We are only two months away from entering 2024. With the year nearly over, I have taken the time to reflect on the insanity of the last ten months.
As a fan of the medium and gaming industry, 2023 has been a special year. In fact, I can hardly remember a year with so many games that delivered such incredible experiences.
While 2023 is nearly over, the likes of Alan Wake 2, Modern Warfare 3, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are still not out yet. This alone speaks volumes about the quality of games coming out this year.
Therefore, I believe 2023 is easily one of the greatest years of the gaming industry.
Unexpected Hits
Though 2023 had no shortage of great releases, I was pleasantly surprised with the number of unexpected hits in the year.
The year started with Xbox shadow-dropping Hi-Fi Rush, which became popular in no time. This game was so charming and stunning that I couldn’t help myself and gave it a shot despite having no interest in rhythm or action games.
Among the biggest AAA releases, Baldur’s Gate 3 took the industry by storm. As everyone prepared for Starfield, Larian Studios unleashed its own RPG on the industry, immediately turning millions of heads.
Being tied for the best-rated game of 2023, I immediately knew that I had to try this game. I still find it shocking that such a game rose to the top of the industry, and even the developers didn’t see it coming.
Lies of P was also extremely good as a Souls-like from a relatively unknown studio. Such games meant that 2023 was full of surprises.
Anticipated Titles & GOTY Contenders
As stated earlier, 2023 had an abundance of games. The fight for Game of the Year is so stacked that some of the best games may not even make it to the nominations.
For starters, Bethesda Game Studios finally returned to the industry with Starfield after nearly eight years. Insomniac debuted Spider-Man 2 just a few days ago, setting a new record for first-party PlayStation games.
Nintendo released a sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a new 2D Mario game, and Metroid Prime Remastered became one of the best-rated releases of the year. Therefore, I found myself spending time on all three major platforms.
Apart from these games, releases like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Final Fantasy 16, Diablo 4, Hogwarts Legacy, and more kept me engaged throughout the year. My backlog is bigger than ever now, and I suspect the same is the case for many other gamers in 2023.
While Baldur’s Gate 3 takes my vote for Game of the Year, I believe the variety, quality, and frequency of AAA releases this year are a big win for the industry.
Rivaling The Best Years of Gaming
Compared to the best years of the gaming industry, I believe 2023 holds up quite well.
In the past, 2007 was my benchmark for a quality year of games. With titles like BioShock, Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty 4, and more, this year led to revolutions and new franchises that are relevant to this day.
However, I believe 2023 is no slouch. The sheer variety and quality of new games over the last few months is astonishing. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hogwarts Legacy, in my opinion, will leave a lasting impact on the industry, making 2023 a special year for everyone who enjoys this hobby.
2023 was also the year of comebacks and redemptions. CDPR finally established Cyberpunk 2077 as an incredibly immersive RPG, and Dice was able to bring hundreds of thousands of players to Battlefield 2042.
Therefore, with all of these factors combined, there is little doubt in my mind that we will have to wait many years to see a period that matches or tops the industry’s quality in 2023.
Gaming was by no means perfect in 2023. However, the industry was firing on all cylinders this year. While these things are subjective at the end of the day, I think we can all agree that none of us found ourselves bored and starved for choices in 2023.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.
