The Game Awards is again for its 2023 version, signalling that point of the 12 months when the business and followers collect collectively to have a good time one of the best in video video games. Marking the tenth iteration of the Geoff Keighley-hosted present, the annual occasion is held in excessive regard by builders worldwide, who shall be competing in 31 classes that acknowledge video games throughout genres. As common, the ceremony shall be spruced up by massive bulletins and trailers for upcoming titles, backed by a devoted musical orchestra performed by returning composer Lorne Balfe. There have not been as many leaks this 12 months, so anticipation is excessive as avid gamers preserve their fingers crossed hoping for the most important reveals.
Given how the trailers and awards are spaced out, host Keighley as soon as once more expects The Game Awards to run for round three hours, albeit this 12 months, Valve is not giving out free Steam Decks each minute to on-line viewers. Instead, the corporate is doing a sweepstake to hand out 100 Steam Deck OLEDs (1TB fashions) to the fortunate few — residing in North America, Europe, and choose Asian areas — who can all enter as soon as the present goes reside. There are not any massive adjustments to the nominations this 12 months, however Keighley has confirmed that the creators are transferring away from utilizing the ‘World Premiere’ card firstly of their bulletins to deal with each trailer or first look as ‘nice sport content material.’
Security can also be getting tightened, as we have seen two situations of stage crashers strolling in to interrupt good moments and making absurd feedback — the primary one occurred throughout The Game Awards 2022 when Elden Ring lifted the trophy for Game of the Year, whereas the opposite occurred at Summer Game Fest, earlier this 12 months. Understandably, Keighley hasn’t gone into the specifics of the beefed-up measures.
The Game Awards 2023: Date and time
The Game Awards 2023 kicks off on Thursday, December 7 at 4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET, similar to final time. For India, this interprets to early morning Friday, December 8 at 6am IST with plans to finish at 9:30am — not essentially the most comfy time to make amends for the most important gaming occasion of the 12 months. The first thirty minutes of that runtime shall be devoted to a pre-show, hosted by Sydnee Goodman, serving as a approach for smaller builders to showcase their video games and content material creators to discuss what they’re anticipating from the present.
So if you happen to’re solely planning to watch the principle present, tune in at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET within the US and 6:30am in India.
The Game Awards 2023: How to watch?
The ceremony shall be held reside from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles with an in-person viewers, however as at all times, there is a simultaneous livestream deliberate. You can watch The Game Awards 2023 at no cost on its official Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as to main platforms similar to X (previously Twitter), Facebook Live, Steam, TikTookay Live, and Instagram Live. Of course, one might additionally watch it by means of different gaming livestreamers’ channels, who can have registered to co-stream the occasion and react to it. Viewers in India may stream the present reside on Disney+ Hotstar, MX Player, Voot, JioTV, and Loco, and may tune into YouTube Gaming for a Hindi-language feed.
Or you may simply watch the embedded stream beneath:
In case you occur to miss The Game Awards reside, a VOD shall be revealed quickly after the occasion ends and there are at all times 4K uploads of the trailers and largest moments, accessible individually on its official YouTube channel.
What to anticipate from The Game Awards 2023?
One of the most important causes gamers tune into The Game Awards is to find out about any upcoming video games and have their unrealistically excessive expectations checked. Larian Studios will lastly unveil when Baldur’s Gate 3 shall be coming to Xbox, which continues to be on observe for launch this month, as promised. The studio was initially going through hassle with incorporating split-screen co-op on the Xbox Series S due to its technical limitations, so will probably be fascinating to know whether or not the staff determined to ditch it or preserve content material parity. There’s additionally some unique Xbox reveals in retailer for us at The Game Awards, which many are hoping is a tease for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II information.
Meanwhile, SEGA has been sending letters to combating sport content material creators all over the world with the quote ‘New Era New Energy,’ promising some thrilling stuff. Supermassive Games — finest recognized for the choice-based horror titles just like the Dark Pictures anthology — is collaborating with Behaviour Interactive to develop a single-player sport primarily based inside the universe of Dead by Daylight. Staying with the horror theme, The Outlast Trials developer Red Barrels has deliberate an ‘essential broadcast’ for us. Then, Epic Games prepares to present a trailer for Rocket Racing, a automobile racing sport mode constructed inside Fortnite, that includes all of the exaggerated mechanics from Rocket League similar to boosting and withdrawing. The mode is anticipated to launch at no cost on December 8, however the writer plans to present one thing on the awards present.
Xbox gamers, we hear you are in search of extra information on Baldur’s Gate 3. The sport is on observe for a December launch.
We’ll see you at The Game Awards for the World Premiere™ of the precise launch date.
— Larian Studios (@larianstudios) November 15, 2023
The Game Awards’ official Twitter account briefly teased a Hideo Kojima announcement utilizing a side-eyes emoji, earlier than getting deleted. This might very effectively be a trailer for Death Stranding 2, which was revealed eventually 12 months’s occasion by way of a cryptic teaser with returning leads Léa Seydoux and Norman Reedus. So yeah, its sport director Hideo Kojima can also be anticipated to make an look, having arrived in Los Angeles earlier this week. Fans additionally anticipate FromSoftware to drop a trailer and launch date for the much-awaited Elden Ring DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree,’ introduced final 12 months, with hints pointing at a brand new explorable area and the presence of the Empyrian Miquella. While it was initially believed that the growth could be out in early 2024, an interview from final week means that it is ‘a little bit methods off’ however guarantees new battles and characters.
Reports declare Arkane Studios will showcase its subsequent title at The Game Awards 2023, which is anticipated to be Dishonored 3 — particulars of which emerged from the Microsoft v US FTC court docket proceedings in September. We may also get one other glimpse at Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the untitled Mass Effect sport, Tekken 8, Hades 2, and extra.
The Game Awards 2023 presenters
To honour the winners, Keighley loves mixing issues up by inviting each sport business titans and Hollywood actors. Christopher Judge, who performed Kratos within the God of War reboot video games, is returning to the stage to current an award this 12 months — presumably for Best Performance, given he was the winner final 12 months. Other standout presenters embody Anthony Mackie, whose present Twisted Metal can also be competing within the Best Adaptation class; Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella; and well-known DJ and EDM artist Zedd. Besides them, the lead forged of the Fallout collection shall be making an look at The Game Awards 2023 — particularly Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, and Aaron Moten.
Alan Wake 2 followers are in for a deal with because the Poets of the Fall band shall be performing a musical piece reside on stage, underneath its in-game alter ego Old Gods of Asgard. And as everyone knows, Keighley’s love for Muppets is aware of no bounds, so The Great Gonzo may even be round as a presenter.
The Game Awards 2023 nominees
As talked about earlier than, The Game Awards 2023 performs host to 31 classes, from which Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 are tied for eight nominations every, as well as to competing for the distinguished Game of the Year trophy. Other GOTY nominees embody The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder — Keighley is strictly sticking to his six nominations rule, regardless of a particularly sturdy 12 months for gaming. There are some sturdy contenders for Best Adaptation as effectively, with favourites being HBO’s The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The nominee listing additionally sparked some debate on what constitutes an ‘impartial sport’ when individuals on-line observed that Dave the Diver, the pixelated roguelike about deepsea fishing and promoting sushi, was nominated as ‘Best Independent Game.’ The factor is, regardless of its aesthetic, the sport is developed by Mintrocket, which belongs to an enormous South Korean writer Nexon — making it technically not indie. Keighley addressed these issues in a reside Q&A stating that the phrase ‘indie’ might imply completely different to completely different individuals — “Does independent mean the budget of the game? Does independent mean where the source of financing was? Is it based on the team size? Is it the kind of independent spirit of a game, meaning kind of a smaller game that’s different?”, he mentioned (by way of Kotaku), including that the priority is justified.