Starfield Ghosted At The 2023 Game Awards

The tenth annual Game Awards are less than a month away and creator and host Geoff Keighley has finally announced the 2023 nominees. The “Game of the Year” category includes expected hits like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate III, but also Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 4. Conspicuously missing among the GotY nominees was Bethesda’s long-awaited sci-fi RPG, Starfield, which scored only one nom among the spate of awards categories.

The other nominees for best game include Alan Wake II, Spider-Man 2, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Other notable nominee nods include Pizza Tower for best debute indie game by Tour de Pizza and Lies of P for best art direction. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Final Fantasy XVI were both represented in their respective genre categories of best action game and best RPG. Starfield, meanwhile, was only nominated in the best RPG category, with Microsoft’s first-party line-up largely absent outside of Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush, which was nominated for a bunch of stuff including best action game.

Prior to revealing this year’s nominations, Keighley reiterated on X (formerly Twitter) that he has no role in the voting process. “As a reminder the games nominated at #TheGameAwards are selected by a global jury of over 120 media outlets,” he posted on November 12. “I don’t vote on the games, although I do have the pleasure of announcing the nominees to you!”

It’s unclear if that neutral stance will apply to statements made by presenters and winners during the event as well. Meghna Jayanth, a narrative designer on Thirsty Suitors and other games, was recently denied the opportunity to comment on the current Palestinian humanitarian crisis in Gaza at the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards in the UK. The organizers said political statements were not permitted, leading her to drop out of the ceremony in protest. The Last of Us voice actor Troy Baker, who hosted the event, went on to present the award category instead, without mentioning the controversey.

The Golden Joystick Awards did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did The Game Awards when Kotaku asked if there would be a similar ban on political statements during its event.

Some have also called on Keighley to directly address the raft of video game studio layoffs and closures this year. Despite being a record year for acclaimed releases, Sony, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and more have all cut staff. The layoffs have hit teams both big and small, from Destiny 2 maker Bungie to Season: A Letter to the Future maker Scavengers Studios. Keighley has acknowledged industry working conditions in the past, if only vaguely. Following outrage at Activision Blizzard over reports and a lawsuit about sexual discrimination and harassment, the host briefly called out “abuse, harassment, or predatory practice by anyone, including our online communities” at the event in 2021.

While ostensibly a night just dedicated to honouring creative achievements in the medium of video games, The Game Awards is predominantly watched for big new gaming announcements, trailers, and “world premieres.” The event rounds out a year of showcases hosted by Keighley, which now includes Summer Game Fest and Gamescom Opening Night Live in addition to The Game Awards. With the Grand Theft Auto 6 official trailer reveal set for early December, fans have wondered if Rockstar’s open-world sequel might make a surprise appearance at the show.

This year’s ceremony takes place on December 7 and will begin streaming on Twitch, YouTube, and other video hosting platforms at 7:30 p.m. ET. Here’s the full list of 2023 Game Awards nominees:

Game of the Year

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Game Direction

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2(Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Adaptation

• Castlevania: Nocturne (Powerhouse Animation/Netflix)
• Gran Turismo (PlayStation Productions/Sony Pictures)
• The Last of Us (PlayStation Productions/HBO)
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination/Nintendo/Universal Pictures)
• Twisted Metal (PlayStation Productions/Peacock)

Best Narrative

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt Red)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)

Best Art Direction

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Score and Music

• Alan Wake 2, Composer Petri Alanko (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Baldur’s Gate 3, Composer Borislav Slavov (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XVI, Composer Masayoshi Soken (Square Enix)
• Hi-Fi Rush, Audio Director Shuichi Kobori (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Composed by Nintendo Sound Team (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Audio Design

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Dead Space (Motive Studio/EA)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

Best Performance

• Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
• Cameron Monaghan, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
• Idris Elba, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Melanie Liburd, Alan Wake 2
• Neil Newbon, Baldur’s Gate 3
• Yuri Lowenthal, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Innovation in Accessibility

• Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)

Games for Impact

• A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio/Toge Productions/Chorus)
• Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc/Focus Entertainment)
• Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)
• Tchia (Awaceb/Kepler Interactive)
• Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver Digital/Netflix)
• Venba (Visai Games)

Best Ongoing Game

• Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• Fortnite (Epic Games)
• Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
• Destiny 2 (Bungie)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
• No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

Best Independent Game

• Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• Dave the Diver (MINTROCKET)
• Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Debut Indie Game

• Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• Pizza Tower (Tour de Pizza)
• Venba (Visai Games)
• Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Mobile Game

• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (Applibot/Square Enix)
• Honkai: Star Rail (HoYoverse)
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Sunblink Entertainment)
• Monster Hunter Now (Niantic/Capcom)
• Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver/Netflix)

Best VR/AR Game

• Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
• Humanity (tha LTD/Enhance Games)
• Horizon Call of the Mountain (Guerrilla Games/Firesprite/SIE)
• Resident Evil Village VR Mode (Capcom)
• Synapse (nDreams)

Best Action Game

• Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
• Dead Island 2 (Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver)
• Ghostrunner 2 (One More Level/505 Games)
• Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games/Gearbox Publishing)

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best RPG

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
• Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
• Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)

Best Fighting Game

• God of Rock (Modus Studios Brazil/Modus Games)
• Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment)
• Pocket Bravery (Statera Studio/PQube)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)

Best Family Game

• Disney Illusion Island (Dlala Studios/Disney)
• Party Animals (Recreate Games)
• Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• Sonic Superstars (Arzest/Sonic Team/Sega)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (WayForward/Nintendo)
• Cities: Skylines II (Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive)
• Company of Heroes 3 (Relic Entertainment/Sega)
• Fire Emblem Engage (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Sports/Racing

• EA Sports FC 24 (EA Vancouver/EA Romania/EA Sports)
• F1 23 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
• Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (Milestone)
• The Crew Motorfest (Ubisoft Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)

Best Multiplayer

• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
• Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Party Animals (Recreate Games)
• Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Most Anticipated Game

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
• Hades II (Supergiant Games)
• Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)
• Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
• Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco/Arika)

Content Creator of the Year

• IronMouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
• Dota 2 (Valve)
• League of Legends (Riot Games)
• PUBG Mobile (LightSpeed Studios/Tencent Games)
• Valorant (Riot Games)

Best Esports Athlete

• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
• Max “Demon1” Mazanov (Valorant)
• Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
• Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (League of Legends)
• Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen (Apex Legends)

Best Esports Team

• Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
• Fnatic (Valorant)
• Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
• JD Gaming (League of Legends)
• Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)

Best Esports Coach

• Christine “potter” Chi (Evil Geniuses – Valorant)
• Danny “zonic” Sorensen (Team Falcons – Counter-Strike)
• Jordan “Gunba” Graham (Florida Mayhem – Overwatch)
• Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Team Vitality – Counter-Strike)
• Yoon “Homme” Sung-young (JD Gaming – League of Legends)

Best Esports Event

• 2023 League of Legends World Championship
• Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
• EVO 2023
• The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
• VALORANT Champions 2023