Astro Bot wins Game of the Year

Astro Bot has gained the highest prize on the videogame trade’s largest awards ceremony.

The lovable and vibrant PlayStation platformer beat Last Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Black Fantasy: Wukong, Metaphor: Refantazio Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Balatro to be named Sport of the 12 months at The Sport Awards .

Accepting the trophy, Nicolas Doucet, studio head of developer Workforce Asobi, appeared to pay tribute to rival Nintendo.

Astro Bot additionally picked up three different awards – Finest Household Sport, Finest Motion/Journey and Finest Sport Route.

It was additionally a very good night time for the poker-themed indie hit Balatro, which gained three awards together with Finest Cell Sport.

Position-playing recreation Metaphor: ReFantazio additionally gained three awards, in what was a powerful night time for Japanese recreation builders.

Black Fantasy: Wukong, primarily based on Chinese language legends, proved as soon as once more to be vastly standard with followers, successful the publicly voted Participant’s Voice Award.

It was a disappointing night time for Last Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which had been nominated in seven classes however solely took dwelling the most effective music trophy.

Melina Juergens, from Cambridge, UK-based studio Ninja Principle, gained the most effective perfomance prize for taking part in the title function in Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga.

There aren’t many occasions the place you will get performances from a full orchestra and Snoop Dogg.

The rapper dropped by to current the Finest Ongoing Sport Award to Helldivers 2, and carry out a brand new track.

And it would not be gaming’s largest night time with out some shock movie star appearances.

Harrison Ford took to the stage alongside Troy Baker, the man who plays Indiana Jones within the latest recreation primarily based on the movie collection.

The Sport Awards – typically referred to as “the Oscars of gaming” – is usually criticised for spending extra time exhibiting commercials and trailers for brand spanking new video games than it does on handing out awards.

Nonetheless, final yr organisers claimed the occasion attracted 118 million livestream viewers, and people previews are one of many largest attracts for gaming followers.

In more moderen years, greater publishers have tended to save lots of their largest bulletins for their very own separate dwell occasions.

As anticipated, there was no new info on Grand Theft Auto 6 or Nintendo’s subsequent console – two of essentially the most anticipated upcoming releases.

However that did go away room for a model new recreation from Naughty Canine, the PlayStation studio recognized for hits together with The Final of Us, Uncharted and Crash Bandicoot.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, launched with a shiny trailer blended to It is a Sin by the Pet Store Boys.

A sequel to Capcom’s Okami was additionally revealed, and Polish developer CD Projekt Crimson confirmed The Witcher 4 was in improvement.

A standard criticism about The Sport Awards is that it typically fails to acknowledge wider points within the trade.

In opposition to a backdrop of widespread layoffs worldwide – a pattern that has continued this yr – critics of the 2023 present referred to as for winners to be given extra time on-stage to talk out.

This yr’s the occasion launched the Sport Changers Award.

The winner, Amir Satvat, a director at Tencent Video games within the US, arrange a private challenge to assist lately laid-off recreation builders discover new work.

In an emotional acceptance speech, he mentioned “rising up, all I ever needed was to be part of the online game trade”.

He additionally thanked his mother and father, who he mentioned “taught me that my worth lies in how I deal with different folks”.

Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke, who offered the Sport of the 12 months award after his staff’s Baldur’s Gate 3 gained the title final yr, was additionally praised for his remarks.

He took goal at chasing market share and “arbitrary gross sales targets” and mourned the “misplaced artwork” of studios making “a recreation they need to play themselves”.

This yr’s ceremony befell as a strike by online game actors over AI protections and dealing situations rumbled on.

Appearing union SAG-Aftra and Sport Employees of Southern California introduced plans to distribute leaflets outdoors the Peacock Theatre venue, the place the ceremony is held, this yr.

Different controversies this yr have included the nomination of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree within the Sport of the 12 months class.

Some followers argued the growth pack – an add-on for 2022 Sport of the 12 months Elden Ring – should not have been eligible.

And others have been upset when three of 5 nominations for the Participant’s Selection prize – the one award completely voted for by followers – went to free-to-play cellular video games together with Genshin Impression.

The remainder of the winners are determined by a panel of trade consultants and a fan vote which counts for 10% of the ultimate rating.

There are 30 awards in complete throughout a variety of classes together with audio design, greatest impartial recreation and accessibility and innovation.

The total listing of winners is on the Game Awards website.

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