Summary
Geoff Keighley announced thatThe Game Awards 2023had 118 million livestreams, setting a new viewership record for the show. Over the course of its ten-year history, The Game Awards slowly established itself as the winter equivalent of E3, providing video game publishers a platform to reveal and advertise their upcoming titles, while also being a celebration of all the games that defined a given year. With thepermanent cancelation of E3, The Game Awards further cemented its role in the gaming industry, and Keighley certainly hasn’t shied away from changing the show based on feedback or circumstance.
Acontroversial aspect of The Game Awards 2023concerned its speeches, as many developers were told to “wrap it up” in order to keep the show going, while winners in some categories weren’t even given an opportunity to come onto the stage. The transition to a shorter runtime over the past few years, while attempting to keep the same number of trailers, is ultimately what caused the controversy. While the announcements are primarily the reason why casual viewers watch The Game Awards, perhaps a perfect compromise exists that would make both sides of the argument happy.
The Game Awards Broke Its Own Record With 18 Million Livestreams in 2023
That being said, the popularity ofThe Game Awardscontinues to grow, as Geoff Keighley’s show in 2023 had an increase of 15% in viewership compared to the previous year, with roughly 18 million global livestreams. Keighley celebrated the milestone by sharing it on Twitter, thanking people for tuning in, as well as for providing feedback on the things that could change for The Game Awards 2024.
Theultimate winner of The Game Awards 2023ended up beingBaldur’s Gate 3by a wide margin, as Larian’s CRPG won in six major categories, including Game of the Year. It stealth-released a version for the Xbox Series X|S during the show itself, giving Xbox players a chance to finally see what all the fuss is about. While Larian certainly deserved the accolades, 2023 was a particularly strong year for gaming, as it also saw the release of critically-acclaimed titles such asThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Alan Wake 2, and many more.
Though it remains to be seen what The Game Awards will look like in December 2024, the upcoming year boasts an impressive list of eagerly-anticipated titles. Assuming no delays occur,games such asFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,Dragon’s Dogma 2, andStar Wars Outlawswill all make their debut in 2024, alongside expansion packs for live service titles such asFinal Fantasy 14andWorld of Warcraft. While it’s likely that Geoff Keighley’s show will see an increase in viewership once again, many fans wouldn’t mind a few more tweaks to its formula.
MORE:The Game Awards Left One of 2023’s Surprise Hits in the Dust
