It is now official: Baldur’s Gate 3 is YOUR 2023 Game of the Year. The hit D&D CRPG triumphed over the competition at The Game Awards held on December 7.
Since the game fully launched in August of this year, Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a critical and financial success for Larian Studios. Although other game developers and publishers called it an “anomaly”, Baldur’s Gate 3 redefined and reintroduced the turn-based CRPG for both new and old gamers. The resounding victory at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards is a testament to BG3’s place in gaming history.
But would the third entry in the venerable Baldur’s Gate franchise under Larian Studios be as victorious at The Game Awards?
The Game Awards 2023 was streamed via YouTube (through the official Gamespot channel). Hosted by founder Geoff Keighley, the show ran for nearly 3 hours. Along with the awards ceremony, the event showcased announcements and teasers for upcoming games. Some of the highlights included Monster Hunter Wilds, Hideo Kojima’s Xbox project, Skull and Bones, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Final Fantasy and God of War DLCs, Marvel’s Blade being developed by Arkane Lyon, and more.
But of course, the main draw of The Game Awards is the announcement of the winners among the nominees for each category. With the top-rated games vying for the title, anticipation was running high before the show finally came time for the Game of the Year category.
The 2023 GOTY nominees were Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. To say that this year was a tough decision to choose which the absolute best game was would be an understatement.
A live orchestra performed on stage, as the backdrop presented each of the nominees for Game of the Year one-by-one. When actor Timothée Chalamet (Dune, Wonka) read the results stating “And the Game of the Year is… Baldur’s Gate 3”, there was a deservedly rousing applause.
THIS IS IT! @baldursgate3 is your 2023 Game of the Year! @larianstudios #GOTY #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/1u5hyGphbc
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 8, 2023
To cap it all off, Swen Vincke, Larian Studios CEO and head of games development, took to the stage wearing medieval plate armor. Vincke has consistently sported the armor at every opportunity, including the time he was negotiating to license Baldur’s Gate from Wizards of the Coast, owner and publisher of the Dungeons & Dragons IP. Vincke is an unabashed geek whose favorite D&D Character Class is the Paladin. Hence, it is fitting that he waved his geek flag once more to accept the Game of the Year award.
Joining Vincke on the stage to accept the GOTY award were Joachim Vleminckx (art director), Jason Latino (cinematic artist and director), and Bert Van Semmertier (technical director).
“A game like Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t possible if you don’t have an incredible team working on it. And the team at Larian [Studios] spent their hearts and souls for six years on this game in sometimes very difficult circumstances. This was our COVID game.”
Vincke pointed out that the team also suffered losses, as some sadly passed away during the development of Baldur’s Gate 3.
“Along the way, we lost quite a few people also. So we want to dedicate this to all the people we lost especially to Jim, our lead cinematic artist who passed away in the last month.”
Vincke wanted to go further in thanking more (“over 2,000 people”) and everyone that supported the team for their effort in producing Baldur’s Gate 3. But with so many people and with only 30 seconds allotted for the acceptance speech, the Larian Studios chief summarized his gratitude by saying “our families, our friends, our partners… you were the best and without you, we couldn’t have done it.”
Aside from the GOTY, Baldur’s Gate 3 also won the following categories at The Game Awards 2023:
- Best Role Playing Game
- Best Performance (Neil Newborn for voicing Astarion)
- Best Multiplayer Game
- Best Community Support
- Player’s Voice
Baldur’s Gate 3 was also nominated for the following:
- Best Studio/Game Direction (won by Alan Wake 2)
- Best Narrative (Won by Alan Wake 2)
- Best Score/Soundtrack – Borislav Slavov (won by Final Fantasy XVI/Masayoshi Soken)
Some Baldur’s Gate 3 fans felt The Game Awards should have allowed Vincke and Larian Studios a little more time for their acceptance speech. The time allotted was so short that the team did not have the opportunity to mention that Baldur’s Gate 3 was now available for the Xbox Series S and Series X.
I had one job and that was to announce this if we won an award – sorry all but happy it’s out there! https://t.co/61hhIc1I2Y
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) December 8, 2023
But while Baldur’s Gate 3 won big at The Game Awards, there are some salty comments on The Game Awards social media. Some jaded players felt that Hogwarts Legacy could have won GOTY if it were actually nominated, while others felt Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Tears of the Kingdom deserved to win more than BG3.
What do you think about Baldur’s Gate 3 and Larian Studios nabbing so many of the top titles at The Game Awards? Do you think the modern CRPG masterpiece set in the Forgotten Realms deserved to win Game of the Year? Which game do you think deserved the title of GOTY?
