The Margin: The Game Awards: ‘Alan Wake 2,’ ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ score game-of-the-year nods

Many of the other game-of-the-year nominees were also sequels and new installments from beloved franchises, including Nintendo’s NTDOY, +1.80% “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” and “Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” from Insomniac Games and the remade “Resident Evil 4” from Capcom CCOEY, -0.71%.  

It’s been an exciting year for videogames. Fans got to live out their dreams of going to wizarding school with “Hogwarts Legacy” from Warner Bros. Games WBD, -3.11%, master swinging a lightsaber with Electronics Arts’ EA, -0.06% “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” go on an epic fantasy adventure in Square Enix’s SQNNY, +4.74% “Final Fantasy XVI,” live out football fantasies with “Madden NFL 24” and undertake a vision quest across the universe with Microsoft’s MSFT, -0.59% “Starfield.” 

Americans spent $ 4.5 billion on videogames, hardware and accessories in September alone, according to Circana videogame analysts, which was up 10% year over year.

Year to date, U.S. gamers have dropped $ 39.4 billion, Circana added, which is 2% more than a year ago. And the bestselling games year to date include many of those among the nominees, such as “Hogwarts Legacy,” “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” “Madden NFL 24,” “Diablo IV” and “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.”

Popular gaming franchises have also jumped to the big screen to make some big bucks. Notably, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which scored more than $ 1 billion at the global box office, is among the nominees for best adaptation. “The Last of Us,” which was a streaming hit on HBO, is also among the best-adaptation picks. 

The nominees were chosen by an international jury of more than 100 global media and influencer outlets, according to the awards’ FAQ page. There were also specialized juries to vote on games in categories such as accessibility, e-sports and best adaptation. The five games that appeared on the most ballots were put forth as the nominees in each category, or, if there was a tie, then six or more nominees were put in a particular category.

The winners, which will be announced at the Game Awards on Dec. 7, will be determined by a blended vote between the jury votes, counting for 90% of the total, and fan votes, counting for 10%. Gamers and fans can enter their votes online at TheGameAwards.com and on the Game Awards’ Discord server. Fan voting closes on Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. Pacific time. 

The award show will stream for free across all major streaming services — including Alphabet’s GOOGL, -0.21% YouTube, Amazon’s AMZN, -0.43% Twitch, X.com, Steam and Meta’s META, +0.51% Instagram Live — on Dec. 7 starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Here is the complete list of the Game Awards nominees: 

Game of the Year

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• “Resident Evil 4” (Capcom)
• “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Game Direction

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Adaptation

• “Castlevania: Nocturne” (Powerhouse Animation/Netflix)
• “Gran Turismo” (PlayStation Productions/Sony Pictures)
• “The Last of Us” (PlayStation Productions/HBO)
• “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Illumination/Nintendo/Universal Pictures)
• “Twisted Metal” (PlayStation Productions/Peacock)

Best Narrative

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty” (CD Projekt Red)
• “Final Fantasy XVI” (Square Enix)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)

Best Art Direction

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Hi-Fi Rush” (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• “Lies of P” (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Score and Music

• “Alan Wake 2,” composer Petri Alanko (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Baldur’s Gate 3,” composer Borislav Slavov (Larian Studios)
• “Final Fantasy XVI,” composer Masayoshi Soken (Square Enix)
• “Hi-Fi Rush,” audio director Shuichi Kobori (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” composed by Nintendo Sound Team (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Audio Design

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Dead Space” (Motive Studio/EA)
• “Hi-Fi Rush” (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• “Resident Evil 4” (Capcom)

Best Performance

• Ben Starr, “Final Fantasy XVI”
• Cameron Monaghan, “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor”
• Idris Elba, “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty”
• Melanie Liburd, “Alan Wake 2”
• Neil Newbon, “Baldur’s Gate 3”
• Yuri Lowenthal, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”

Innovation in Accessibility

• “Diablo IV” (Blizzard Entertainment)
• “Forza Motorsport” (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• “Hi-Fi Rush” (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• “Mortal Kombat 1” (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• “Street Fighter 6” (Capcom)

Games for Impact

• “A Space for the Unbound” (Mojiken Studio/Toge Productions/Chorus)
• “Chants of Sennaar” (Rundisc/Focus Entertainment)
• “Goodbye Volcano High” (KO_OP)
• “Tchia” (Awaceb/Kepler Interactive)
• “Terra Nil” (Free Lives/Devolver Digital/Netflix)
• “Venba” (Visai Games)

Best Ongoing Game

• “Apex Legends” (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
• “Cyberpunk 2077” (CD Projekt Red)
• “Final Fantasy XIV” (Square Enix)
• “Fortnite” (Epic Games)
• “Genshin Impact” (HoYoverse)

Best Community Support

• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Cyberpunk 2077” (CD Projekt Red)
• “Destiny 2” (Bungie)
• “Final Fantasy XIV” (Square Enix)
• “No Man’s Sky” (Hello Games)

Best Independent Game

• “Cocoon” (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• “Dave the Diver” (MINTROCKET)
• “Dredge” (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• “Sea of Stars” (Sabotage Studio)
• “Viewfinder” (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Debut Indie Game

• “Cocoon” (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
• “Dredge” (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
• “Pizza Tower” (Tour de Pizza)
• “Venba” (Visai Games)
• “V”iewfinder” (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)

Best Mobile Game

• “Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis” (Applibot/Square Enix)
• “Honkai: Star Rail” (HoYoverse)
• “Hello Kitty Island Adventure” (Sunblink Entertainment)
• “Monster Hunter Now” (Niantic/Capcom)
• “Terra Nil” (Free Lives/Devolver/Netflix)

Best VR/AR Game

• “Gran Turismo 7” (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
• “Humanity” (tha LTD/Enhance Games)
• “Horizon Call of the Mountain” (Guerrilla Games/Firesprite/SIE)
• “Resident Evil Village VR Mode” (Capcom)
• “Synapse” (nDreams)

Best Action Game

• “Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon” (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
• “Dead Island 2” (Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver)
• “Ghostrunner 2” (One More Level/505 Games)
• “Hi-Fi Rush” (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
• “Remnant 2” (Gunfire Games/Gearbox Publishing)

Best Action/Adventure Game

• “Alan Wake 2” (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
• “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” (Insomniac Games/SIE)
• “Resident Evil 4” (Capcom)
• “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
• “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best RPG

• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Final Fantasy XVI” (Square Enix)
• “Lies of P” (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
• “Sea of Stars” (Sabotage Studio)
• “Starfield” (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)

Best Fighting Game

• “God of Rock” (Modus Studios Brazil/Modus Games)
• “Mortal Kombat 1” (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
• “Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2” (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment)
• “Pocket Bravery” (Statera Studio/PQube)
• “Street Fighter 6” (Capcom)

Best Family Game

• “Disney Illusion Island” (Dlala Studios/Disney)
• “Party Animals” (Recreate Games)
• “Pikmin 4” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
• “Sonic Superstars” (Arzest/Sonic Team/Sega)
• “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• “Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp” (WayForward/Nintendo)
• “Cities: Skylines II” (Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive)
• “Company of Heroes 3” (Relic Entertainment/Sega)
• “Fire Emblem Engage” (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
• “Pikmin 4” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Best Sports/Racing

• “EA Sports FC 24” (EA Vancouver/EA Romania/EA Sports)
• “F1 23” (Codemasters/EA Sports)
• “Forza Motorsport” (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
• “Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged” (Milestone)
• “The Crew Motorfest” (Ubisoft Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)

Best Multiplayer

• “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
• “Diablo IV” (Blizzard Entertainment)
• “Party Animals” (Recreate Games)
• “Street Fighter 6” (Capcom)
• “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)

Most Anticipated Game

• “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (Square Enix)
• “Hades II” (Supergiant Games)
• “Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth” (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)
• “Star Wars Outlaws” (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
• “Tekken 8” (Bandai Namco/Arika)

Content Creator of the Year

• IronMouse
• PeopleMakeGames
• Quackity
• Spreen
• SypherPK

Best Esports Game

• “Counter-Strike 2” (Valve)
• “Dota 2” (Valve)
• “League of Legends” (Riot Games)
• “PUBG Mobile” (LightSpeed Studios/Tencent Games)
• “Valorant” (Riot Games)

Best Esports Athlete

• Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
• Max “Demon1” Mazanov (Valorant)
• Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
• Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (League of Legends)
• Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen (Apex Legends)

Best Esports Team

• Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
• Fnatic (Valorant)
• Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
• JD Gaming (League of Legends)
• Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)

Best Esports Coach

• Christine “potter” Chi (Evil Geniuses — Valorant)
• Danny “zonic” Sorensen (Team Falcons — Counter-Strike)
• Jordan “Gunba” Graham (Florida Mayhem — Overwatch)
• Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Team Vitality — Counter-Strike)
• Yoon “Homme” Sung-young (JD Gaming — League of Legends)

Best Esports Event

• 2023 League of Legends World Championship
• Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
• EVO 2023
• International Dota 2 Championships 2023
• Valorant Champions 2023