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Image credit: Capcom | Street Fighter 6
The Game Awards 2023 will be remembered for a long time, just for the wrong reasons. If you don't know what the fuss is about, go to Geoff Keighley's X/Twitter and read the comments. The ceremony took 3.5 hours but the game developers that should have been celebrated the most were sometimes not given a chance to talk, or if they were, they got about 30 seconds.
The most infamous case of this bizarre decision was Larian Studios' Swen Vincke, who was asked to cut his speech short right when he started talking about his colleague Jim Southworth, who passed away in November. To make matters worse, this happened right after the studio got the Game of the Year award for Bladur's Gate 3, the most important prize at the whole event. The questionable "please, wrap it up" message from the teleprompter has since become a meme, and Keighley will probably keep seeing it in his comment sections for a long time. Or, well, until the next TGA, I reckon.
Image credit: Sabotage Studio | Sea of Stars
Well, at least Vincke had an opportunity to thank his team at all, some others weren't so lucky. Although I can't say why, maybe they had their reasons, but some winners were announced quickly and then moved on from, no speech, no appearance.
So what would these winners say if they had the time? IGN reached out to some of them to see what they wanted to share with the audience. Here are some extracts:
Thierry Boulanger, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Sabotage Studios and Game Director on Sea of Stars, Winner of Best Indie:
Thank you so much. I've been outspoken throughout development that Sea of Stars is a game that's incredibly personal to me. It would be hard to put into words how much it means that the team allowed me to share this vision and then poured themselves into it to such an extent. That is something I will never forget. We are all so lucky to do what we love, and I try to keep that reminder close every day that I have the privilege to make games.
Phil Crifo, Creative Director at Awaceb and Game Director on Tchia - Winner of Games for Impact:
This has an especially symbolic place in my heart, because the first time we revealed Tchia was on this show, and back then we couldn't believe that a little piece of New Caledonian culture was, for the first time, being broadcast to millions of people around the world. We were incredibly proud then, and even prouder today.
Image credit: Capcom | Resident Evil Village
Takayuki Nakayama, director on Street Fighter 6 - Winner of Best Fighting Game:
In a field of strong titles appearing in recent years, we’re very thankful to be selected Best Fighting Game. All the other nominated fighting games are amazing and shine brilliantly. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the players and to the members of the development team who worked so hard to bring the next chapter of the Street Fighter series to life. We will not be complacent and will continue to develop the game and provide the best experience possible to our fans. Thank you very much for your continued support.
The Resident Evil Village Development Team for Resident Evil Village VR Mode - Winner of Best VR/AR Game:
It’s such a privilege to be selected as Best VR/AR game. From the solitude of the snowy mountains to the ornate beauty of the castle, and the intimidating immensity of Lady Dimitrescu, stepping into the shoes of Ethan Winters and seeing the game's world from his perspective in the PSVR2 version of Resident Evil Village is a unique and unforgettable experience. We greatly appreciate and thank you for all the support!
Swen Vincke also decided to publish everything he desired to say and went to X/Twitter to thank players, his team, and the TGA organizers and reminded everyone that money should be fuel for games, not their goal.
"Games are a unique art form, as important as books, music or movies. Many developers, myself included, make games because they love seeing others engage with their creations in a way only games can offer. They don’t care that much about the money made beyond it being the fuel they need to create new and better games. It’s worth reminding everyone that fuel is but a means, not a goal. Whereto and how we journey are what matter and what we remember."
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