This year, video games all bowed to one king at The game Awards: “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.” Sandfall’s underdog RPG success – hailed for its gorgeous worldbuilding, artful combat system and gripping soundtrack – won a record-breaking nine awards out of 12 nominations – including the top prize, Game of the Year.
The achievement wowed video game developers like Dineth Meegoda, a technical artist at Respawn Entertainment.”[What] inspires me is the fact that they are not afraid to remix things,” Meegoda said. “they have obvious influences from a lot of existing games, like ‘Persona,’ but taking that and remixing it in their own style, especially taking parts of their own culture and their own influences, and putting that into the world is really inspiring.”
“clair Obscur,” a narrative role-playing game centered around fighting enemies in turn-based combat, was adored by a crowd who roared upon each trophy it notched. Gaming producer Su Dural, who decorated her nails in support of “Clair Obscur,” raved about hearing the Best Score and Music winner’s soundtrack, which was performed live by an orchestra during the show.
“My ears turned blessed today just listening to that live, I was so happy,” Dural said.
Besides “Clair Obscur” publisher Kepler Interactive, only one other publisher won multiple awards: Nintendo, which won two awards for “Mario Kart World” and “Donkey Kong Bananza.”
The awards show also played host to a number of new game announcements. new entries in beloved series like “Control,” “Mega Man” and “Tomb Raider” were unveiled at Thursday’s show.
Alex C, an aspiring voice actor, didn’t hesitate to highlight what his favorite announcement of the night was.
“Mega Man, for sure.I’m just a huge Capcom fan, so it’s li
Key Announcements from the 2023 Tencent Games Annual Conference
The 2023 Tencent games Annual Conference, held in October, showcased a range of exciting developments in the gaming world, from new game reveals to scholarship awards. Here’s a breakdown of the key announcements:
Girls Make Games Scholarship Recipients Honored
The conference highlighted the success of the Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund, presenting awards to its first college scholarship recipients. Among them was Monica Paredes, a computer science junior at the University of Southern California (USC). Paredes was one of the initial recipients of the scholarship in 2023, recognizing her achievements through the Girls Make Games program, which empowers girls to create their own video games.
“Phantom Blade Zero” Release Date Announced
One of the most anticipated announcements was the confirmation of a 2026 release date for “Phantom Blade Zero,” a PlayStation 5 game developed by Tearaway Studios. The game is set within a world inspired by Chinese mythology. Content creator Tyler “Sarthe” Robinson, who was invited to China for an early preview, described the game as possibly world-changing. He emphasized the incredibly realistic motion capture,performed by leading kung fu artists,resulting in gameplay that feels “like a cinematic” and allows players to “feel like a fucking action hero.”
New First-Person Shooter: “Highguard”
Tencent games also unveiled “highguard,” an original player-vs-player first-person shooter. The game is being developed by a team comprised of veterans from Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind popular titles like “Titanfall” and “Apex Legends.” This announcement resonated with attendees like Meegoda,who previously worked on “Apex Legends” alongside members of the “Highguard” development team.
Indie Success Story Inspires
The conference also celebrated the success of Sandfall Studios’ indie game, “Clair Obscur.” Attendees, including Dural, were especially inspired by the team’s collaborative spirit and passion, demonstrating the potential for incredible achievements in self-reliant game development. “Clair Obscur” is a live-service action RPG that launched in September 2023.
The Tencent Games Annual Conference left a lasting impression on attendees, fostering inspiration among fans, actors, developers, and streamers alike.
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