Summary
- The Game Awards 2023 featured exciting reveals and announcements, but highly anticipated games like GTA 6 and Elden Ring DLC were missing.
- God of War Ragnarok surprised fans with a free DLC, but rumors of a "half-sequel" were not confirmed at the event.
- Gamers hoped Hades 2 and Death Stranding 2 would be showcased, but fans will have to wait for more information on these upcoming games.
The Game Awards 2023 was an exciting event that honored several high-profile 2023 releases while whetting gaming fans' appetite for 2024 and beyond. Though The Game Awards provided the stage for a number of world premieres and announcements, there were a few games that were conspicuously absent, leaving players wondering when they will learn more about them.
Pleasant surprises like the reveal of Hideo Kojima's new Xbox exclusive game OD and the shadow dropping of The Finals helped make 2023's Game Awards a night to remember. In spite of the flood of reveals that poured through the event, some viewers may be feeling somewhat disappointed about the fact that certain highly anticipated games were missing from the show. One look at gaming social media makes it clear that many Rockstar fans were looking forward to learning more about GTA 6, while some FromSoftware enjoyers are feeling a bit crestfallen about Shadow of the Erdtree's absence. Rumors swirled about other potential reveals and trailers as well, but alas, many of these rumors turned out to be false.
Despite Incredible Reviews, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Only Wins 1 Award at The Game Awards 2023
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was Nintendo's crown jewel in 2023, yet it only took home a single accolade at The Game Awards.
God Of War Ragnarok's Half-Sequel
God of War fans got a surprise when The Game Awards revealed that a free DLC is coming to God of War Ragnarok next week, introducing an interesting new roguelike mode. However, this reveal wasn't quite what fans were expecting Sony Santa Monica to unveil. For some time now, rumors have circulated about a "half-sequel" to Ragnarok in the vein of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. With so much coverage and online chatter surrounding the title, many anticipated the rumor bubble to burst at the TGA ceremony, but it looks like fans will have to wait a little longer for an official trailer or confirmation.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Much to the chagrin of several Grand Theft Auto fans , The Game Awards did not feature any new trailers or gameplay reveals for GTA 6. In retrospect, this desire to see Rockstar's next single-player game might be viewed as wishful thinking, as the internet-breaking GTA 6 trailer launched just a few days before the event. While Rockstar could have delivered a thrilling double-whammy by giving fans another taste of the game at TGA, it makes sense why this didn't happen.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Alongside GTA 6, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was the title players most wanted to see at The Game Awards. The expectation that the DLC would be revealed at the event is a bit more reasonable, however, as FromSoftware has been rather tight-lipped when it comes to Shadow of the Erdtree updates. Moreover, Elden Ring has previously been featured at The Game Awards, with an impactful trailer for the game being shown at the event back in 2021.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Only Won 1 Award at The Game Awards 2023
Super Mario Bros. Wonder walked into The Game Awards 2023 with a respectable number of nominations, but it didn't quite manage to clinch them.
Hades 2
Hades was one of the best indies of 2020, so it's no surprise that players are bristling with excitement about the prospect of a follow-up game. This excitement has only been fanned by the relative lack of gameplay or information about the game, with only a brief trailer for the title being shown at The Game Awards 2022. With this in mind, it wasn't unrealistic to think that Supergiant might be interested in giving fans another look at the game at this year's event, but that didn't wind up happening. For the time being, those looking forward to the game will be left to speculate about Hades 2's story and gameplay elements ahead of its release next year.
Supergiant Games has announced that Hades 2 will launch in 2024, but only as an early access title. A timeline for the release of the game's 1.0 version has not been revealed.
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima's experimental first leap after leaving Konami is set to get a sequel, which many hope will be just as bizarre and inventive as its predecessor. Geoff Keighley has a close working relationship with Kojima, collaborating with the developer for various interviews, game reveals, and the Brain Structure podcast. This connection, alongside the fact that DS2 (working title) was initially revealed at last year's Game Awards, led to speculation that a Death Stranding 2 trailer at The Game Awards 2023 was imminent, but this didn't come to fruition. Kojima did still show up, though, arguably issuing an even bigger reveal in the form of OD, a horror game he is developing with Jordan Peele.
Although it's disappointing that players couldn't learn more about these titles at The Game Awards, it would be hard to call the event a disappointment overall. Several other high-profile games were given time to shine on Keighley's stage, including known quantities like Team Ninja's exciting-looking Rise of the Ronin and left-field debuts like Hello Games's Light No Fire. Other notable games that were officially revealed at TGA 2023 include:
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- OD
- God of War Ragnarok - Valhalla DLC
- Marvel's Blade
- Jet Set Radio
- Shinobi
- Golden Axe
- Streets of Rage
- Crazy Taxi
- Light No Fire
- Final Fantasy 16 DLC
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
- Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
- No Rest for the Wicked
- Exodus
- Big Walk
- Kemuri
- The Casting of Frank Stone
- Jurassic Park: Survival
- Visions of Mana
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake
- Den of Wolves
- Tales of Kenzera: Zau
- Rise of the Golden Idol
- Last Sentinel
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Mecha Break
- The First Descendant
- Exoborne
- The First Berserker: Khazan
- Usual June
- Pony Island 2: Panda Circus
- Harmonium: The Musical
- Windblown
- Thrasher
- World of Goo 2
- Arknights: Endfield
- Ready or Not
- Asgard's Wrath 2
- Stormgate
Announcements for unique games like the McConaughey-helmed Exodus and the eerie Pony Island 2: Panda Circus more than make up for those that didn't make it to the ceremony this year. Games like GTA 6 and Death Stranding 2 are guaranteed to get more trailers and updates down the road, so for now, it's worth appreciating the other promising titles revealed at The Game Awards 2023.