MMORPG.com Players' Choice Awards 2023 Winners
2023 has been a weird year. We've seen multiple MMORPG expansions come down to us, despite not really having one from one of the major hitters in the genre, while we've also seen excellent games release across the industry as a whole. It was a banner year especially for RPGs, with games like Final Fantasy XVI, Sea of Stars and, of course, Baldur's Gate 3 launching to much critical acclaim.
On the MMO front, we saw expansions from MMOs such as New World, Black Desert Online, and even EVE Online — who closed out 2023 strong by launching two expansions this year. We also saw new entries in the Cozy game genre vying for top billing with titan Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As we reflect on 2023, it was a good year for games, but we'd be remiss if we didn't also acknowledge it's been a bad year for those who make them.
Layoffs have occurred with alarming frequency across the industry, with estimates putting the number of developers laid off in 2023 over 7000 and climbing as we head towards the new year. It can't be separated that while we celebrate our favorite games that kept us going in 2023, the people who made them are facing more uncertainty than ever in the meat grinder that is the games industry.
The winners presented here were chosen by over 1500 reader votes cast over the last two weeks. Staff award winners will be announced next week, but arguably the Players' Choice awards are more important as it's one thing to win critical acclaim, another entirely to be recognized by the very people these games are made for. Let's dive in, shall we?
Runner-up: Fortnite
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