It's looking to be a tough battle between the best video games of 2023, as The Game Awards nominees have been revealed, including those vying for the Game of the Year title.
After the 41st annual Golden Joystick Awards, video game industry insiders, news outlets, and fans have been abuzz with discussions on who would make up The Game Awards nominees. With Larian Studios' hit CRPG Baldur's Gate 3 dominating The Golden Joystick Awards, it was literally a shoe-in to make the list. But which ones were going to join it in the running for GOTY at The Game Awards was a hotly debated topic.
The Game Awards itself put the debate to rest after it revealed which games made it on its official social media channels. And it's almost as surprising which games made the cut, as it is which games did not.
Let's take a short look at The Game Awards 2023 Game of the Year nominees, shall we?
Baldur's Gate 3 needs no introduction at this point. The roleplaying game masterpiece six years in the making, Larian Studios [did the unthinkable](https://www.xfire.com/larian-studios-raise-bar-rpgs-baldurs-gate-3/) in this era: make a turn-based and story-driven fantasy RPG a huge mainstream success. Bringing back the venerable Baldur's Gate franchise beginning with licensing it from Wizards of the Coast (owners of the Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms IPs), putting a AAA-level budget and development time into it was a huge gamble. And it paid off with a Nat 20 roll.