Vortex Gaming

The '2023 Korea Game Awards', which selects the Game of the Year that shined in Korea in 2023, was held on the 15th at the BEXCO Convention Hall in Busan.

This event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korea Game Industry Association, and sponsored by the Electronic Times and Sports Chosun, will present awards in a total of 13 categories, including the Main Awards (Grand Prize, Best Excellence Award, Excellence Award, Technology Creation Award), Popular Game Award, and Indie Game Award.

The nominees for the Main Award include Lies of P, Prasia Electric, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, Warhaven, EverSoul, Tower of God: New World, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, Seven Knights Idle Adventure, Dave the Diver, Night Crows, and Grand Cross: Age of Titans.

The grand prize of this year's game awards went to 'Lies of P' by Round8 Studio, a subsidiary of Neowiz. 'Lies of P' also won six awards, including the Technology/Creation Award for Planning/Scenario, Sound, and Graphics, the Popular Game Award, and the Best Developer Award. Meanwhile, 'Night Crows', 'Nikke', and 'Crossfire: Sierra Squad' each won the Excellence Award, and Nexon's 'Dave the Diver' won the Best Excellence Award.

■ Good Game Award - Flawless Darkness

The Good Game Award went to Old Ice's 'Flawless Darkness'. 'Flawless Darkness' was praised as a game that provides the same experience to both the visually impaired and the general public, as it is enjoyed through hearing rather than sight.

Park Jae-hyung, CEO of Old Ice, said that it was a meaningful time, although it was very difficult to develop alone, and that he would continue to work hard to ensure that more people can enjoy the game.

■ Game Business Innovation Award - Com2uS Roca

The Game Business Innovation Award was awarded to Com2uS Roca, which developed the VR game 'Darksword'. Shin Hyun-seung, CEO of Com2uS Roca, said that challenging a new market is always difficult, and expressed his gratitude to the employees who worked together on the difficult challenge, and promised to continue to work hard to create better games.

■ Startup Company Award - FOW Games

The Startup Company Award, which can be said to be the Rookie of the Year award in the game industry, was awarded to FOW Games. It is a game company that developed Pristontale M and Kingdom: The Blood Pledge, and at this year's G-STAR, it will showcase its new title 'The Legend of Heroes: Gagharv Trilogy', which is currently under development, and provide a demonstration area to welcome visitors.

Lee Kwang-jae, CEO of FOW Games, who is busy developing The Legend of Heroes: Gagharv Trilogy and Kingdom 2, said in his acceptance speech that the Startup Company Award is a meaningful award because it can only be received once, and that he will work with his employees to become a global unicorn company.

■ Technology/Creation Award: Planning/Scenario & Sound & Graphics - Lies of P

The Technology/Creation Award for Planning/Scenario, Sound, and Character was awarded to 'Lies of P'. Regarding the Planning/Scenario award, Kwon Byung-soo, Narrative Planning Team Leader at Round8 Studio, said that he put his heart and soul into creating 'Lies of P' for the first time, and that he will continue to use criticism and encouragement as milestones to come back with better games.

Park Hyun-hee, Sound Team Part Leader, represented the Sound category and gave her acceptance speech. She said that she was happy to be able to work with a passionate director in sound and music, and thanked the artist team and the DJMAX team who helped with the development of 'Lies of P' music.

Noh Chang-gyu, Art Director, represented the Graphics category and gave his acceptance speech. He said that it was a great honor to be able to reinterpret The Adventures of Pinocchio written by Carlo Collodi. He continued, it was a bizarre but beautiful journey, and he dedicated this award to all the developers.

■ Technology/Creation Award: Character - Nikke

The Technology/Creation Award for Character was awarded to Shift Up's 'Nikke'. 'Nikke' was praised for focusing on improving visual elements and bringing them to life, using more than four times as many illustrations compared to similar subculture genres.

Team Leader Chae Ji-yoon gave her acceptance speech, giving the honor of the award to the original art team and Level Infinite, and thanking the users who have been with them.

■ Lifetime Achievement Award - Mo In, CEO of The Games Daily

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to individuals who have contributed to the expansion of the industry, was awarded to Mo In, CEO of The Games Daily. He was praised for being the first media company to create an e-sports section. CEO Mo In said that the Korean game industry has overcome many challenges, both large and small, and that he hopes that the game industry will continue to play a role commensurate with its industrial status, and that he will accept the Lifetime Achievement Award as a sign to work harder.

■ Indie Game Award - Devil Within: Satgat

The Indie Game Award was awarded to Newcore Games' 'Devil Within: Satgat'. 'Devil Within: Satgat' is a game that is praised for providing users with a variety of fun with its diverse in-game content with adventure elements while actively utilizing Korean materials.

Lee Man-jae, CEO of Newcore Games, said in his acceptance speech that he would dedicate this joy to his colleagues and developers who suddenly passed away, and to those who support him, and that he would accept it as a message to release a great game representing indie games, and that he would work tirelessly to create a great game.

■ Social Contribution Excellence Award - Kakao Games

The Social Contribution Excellence Award was awarded to Kakao Games. Kakao Games has been praised for introducing the Visiting Friends Games Land campaign in 2019 and traveling around the country to spread the positive value of games.

Lim Ji-hyun, Vice President of Kakao Games, said in her acceptance speech that she will continue to do her best to spread the positive value of games by visiting areas where game culture is lacking, and that she will work harder to contribute to development and win-win by helping the underprivileged in the way that Kakao Games does best.

■ Esports Development Award - Kang Seong-hoon, Director of Spirit Zero

The Esports Development Award, which is given to those who have worked hard to develop and promote e-sports, was awarded to Kang Seong-hoon, Director of Spirit Zero. In his acceptance speech, Director Kang Seong-hoon thanked the Korea Esports Association and the players for their efforts in successfully hosting the Hangzhou Asian Games, and also thanked the many fans. Finally, he said that he will continue to be a useful person and asked for a lot of attention.

■ Popular Game Award - Lies of P

The honor of the Popular Game Award, which is given to the game that received the most love this year, went to 'Lies of P'. Despite being a soul-like genre that is considered maniacal, 'Lies of P' recorded exceptional results, selling over 1 million copies worldwide.

Studio Head Park Seong-joon said in his acceptance speech that he was honored as it was an award chosen by gamers, and that he thought it was an award given with the desire for new changes. He thanked them, saying that he will continue to make good games as he does now.

■ Best Developer Award - Neowiz Round8 Studio Choi Ji-won, Director

The Best Developer Award, which is decided by expert voting, was awarded to Choi Ji-won, Director of Neowiz Round8 Studio, who developed 'Lies of P'. Director Choi Ji-won said in his acceptance speech that he wants to remain a developer who can have a positive impact on his fellow developers rather than a developer who is well-received by users.

■ Excellence Award - Night Crows, Nikke, Crossfire: Sierra Squad

The Excellence Award was jointly awarded to three games: 'Night Crows', 'Nikke', and 'Crossfire: Sierra Squad'.

Lee Seon-ho, PD of Mad Engine, who developed 'Night Crows', said in his acceptance speech that there were many people who worked hard in their respective positions to bring 'Night Crows' to the world, and thanked all the employees of Mad Engine, Wemade for their help, and the users who enjoyed the game.

Yoo Hyung-seok, Director, continued with his acceptance speech for 'Nikke' winning the Excellence Award, saying that the users' criticism and support have become milestones for 'Nikke' to stay on the right path during its service, and that it has been a great source of strength to celebrate its 1st anniversary and continue to provide service until now, and thanked the users.

'Crossfire: Sierra Squad' was highly praised for its continuous challenges despite the harsh VR game environment, and won the Excellence Award. PL Lee Sang-gyun said in his acceptance speech that he thinks it is an award given for his continuous challenges, not because he has achieved great results, and that he will continue to challenge himself in the future.

■ Best Excellence Award - Dave the Diver

The Best Excellence Award was awarded to Nexon's 'Dave the Diver'. 'Dave the Diver' is a tycoon genre that manages a sushi restaurant, and has been praised for its impressive game composition, originality, and completeness.

Hwang Jae-ho, Director, who took the stage to receive the Best Excellence Award, said that it was not easy to take on new challenges in a large company, but that he was able to create a good game after much deliberation. He continued, 'Dave the Diver' broke many curses in the industry, such as the perception that Nexon does not make single-player games and the negative perception that it is the calm before the storm, and finally, he wanted to break the perception that the same company cannot win the grand prize for two consecutive years, but he could not break that one, and he will come back stronger.

■ Grand Prize - Lies of P

The 2023 Game Awards Grand Prize was awarded to 'Lies of P'. 'Lies of P' was praised for its high level of completion and gameplay despite being a genre with a relatively high barrier to entry. As a result, 'Lies of P' won the honor of winning six awards.

Choi Ji-won, Director, who took the stage again to receive the award, gave the joy and glory of the award to his team members, and promised to continue to make games that provide fun and excitement. He continued, saying that the domestic game industry is also changing a lot, and that there are several good games in development, so please pay a lot of attention.

Webzine InvenReporter Yoon Hong-man
2023-11-15