While it was a very early start for us in Europe, The Game Awards 2023 certainly delivered. From close calls to category wins to huge on-stage numbers. There's a lot to get through in this wrap-up, particularly as the lead-up was a whole other story. Did you know that Poets of the Fall had trouble acquiring work visas and travelled hoping it would arrive in time? It's been an intense way to close out an intense year.
Let's take a closer look at this rollercoaster...
Old Gods of Asgard Takes The Stage
Introduced by Warlin Door (played by David Harewood), Poets of the Fall delivered an incredible number in their live debut as Old Gods of Asgard. They were joined by Ilkka Villi (physical actor) and Mathew Porretta (voice actor) to bring together the complete Alan Wake presence and Sam Lake (Creative Director & physical actor for Alex Casey) in the latter stage. It's a truly breathtaking performance. Check it out below...
Alan Wake 2 Wins "Best Narrative"
Alan Wake 2's story was a monster, so it was perhaps no surprise when the game was announced as winner for "Best Narrative", with Sam accepting the award on behalf of the team. Competing in the same category, the sequel was up against tough competition with Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Final Fantasy XVI, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 competition for the same spot.
In his acceptance speech Sam thanks his writers who has worked on the game's story with him for the past four years. He stated, "Thank you so much! Alan Wake 2, from the beginning, was a very story-focused project for us. I share this with the whole narrative team; the writers, Clay, Tyler, Sinikka. Narrative Designers who made the story into gameplay; Simon, Molly. The whole narrative team. Directors working with actors Anssi, Hannah, Rosie, Holly. All the wonderful actors, here tonight some of them; Melanie, Ilkka, Matt and David. But the whole cast, wonderful actors. And the songmakers, who made custom music, custom songs, to extend the story. Here tonight, later, Poets of the Fall as Old Gods of Asgard, Poe's This Road, every song maker coming through with the right music for our chapter songs. Thank you. We wanted to push things further, to do something new, and it's always a risk for you to embrace it and understand it means so much. I'll treasure this always. Thank you."
Writing on Twitter after the reveal, Remedy posted, "We are extremely proud and very grateful for this award, especially because there were so amazing nominees in the category. Thank you, #TheGameAwards and everyone that voted for us!"
Remedy Takes Home "Best Art Direction"
Alan Wake 2 looks stunning, from the calming sunset tones of Bright Falls to the cold, stark nights in the Dark Place. As part of The Game Award quick-fire awards announcements, Remedy's art team took home the award for "Best Art Direction".
Congrats to @alanwake 2 for winning this year’s award for Best Art Direction! @remedygames #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/SMbYEwhlD9
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 8, 2023
Awarded for "outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artist design and animation", the Best Art Direction category featured for Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks), Lies of P (Round8 Studios), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD) in its nominations.
After the category award, the studio posted on social media, "Considering the other games Alan Wake 2 was within this category, we are very humbled by this win. Thank you, #gameawards and everyone who voted for us!"
"Best Game Direction" Award & New Game+ Date Revealed
It was third time lucky for the team! In one of the last remaining category, The Game Awards revealed that Alan Wake 2 had secured the vote for Best Game Direction. Sam Lake took to the stage once again, this time with Game Director Kyle Rowley.
With the trophy in his hands, Sam spoke first. "Thank you. We want to thank Epic, Hector, Nicole for believing in our vision. Crazy vision, yes. Direction is nothing without a team to actually build it, and a huge thanks to the Remedy team for joining us on this venture. Wanting to believe, believing it, and build it. You know, we can pull into different directions and nothing comes out of it, but when more than a hundred people believe in the same vision and build something out of it. We can make miracles. We can make art. And we can be more than the sum of our parts. Our world today could use a bit more of that."
Congratulations to @alanwake 2 for taking home the award for Best Game Direction! @remedygames @EpicPublishing #TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/rfJvZYdhx8
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 8, 2023
In the closing moments of the acceptance speech, Kyle released a teaser about a highly-anticipated feature. "Next Monday, December 11th, New Game+, the Final Draft is going to be coming out. New story content. Go play it! Thanks!"
Game of the Year Medley
In the closing moments of the show, a live orchestra played a medley of Game of the Year soundtracks, including Baldur's Gate 3, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Check it out below..
Interviews & Articles
Giant Bomb at Nite
Ahead of The Game Awards, Sam Lake, Kyle Rowley and Ilkka Villi swung by the Giant Bomb LA offices to take part in Giant Bomb at Nite.
In an eighteen-minute segment, the Alan Wake 2 team sat down with journalists Jeff Grubb, Jeff Bakalar, Tamoor Hussain and Lucy James. Armed with an Altered Item plushy duck, they answer questions on a huge range of topics, including emotionally moving on from projects, "the face", scheduling for filming, beard growing, the challenges of live-action, and Sam taking on an acting role.
Check out their broadcast HERE.
Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat covered Poets of the Fall's unusual trip to Los Angeles, a show prepared four weeks in advance but almost risked being cancelled when it came to uncertainty related to the vias.
You can read the full article HERE!
Studio Notes
Following the event, the Remedy Community Team wrote two articles about the reveals and celebrations from the night.
Alan Wake 2 Illuminates The Game Awards 2023 with Triple Triumph
"Alan Wake 2 triumphs at The Game Awards 2023, securing Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Game Direction. The evening reached new heights with a riveting live performance by Poets of the Fall, morphing into Old Gods of Asgard and adding an unforgettable blend of gaming excellence and artistic brilliance."
You can read the full article HERE!
Unveiling "The Final Draft" - New Game Plus for Alan Wake 2
"We are excited to announce the upcoming release of a new game update for Alan Wake 2, titled "The Final Draft," – introducing the highly requested New Game Plus. This update is set to launch on Monday, December 11th, for all platforms where Alan Wake 2 is available."
You can read the full details HERE!
The Game Awards Red Carpet
Following the event, there were two red carpet photographs that were made public; a group shot of the Herald of Darkness performers and then a wider group shot of the Alan Wake 2 team. Check out both of them below!
