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Two Exclusives Won Zero Awards At The Game Awards 2023
And one of them was nominated 8 times.
2023 was a highly competitive year in gaming and while Baldur’s Gate 3 won multiple awards including the coveted GOTY, there were two big games that did not receive any award – with one of them being nominated in multiple categories. The games were Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5 exclusive) and Starfield (PC and Xbox exclusive).
No Game Awards for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Starfield This Year
While Starfield was only nominated in one category of “Best RPG” alongside Final Fantasy XVI, Lies of P, and Sea of Stars, it lost out to the juggernaut this year – Baldur’s Gate 3.
The community isn’t surprised that the game wasn’t included in more nominations, especially the big Game of the Year one. Comments say that the lack of fleshed out content which comes across as half-baked was one of the major reasons why Starfield fell behind.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect was that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, despite being nominated in 8 categories, did not win a single award.
While BG3 took home the GOTY, the other categories where Spider-Man 2 was nominated were as follows (along with the actual winners):
- Best Game Direction – Winner – Alan Wake 2
- Best Narrative – Winner – Alan Wake 2
- Best Audio Design – Winner – Hi-Fi Rush
- Innovation in Accessibility – Winner – Forza Motorsport
- Best Performance – Winner – Neil Newbon (Astarion, BG3)
- Best Action/Adventure Game – Winner – Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Player’s Voice – Winner – Baldur’s Gate 3
While some expected Spider-Man 2 to win the Best Performance award, Neil Newbon’s Astarion was simply extraordinary. Plus, the range of dialogues gave Neil a chance to show off his skill. Alan Wake 2’s intriguing narrative and game direction beat out the PS5 exclusive, and another exclusive Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom won over it in the Action-Adventure category.
Surprisingly, even Tears of the Kingdom won only once.
Players said that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was “too safe, a cookie cutter of a sequel and in many ways, a step back from the first game.” Others agreed that the game was also a bit too short with less replayability compared to Baldur’s Gate 3.
Full The Game Awards 2023 Winners List
Here’s the full list of TGA 2023 winners:
Game of the Year
Alan Wake 2
Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Game Direction
Alan Wake 2 – WINNER
Baldur’s Gate 3
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Narrative
Alan Wake 2 – WINNER
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Final Fantasy 16
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Best Art Direction
Alan Wake 2 – WINNER
Hi-Fi Rush
Lies of P
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Score/Music
Alan Wake 2
Baldur’s Gate 3
Final Fantasy 16 – WINNER
Hi-Fi Rush
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Best Audio Design
Alan Wake 2
Dead Space Remake
Hi-Fi Rush – WINNER
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Best Performance
Ben Starr – Final Fantasy 16
Cameron Monaghan – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Idris Elba – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Melanie Liburd – Alan Wake 2
Neil Newbon – Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Yuri Lowenthal – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Games for Impact
A Space for the Unbound
Chants of Sennaar
Goodbye Volcano High
Tchia – WINNER
Terra Nil
Venba
Best Ongoing Game
Apex Legends
Cyberpunk 2077 – WINNER
Final Fantasy 14
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Best Indie Game
Cocoon
Dave the Diver
Dredge
Sea of Stars – WINNER
Viewfinder
Best Debut Indie Game
Cocoon – WINNER
Dredge
Pizza Tower
Venba
Viewfinder
Best Mobile Game
Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
Honkai: Star Rail – WINNER
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Monster Hunter Now
Terra Nil
Best Community Support
Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy 16
No Man’s Sky
Best VR/AR Game
Gran Turismo 7
Humanity
Horizon: Call of the Mountain
Resident Evil Village – WINNER
Synapse
Innovation in Accessibility
Diablo 4
Forza Motorsport – WINNER
Hi-Fi Rush
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Mortal Kombat 1
Street Fighter 6
Best Action Game
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – WINNER
Dead Island 2
Ghostrunner 2
Hi-Fi Rush
Remnant 2
Best Action/Adventure Game
Alan Wake 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – WINNER
Best RPG
Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Final Fantasy 16
Lies of P
Sea of Stars
Starfield
Best Fighting Game
God of Rock
Mortal Kombat 1
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Pocket Bravery
Street Fighter 6 – WINNER
Best Family Game
Disney Illusion Island
Party Animals
Pikmin 4
Sonic Superstars
Super Mario Bros. Wonder – WINNER
Best Sports/Racing Game
EA Sports FC 24
F1 23
Forza Motorsport – WINNER
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
The Crew Motofest
Best SIM/Strategy Game
Advanced Wars 1+” Re-Boot Camp
Cities: Skylines 2
Company of Heroes 3
Fire Emblem Engage
Pikmin 4 – WINNER
Best Multiplayer Game
Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Diablo 4
Party Animals
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Content Creator of the Year
IronMouse – WINNER
PeopleMakeGames
Quackity
Spreen
SypherPK
Best Esports Athlete
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok – WINNER
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Max “Demon1” Mazanov
Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen
Best Esports Coach
Christine “potter” Chi – WINNER
Danny “zonic” Sorensen
Jordan “Gunba” Graham
Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
Yoon “Homme” Sung-young
Best Esports Event
2023 League of Legends World Championship – WINNER
Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
EVO 2023
The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
VALORANT Champions 2023
Best Esports Game
Counter-Strike 2
Dota 2
League of Legends
PUBG Mobile
Valorant – WINNER
Best Esports Team
Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
Gaimin Gladiators
JD Gaming – WINNER
Team Vitality
Most Anticipated Game
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – WINNER
Hades 2
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Star Wars Outlaws
Tekken 8
Best Adaptation
Castlevania: Nocturne
Gran Turismo
The Last of Us – WINNER
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Twisted Metal
Players’ Voice
Baldur’s Gate 3 – WINNER
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Genshin Impact
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Community Reactions
Here are some responses from Reddit for Starfield being only nominated once, as well as newer comments regarding Starfield and Spiderman’s lack of wins at The Game Awards 2023.
