Astro Bot has won the top prize at the video game industry’s biggest awards ceremony.

The cute and colorful PlayStation platformer beat out Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: Refantazio Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Balatro to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards.

Nicolas Doucet, studio head of development team Asobi, accepted the trophy and appeared to pay tribute to rival Nintendo.

Astro Bot also received three other awards: Best Family Game, Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Game Direction.

It was also a good night for poker indie hit Balatro, which won three awards including best mobile game.

Role-playing game Metaphor: ReFantazio also won three awards, making it a strong night for Japanese game developers.

Black Myth: Wukong, based on Chinese legends, once again proved extremely popular with fans, winning the publicly voted Player’s Voice Award.

It was a disappointing evening for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which was nominated in seven categories but only took home the trophy for Best Music.

Melina Juergens from Cambridge, UK-based studio Ninja Theory won Best Performance for the title role in Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga.

There aren’t many events where a full orchestra and Snoop Dogg can perform.

The rapper stopped by to present Helldivers 2 with the award for Best Ongoing Game and perform a new song.

And it wouldn’t be the biggest night in gaming without some surprise celebrity appearances.

Harrison Ford took the stage with Troy Baker, the man who plays Indiana Jones in the current game based on the film series.

The Game Awards – sometimes called “the Oscars of gaming” – are often criticized for spending more time showing commercials and trailers for new games than handing out awards.

However, last year organizers said the event attracted 118 million livestream viewers, and these previews were one of the biggest draws for gaming fans.

In recent years, larger publishers have tended to save their biggest announcements for their own separate live events.

As expected, there was no new information about Grand Theft Auto 6 or Nintendo’s next console – two of the most anticipated upcoming releases.

But that left room for a brand new game from Naughty Dog, the PlayStation studio known for hits like The Last of Us, Uncharted and Crash Bandicoot.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, launched with a glossy trailer mixed with It’s a Sin by the Pet Shop Boys.

A sequel to Capcom’s Okami was also revealed, and Polish developer CD Projekt Red confirmed that The Witcher 4 was in development.

A common complaint about the Game Awards is that they often fail to take into account broader issues in the industry.

Against a backdrop of widespread layoffs worldwide – a trend that continues this year – critics of the 2023 show called for the winners to be given more time on stage to have their say.

This year’s event introduced the Game Changers Award.

The winner, Amir Satvat, director at Tencent Games in the US, has launched a personal project to help recently laid-off game developers find new work.

In an emotional acceptance speech, he said: “Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was be part of the video game industry.”

He also thanked his parents, who, he said, “taught me that my value lies in how I treat other people.”

Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke, who presented the Game of the Year award after his team’s Baldur’s Gate 3 won the title last year, was also praised for his remarks.

He took aim at chasing market share and “arbitrary sales targets” and lamented the “lost art” of studios “making a game they want to play.”

This year’s ceremony came as a strike by video game actors over AI protections and working conditions continued.

The incumbent union SAG-Aftra and Game Workers of Southern California announced plans to do so plans to distribute leaflets this year in front of the Peacock Theater venue where the ceremony is taking place.

Other controversies this year included Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s nomination in the Game of the Year category.

Some fans argued that the expansion pack – an add-on for the 2022 game of the year, Elden Ring – should not have been eligible.

And others were upset when three out of five nominations for the Player’s Choice award – the only award voted for exclusively by fans – went to free-to-play mobile games, including Genshin Impact.

The remaining winners will be determined by a panel of industry experts and fan voting, which will account for 10% of the final score.

There are 30 awards in total across a variety of categories, including Audio Design, Best Independent Game, and Accessibility and Innovation.

The full list of winners can be found here the Game Awards website.

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