Highlights
- The Game Awards 2023 broke its own record with 118 million livestreams, reaffirming its role in the gaming industry.
- Controversial speeches and a shorter runtime caused some dissatisfaction among developers and winners at the event.
- Baldur's Gate 3 emerged as the ultimate winner, but 2023 was a strong year for gaming with notable titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Alan Wake 2.
Geoff Keighley announced that The Game Awards 2023 had 118 million livestreams, setting a new viewership record for the show. Over the course of its ten-year history, The Game Awards slowly established itself as the winter equivalent of E3, providing video game publishers a platform to reveal and advertise their upcoming titles, while also being a celebration of all the games that defined a given year. With the permanent cancelation of E3, The Game Awards further cemented its role in the gaming industry, and Keighley certainly hasn't shied away from changing the show based on feedback or circumstance.
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 Winners Share the Speeches They Couldn't Deliver at the Ceremony
The team members behind some of the award-winning games share the speeches they weren't able to deliver at The Game Awards ceremony.
The Game Awards Broke Its Own Record With 18 Million Livestreams in 2023
That being said, 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.
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.
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.