Nintendo walked into The Game Awards 2023 with the most nominations of any developer, so it’s no surprise that they walked away from the night with multiple awards to add to the trophy case.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom unfortunately could not repeat as the Game of the Year winner like Breath of the Wild did in 2017, but it did earn a huge win of its own. Link’s and Zelda’s latest adventure honored its predecessor by taking home the award for Best Action / Adventure Game, coming out on top in a crowded field that included Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This marked the third time that Nintendo has claimed the Best Action / Adventure Game award at The Game Awards, following wins by Breath of the Wild in 2017, and Metroid Dread in 2021.
Mario and all his pals from the Mushroom Kingdom got Nintendo on the board early in the evening when Super Mario Bros. Wonder was honored with the award for Best Family Game. Considering that Super Mario Bros. Wonder was regarded enough to be nominated for Game of the Year, it was the clear favorite to take home the award in this particular category. Nintendo has fared better than any other publisher when it comes to Best Family Game at The Game Awards. Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s win was the fourth time in the last five years that Nintendo has come away with the trophy, and overall the seventh time in the ten years that The Game Awards has been running.
While The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario claiming major awards are expected results, they were joined by another Nintendo franchise that hasn’t seen quite the same fanfare over the years. Pikmin 4 followed up on its franchise-best sales performance this past Summer by winning the award for Best Sim / Strategy Game, signaling that the charming series is enjoying breakthrough success that will certainly carry forward to future entries. Nintendo had previously won in the Best Sim/Strategy Game category with 2019’s Fire Emblem Three Houses, and Fire Emblem Engage was up for nomination at this year’s event. For Pikmin to come out ahead of Fire Emblem is a true feather in Captain Olimar’s cap, and a very well earned accomplishment.
The only thing missing from the night for Nintendo was any new reveals for upcoming games. Aside from the announcement that the colorful MMORPG Palia will be coming to the Switch, and the reveal of the gorgeous multiplatform adventure Tales of Kenzera: Zau, it was a relatively quiet night as far as trailers and teasers for upcoming Switch software. But with the hybrid platforming presumably entering its final year, and a Nintendo Direct likely coming in early 2024, Nintendo fans can anticipate more announcements in the near future.
Until then, they can celebrate a trio of wins for three outstanding games that punctuated an equally outstanding year for the Switch.
