It has been one of the most successful years ever for the computer game industry so competition is fierce for the title of top Game of the Year.
ADVERTISEMENTThe 2023 GOTY comes after a year full of successes in the industry. From new games to remakes, the awards are hotly contested.
After the definitive cancellation of E3, The Game Awards has become perhaps the most highly anticipated annual event in the world of video games.
Since 13 November, fans around the world have been able to vote online for which titles deserve to win in each of the categories being contested. The winners will be announced at a gala broadcast today - tonight for Europeans - from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
There are 31 categories in total, with awards ranging from best soundtrack to best direction. There are also awards for the games that have received the most support from the gaming community, as well as the best e-sports event or the best title in each genre (action, racing, fighting...).
But the most coveted award is the Game Of The Year, a title that is very hotly contested in 2023. In the last year, several highly anticipated and well rated games have been released, and only six of them have been selected to take the grand award. Let's take a look at them.
2023, a year to remember for gaming
Alan Wake 2, developed by Finnish studio Remedy and distributed by Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), is the latest entry in the GOTY’s race. A sequel to the first Alan Wake, released in 2010, this sequel has been acclaimed by gamers for its artistic and graphical design. Its twisted and complex story has also caught the public's attention.
But Wake is not alone: he is up against classic heroes such as Peter Parker. Marvel's Spider-Man 2, also released this autumn, proved to be a worthy successor to the saga. This time, players were able to control both Parker and Miles Morales, a younger sidekick or, alternate version, who starred in his own game in 2020.
The GOTY award is not lacking in timeless classics. Super Mario Bros. Wonder has brought back the adventures of the world's most famous plumber. Released in October for Nintendo Switch as a platform game, the veteran Japanese saga has once again hooked millions of players with a few updates to a formula that never fails.
Mario isn't the only long-running Japanese game that wants the GOTY. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrived in May and was applauded as a good follow-up to the already acclaimed Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. Players appreciated the new options for creating usable items of everything from planes to ships, with well-implemented controls.
Baldur's Gate 3, developed in Belgium by Larian Studios, has been one of the surprises of the year. Only one day after its release, this role-playing game topped the best-seller list on Steam, one of the most popular platforms worldwide for buying and downloading games. Based on Dungeons & Dragons, it is one of the favourites for the big title.
Finally, the celebrated Japanese studio Capcom released its remake of Resident Evil 4 earlier this year. The original, released in 2005, followed agent Leon S. Kennedy in a fictional town in Spain as he battled hordes of infected. Amidst the wave of remakes that the industry has been experiencing in recent years, this title won fans over by updating the old plots while maintaining their essence.
How to watch the gala?
The Game Awards 2023 will be streamed live this morning at 1.30 CET (4.30 PM in Los Angeles), so many Europeans will know the winners after waking up tomorrow.
If you have time (or can't wait), the gala can be watched for free on YouTube, Twitch and all popular platforms. In addition, any streamer who wants to will be able to broadcast it on their channel and comment on it with their followers.
