Image via The Game Awards.
Geoff Keighley, who hosted The Game Awards 2023 and founded the event, has responded to the controversy resulting from winners being played off the stage relatively quickly.
On X, Keighley wrote, “By the way – I do agree that the music was played too fast for award winners this year, and I asked our team to relax that rule as the show went on. While no one was actually cut off, it’s something to address going forward.”
Related: Everything Announced at The Game Awards 2023
In response to the post, several people noted that Larian Studios was asked to “please wrap it up” while dedicating Baldur’s Gate 3 winning Game of the Year to a colleague who passed away. Others noted that those on stage accepting their awards were cut off by music.
The Game Awards 2023 has been subject to a lot of criticism, including by me, of the way that winners were treated. The program this year had a ton of ads, while those who won were either given only a short-time to speak or excluded from making a speech altogether. The winners of numerous categories were, for example, announced in a rapid-fire manner, while celebrities were given notably long times on stage.
The Game Awards are one of the bigger annual events in the video game industry and celebrate the best of what was released that year. The event also generally features trailers and announcements for upcoming projects. This year, Baldur’s Gate 3 did exceedingly well. In addition to winning game of the year, the title also took home awards for Best RPG and Player’s Voice, among other things. Alan Wake 2 also fared well, winning Best Narrative, Best Game Direction, and Best Art Direction.
If you’re looking for a list of all the winners at The Game Awards 2023, we’ve got you covered.