up being Baldur's Gate 3 by a wide margin, as Larian's CRPG won in six major categories, including Game of the Year. It stealth-released a version for the Xbox Series X|S during the show itself, giving Xbox players a chance to finally see what all the fuss is about. While Larian certainly deserved the accolades, 2023 was a particularly strong year for gaming, as it also saw the release of critically-acclaimed titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Alan Wake 2, and many more.

The popularity of The Game Awards continues to grow, as Geoff Keighley's show in 2023 had an increase of 15% in viewership compared to the previous year, with roughly 18 million global livestreams. Keighley celebrated the milestone by sharing it on Twitter, thanking people for tuning in, as well as for providing feedback on the things that could change for The Game Awards 2024.

Twitter article posted by Geoff Keighley

Controversies and Criticisms

A controversial aspect of The Game Awards 2023 concerned its speeches, as many developers were told to 'wrap it up' in order to keep the show going, while winners in some categories weren't even given an opportunity to come onto the stage. The transition to a shorter runtime over the past few years, while attempting to keep the same number of trailers, is ultimately what caused the controversy. While the announcements are primarily the reason why casual viewers watch The Game Awards, perhaps a perfect compromise exists that would make both sides of the argument happy.

The Game Awards faced criticism for its speeches and the handling of winners, sparking discussions about the show's format and its ability to balance announcements and recognition of developers and games.

The Future of The Game Awards

Though it remains to be seen what The Game Awards will look like in December 2024, the upcoming year boasts an impressive list of eagerly-anticipated titles. Assuming no delays occur, games such as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Star Wars Outlaws will all make their debut in 2024, alongside expansion packs for live service titles such as Final Fantasy 14 and World of Warcraft. While it's likely that Geoff Keighley's show will see an increase in viewership once again, many fans wouldn't mind a few more tweaks to its formula.

The Game Awards 2023 left one of the year's surprise hits in the dust, hinting at the complexities of balancing recognition for all games and developers within the show's runtime.