This year's Game Awards ceremony garnered a lot of justified criticism for the way it rushed winning developers off stage in favour of adverts, rambling conversations with Hideo Kojima, and celebrity cameos from the likes of Timothée Chalamet.
16.12.2023 - 15:02 / gameranx.com / Geoff Keighley
The Game Awards are always going to be something that is hotly debated for various reasons. But one thing that you must give them, even if you don’t want to, is that because of their platform and being streamed all over the place, they have done incredible numbers from when they started in 2014. They got 1.9 million viewers that first year, which isn’t too bad considering the period. But when you fast forward to 2023, you see just how big things have gotten, as the latest show had 118 million viewers worldwide. That’s a 15% increase from the previous year and proof that the show is still growing.
As one would expect, the official handle for The Game Awards and its showrunner, Geoff Keighley, were quick to praise this development and thank everyone who watched it:
We are humbled to announce that #TheGameAwards reached a new viewership milestone of 118 million global livestreams in 2023, the most watched show in our 10 year history.
Thank you for watching and for your feedback! pic.twitter.com/wbabzF59Cp
While it’s fair to “give them their flowers” for getting such numbers, you’ll see a recurring trend if you look at the comment sections for both posts. Specifically, you’ll see people praising the numbers but asking for big changes with the show.
To recap, the 2023 show was three hours and thirty-seven minutes long, and yet the award winners only got to speak about their victories for a COMBINED ten minutes. Many people called out Geoff Keighley for his lack of empathy on certain “dark matters” in the gaming industry via his complete ignoring of it and only saying that “2023 was an epic year for gaming.”
Others blasted the show for focusing more on the celebrities who were there or for weird bits that took away from the award winners. Larian Studios, who won “Game of Year,” had only thirty seconds to give their acceptance speech, so the studio head posted the full speech on Twitter.
That might have you asking, “If the show is that bad, why do people keep watching it?” There are many answers to that, but the basic ones are “timing” and “what they hope to see.” The Game Awards are strategically positioned during the year so they do not conflict with anything. It’s generally in the point of December when there’s not much competition TV-wise, nor are there other gaming events to draw away attention.
Plus, whether you care for the reveals or not, the show has become one of the big places to see new things, and we did get that this year.
The problem is that despite it being an “awards show,” Geoff Keighley has taken the spotlight away from the actual developers, and that’s why many are calling for change.
This year's Game Awards ceremony garnered a lot of justified criticism for the way it rushed winning developers off stage in favour of adverts, rambling conversations with Hideo Kojima, and celebrity cameos from the likes of Timothée Chalamet.
The Game Awards have enjoyed consistent growth since the first showcase took place in December 2014, to the point where they have become an integral pillar for the community, especially in terms of new reveals and announcements by developers and publishers all around the world. This year’s showcase, like previous years’, was another one to exhibit continued growth for the event.
The Game Awards 2023 has broken its own viewership record, clocking up around 118 million livestreams.
The Game Awards has come and gone again, with 2023's show proving somewhat contentious, depending on who you ask. Something that became increasingly apparent as the show progressed was the pressure winners appeared to be under to wrap things up. Even Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke, who managed to snag Game of the Year with Baldur's Gate 3, appeared to be whisked off the stage after around 30 seconds, surprisingly spry in a suit of armour.
With The Game Awards 2023 now squarely in the rear view mirror, it's time to reflect on what was shown during Geoff Keighley's big end of year bash. Criticisms of the format and actual award presentations aside, the event did give us some significant game reveals.
The Game Awards 2023 broke the event’s viewership record with an estimated 118 million livestreams.
Do you want to get the latest gaming industry news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our daily and weekly newsletters here .
After his acceptance speech was cut short, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has published what he “wanted to say” when Baldur’s Gate 3 took home the top prize at The Game Awards last week.
Larian's CEO and founder Swen Vincke has shared the rough full text of his Game Awards 2023 acceptance speech for Baldur's Gate 3's Game of the Year trophy, after having his thoughts cut short by the event's crowded scheduling, which allotted more time to Kojima chitchat, trailers and celebrity cameos than the actual award-winners.
Game developers have a problem with this year’s Game Awards.
The Game Awards has faced a slew of criticism about its format as developers were urged off stage. Its creator, director and figurehead Geoff Keighley responded and recognized the widespread frustration the next day on social media.
Do you want to get the latest gaming industry news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our daily and weekly newsletters here .