There Was One Big Snub in the Game Awards Nominations
The Game Awards, an annual celebration of the best in video gaming, is always a major event in the gaming world. Fans, developers, critics, and gamers alike eagerly await the announcements of nominations and winners in various categories, from Game of the Year to Best Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. Every year, the ceremony stirs up debate, not just over who wins, but also over who didn’t make the cut.
In 2023, there was one particular omission in the Game Awards nominations that left many gamers scratching their heads, questioning the credibility and fairness of the nomination process: Baldur’s Gate 3. While the game’s absence from certain categories (like Best Action Game) raised eyebrows, it was one major snub that became the focal point of heated discussions: Baldur’s Gate 3 being excluded from Best Game Direction.
Baldur’s Gate 3: A Game-Changing RPG
Before diving into the snub itself, it’s important to understand why Baldur’s Gate 3 was considered a frontrunner for not only the Game of the Year but also several other prestigious categories. Developed by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a deep, immersive RPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Its rich narrative, complex characters, and deep combat mechanics were celebrated by players and critics alike. The game broke barriers in terms of player freedom, offering an almost unparalleled level of choice that allowed players to truly shape their own destiny.
From the moment it was released in early access in 2020, Baldur’s Gate 3 generated buzz, but it was its full release in August 2023 that truly solidified its place as a modern classic. The game was praised for its meticulous attention to detail, rich storytelling, excellent voice acting, and innovative mechanics, making it one of the most complete RPGs ever made.
It was clear that Baldur’s Gate 3 was a game that pushed the boundaries of its genre and redefined what role-playing games could be. It took a bold approach to blending traditional RPG elements with new, innovative ideas that felt fresh and exhilarating. The world felt alive with choices and consequences, and it was easy to get lost in the complex relationships and branching storylines.
Despite all this, when the Game Awards nominations were announced, Baldur’s Gate 3 was snubbed in one critical category: Best Game Direction. This omission didn’t just shock fans—it became one of the most controversial moments of the awards season.
The Importance of Best Game Direction
Best Game Direction is one of the most coveted awards at the Game Awards. The category is not about the technical aspects of a game, like graphics or sound design, but rather focuses on the overall vision and direction behind the game’s creation. It’s about the leadership, innovation, and the ability to bring together all the elements of a game in a cohesive, compelling way. The winner of this award typically demonstrates an extraordinary level of craftsmanship, with the ability to push the medium forward in both form and function.
This is where Baldur’s Gate 3 truly shines. Larian Studios, under the direction of Swen Vincke, created a game that was not only ambitious but also deeply respectful of the RPG genre’s roots. The game married the flexibility of player choices with a rich, interconnected world. Vincke’s leadership, as well as the contributions of the studio’s talented developers, writers, and artists, culminated in a game that felt alive, responsive, and deeply immersive.
The world of Faerûn was stunningly realized. The game’s narrative and branching paths were intricately woven, and the dialogue choices were deep and meaningful, offering a rare level of player agency. The innovations brought to the combat system—turn-based, yet deeply strategic, and heavily reliant on the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset—were revolutionary in bringing the tabletop RPG experience to the digital world in a way that felt authentic and exciting.
In every sense, Baldur’s Gate 3 was a game that pushed boundaries and proved that the RPG genre could still innovate. Swen Vincke, the director, and his team at Larian Studios crafted something that felt ambitious, polished, and groundbreaking, making it the logical choice for Best Game Direction. Yet, the nomination list for this category was released, and Baldur’s Gate 3 was nowhere to be found.
The Competitors: A Stacked Category
The competition for Best Game Direction in 2023 was undeniably strong. The nominees in this category were:
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)
- Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games)
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Clearly, Tears of the Kingdom had a massive fan base, given its long-awaited nature and the success of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. It was also a technical marvel, featuring massive open-world gameplay, and the inclusion of new mechanics like the fusion system. Spider-Man 2 was another top contender, as Insomniac Games has proven time and time again their ability to direct incredible action experiences with polished gameplay. Alan Wake 2, with its horror-driven narrative and cinematic direction, earned its place in the category too.
While all these games were deserving in their own right, none of them felt quite as groundbreaking as Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of direction and innovation. The meticulous world-building, the strategic depth of the combat, the way the game balanced complex systems, and the depth of the narrative choices were all hallmarks of exceptional game direction. Baldur’s Gate 3 was not just an RPG, it was a genre-defining experience, and many fans felt it deserved recognition for the leadership and vision behind it.
The Snub: A Missed Opportunity?
So, why was Baldur’s Gate 3 excluded from the Best Game Direction category? There are several theories. One possible reason is simply that the Game Awards has always had a preference for more mainstream, widely accessible games. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Spider-Man 2, for example, are both incredibly popular franchises with massive fanbases, while Baldur’s Gate 3 was a more niche, hardcore RPG that appealed largely to dedicated RPG fans. The recognition of game direction can sometimes be influenced by the size and scope of the audience, with larger games often getting the benefit of the doubt.
Additionally, the competition was tough in 2023, and Baldur’s Gate 3 being left out of the Best Game Direction category may have simply been a case of the voters’ preferences leaning towards other contenders. Tears of the Kingdom’s vast open-world mechanics and innovation in world-building, or Spider-Man 2’s spectacular open-world traversal and dynamic combat systems, could have been seen as more technically impressive.
However, this does not take away from the extraordinary work done by Larian Studios. The snub was not just an oversight—it felt like a dismissal of the studio’s pioneering contributions to the RPG genre. Larian Studios, with their ambitious vision and dedication to crafting a game that truly respected the spirit of Dungeons & Dragons, deserved recognition for their leadership and vision in shaping the direction of Baldur’s Gate 3.
A Game That Deserved More Recognition
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At the end of the day, the exclusion of Baldur’s Gate 3 from Best Game Direction was a glaring snub in an otherwise impressive set of nominations. While the Game Awards certainly honored the best games of the year, the omission of this genre-defining RPG from such an important category left many fans and critics questioning the nomination process.
Despite the snub, however, Baldur’s Gate 3 remains a triumph in every sense of the word. The accolades it did receive, including Game of the Year, were well-deserved. But the Best Game Direction snub serves as a reminder that the gaming industry, while constantly evolving, still has room to better recognize and reward innovation in game direction, especially in the cases where the game does something truly revolutionary.
In the end, Baldur’s Gate 3’s legacy will be defined not by awards, but by the profound impact it has had on the RPG genre, and on the gaming landscape as a whole.
