Baldur's Gate 3 Emerges Victorious as Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2023

Baldur's Gate 3 was named Game of the Year at the biggest awards ceremony in the videogame industry. The developer, Larian, accepted the award and expressed that the epic fantasy RPG, which is based on Dungeons and Dragons, was a labor of love. Actor Timothee Chalamet presented the top prize to the Belgian studio. Baldur's Gate 3 surpassed other contenders like Super Mario Wonder, Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Alan Wake 2 to claim the top prize. In total, Baldur's Gate 3 received six awards, including best performance for actor Neil Newbon, who portrayed the fan-favorite character Astarion. Alan Wake 2, a survival horror game, also won three awards for best game direction, narrative, and art direction. The Last of Us TV series won for best adaptation, Cyberpunk 2077 won for best ongoing game, and Cocoon won in the Best Independent Game category. Additionally, Forza Motorsport won the innovation in accessibility award, and Tchia was named the Game for Impact winner in the action-adventure genre. The Game Awards is a blend of an awards show and a preview event, where fans eagerly await new trailers and announcements for upcoming titles. This year's event showcased "Exodus," a sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, a studio founded by ex-Bioware developers. Videogame creator Hideo Kojima also revealed his new project called OD, or "Overdose," in collaboration with Get Out director Jordan Peele. The event unveiled a remake of the 2013 game "Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons," as well as new footage of "Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga" and "Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth." Furthermore, Sega announced the revival of classic franchises Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. Despite an above-average number of highly acclaimed titles, the past year has witnessed numerous job cuts in the games industry. Companies like Epic Games, Ubisoft Montreal, and Niantic, creators of Fortnite, Assassin's Creed, and Pokemon Go respectively, have all announced layoffs. The Game Awards have faced criticism for dedicating more time to trailers and ads rather than presenting awards during the three-hour show. This year, there have been complaints that multiple awards were rushed through without inviting the winners on stage. Gaming site Kotaku expressed the sentiment that "in a year when developers were laid off nearly every week, it would have been nice... to give all these talented people a moment to shine." The awards consist of a total of 31 categories, including audio design, best independent game, and accessibility and innovation. The winners are determined by a panel of industry experts and a fan vote that accounts for 10% of the final score. The full list of winners can be found on the Game Awards website.