Given how many award shows have happened in various media over the last six weeks, you might feel things are “finally done.” But you would be wrong! There’s another significant award show for the gaming year that was, which won’t arrive until March! We’re speaking about the Game Developers Choice Awards, or the GDC Awards for short. This is when the industry itself comes together to recognize and honor the best games of the previous year and give awards for their outstanding achievements. As revealed by ComicBook.com, the nominations have gone live, and the titles with the most nominations are Baldur’s Gate 3 and Tears of the Kingdom.
Oh, but don’t worry; you can make your voice heard via the audience vote. So don’t miss the chance to do that!
Focusing back on the titles themselves, it’s unsurprising that these hit games from Larian Studios and Nintendo are getting seven nominations each. After all, they both had incredible 2023s, and both were easily some of the most high-quality titles that came out that year. Larian Studios took the “top prize” at The Game Awards last month, which made many people happy. Meanwhile, many “big name” websites gave Nintendo’s open-world title the Game of the Year trophy, so the “score,” if you will, is quite even. Again, this event isn’t driven by fan votes but by the industry, so it’ll be curious to see if they are going to go with the title that was a “surprise hit” or the game that was the “worthy sequel and expansion of an already beloved title.”
With how award shows are nowadays, who can say?
Obviously, those weren’t the only games to be nominated, and plenty of categories don’t feature those titles at all. Never forget that 2023, despite all its flaws, had tons of games for all sorts of gamers. That’s what makes 2024 so exciting and interesting.
After all, numerous games are coming out both in January and February that could make the Game of the Year race “already settled.” Then again, who would’ve bet that Larian Studios’ RPG would be nominated for seven categories at the GDC Awards before it came out last year? Exactly. The wonders of the gaming world will never cease because sometimes a hit title can come out of nowhere and showcase that there is still something to be in awe about.
If you wish to watch the award ceremony, you can do so on Twitch on March 20th.
