The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley has shared his thoughts on the debate surrounding Dave the Diver’s nomination for Best Indie Game.
10.11.2023 - 17:43 / gamesradar.com / Thierry Boulanger / Indie Game / Best
Sea of Stars has won Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 powered by Intel.
In a year that's given us so many big-budget AAA blockbusters, it's worth highlighting just how strong 2023's indie offerings have been over the course. Sea of Stars has been crowned the best among them at this year's Golden Joysticks, with Sabotage Studio's sophomore RPG venture fending off some stiff competition in the process.
Here's the category's Golden Joystick Awards 2023 nominee list in full:
Following 2018's The Messenger, Sea of Stars unfolds in the same wider universe while telling its own tale with its own cast of characters.
With a vibrant and beautiful art style that pays homage to some of the role-playing classics of the PS1 era – the likes of Alundra, Suikoden and early Final Fantasy games immediately spring to mind – Sea of Stars is driven by turn-based combat, with a suite of activities that bridge the time between battles; not least sailing, cooking, fishing, and visiting genre-staple taverns.
In conversation with GamesRadar+ earlier this year, game director Thierry Boulanger explored his career to date – from using The Messenger to look back over his own past grief, to using Sea of Stars as a vehicle for hope and looking forward.
Boulander said: "The thing that is there consistently throughout is that no matter how daunting or gruesome the thing in front of you is, if you apply yourself, if you do everything you can, if you rely on friendship, you can make it through."
All of which bodes well for the future of Sabotage Studio because after back-to-back JRPG and Metroidvania hits, the Sea of Stars dev says it already has the theme for its next game.
Discover the best games of 2023 at the best prices by checking out the Golden Joystick Awards Steam sale page
The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley has shared his thoughts on the debate surrounding Dave the Diver’s nomination for Best Indie Game.
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It’s no secret that in a year of incredible games, Baldur’s Gate 3 is arguably at the top. Not only is it the highest-rated game of 2023 on Metacritic and Opencritic, but of its 353,326 user reviews on Steam, 96 percent are positive for an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating.
Baldur's Gate 3 has swept the board at the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards.
Baldur's Gate 3 and Larian Studios just had the most successful night in the history of the Golden Joysticks Awards.
2023 may not quite be done yet, but the game-of-the-year conversation is already beginning to heat up. Case in point, the Golden Joystick Awards, one of the longest-running video game awards shows with winners being voted on by the UK public, has announced their winners. The big winner was Baldur’s Gate 3, which walked away with “Ultimate Game of the Year” and six other awards. The rest of the winner’s field was quite divided, with only two other games, Final Fantasy XVI and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, receiving more than one award. Some games that seemed to be frontrunners earlier in the year, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Resident Evil 4 remake, only received a single trophy.
Baldur's Gate 3 gobbled up five awards in London today at The Golden Joystick Awards, an annual event put on by PC Gamer's publisher. That's Larian CEO Swen Vincke hugging the haul with a big grin in the photo above, which was posted on X by Larian director of publishing Michael Douse.
Baldur's Gate 3 has claimed the top prize at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 powered by Intel, capping off a huge night by winning the title of Ultimate Game of the Year.
Resident Evil 4 Remake has been crowned PlayStation Game of the Year at The Golden Joysticks 2023 powered by Intel.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has won the Most Wanted Game category at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 powered by Intel.
Let's take a look at all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners shall we? This year's awards took place on Friday, November 20 and for the first time since 2019 it was in person again in London, as well as live-streamed around the globe. The show, which is now in its 41st year, recognizes the talent present all across the video game industry. From those who create experiences that enrich our lives and transfix us during our downtime, to the people who bring those characters and worlds to life, there are plenty of games and studios that deserve recognition each year.
Baldur's Gate 3 just swept the Golden Joystick Awards, winning in six different categories. This includes the Ultimate Game of the Year award, and even Studio of the Year for its developer, Larian.