So 2023 has been a wild year in the games industry. We've seen multiple MMORPG expansions drop - and not from the genre's heaviest hitters, while the industry itself has had a banner year in the RPG genre alone. Games like Final Fantasy XVI, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and, of course, Baldur's Gate 3 dominated people's playtime this year.
On the MMO front, we saw New World drop its first paid expansion, which not only added some excellent new story content but also helped to make the MMO feel like this was how the MMO should have launched two years prior. Black Desert Online also saw a major expansion update, The Land of the Morning Light which showed the developer was willing to take risks and completely shake up its long-running formula, eschewing its traditional monster grind zones for more story-focused content and epic boss fights.
The Elder Scrolls Online brought players back to Morrowind, and even back to Apocrypha to consort with Hermaeus Mora himself in its excellent Necrom expansion earlier this year. And while World of Warcraft is gearing up for what looks to be a stellar 2024, 2023 wasn't without its hits, with WoW Classic's Hardcore mode and Season of Discovery landing well with players.
However, 2023 also saw some of the worst aspects of the games industry as a business. Record layoffs in the games world - and indeed the tech sector overall - saw studios choose shareholder profits over people, with over 7000 developers laid off, many right before the holidays. While we can celebrate the amazing work these developers did to create the games we all love and enjoy, we'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that this has been a bad year for the people who make the games, especially as so much uncertainty lies ahead in the meat grinder that is the games industry.
This year we added two new categories at the behest of our writers: Best Cozy Game and Best MMORPG Expansion. The Cozy Game award was created as so many multiplayer online games have released within the last few years that aren't focused on combat or a thrilling world-ending narrative, but instead are meant for you and a few friends to just chill, farm, and hang out. This year saw the release of Hello Kitty Island Adventure on Apple Arcade, as well as Palia, and even Disney Dreamlight Valley dropped out of early access.
We also included a separate category for Best MMORPG Expansion as, since the nature of our MMORPG of the Year award can recognize any of the MMORPGs that made updates and had a great year - such is the nature of live services games in 2023 - we wanted to highlight the expansions themselves separately.
Without further ado, here are our staff picks for our Best of 2023 Awards.
Biggest Disappointment: State of Crowdfunded MMOs in 2023
2023 has felt like a particularly bad year for crowdfunded MMOs that are still waiting for their release. Games that have taken player's money on a promise of a product, yet oftentimes still don't have a whole lot to show for it, have seemingly come to define MMO development over the last few years - at least in the indie scene. Games like Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen had a particularly rough year with the backlash to its art style change, its maligned and now canceled extraction MMO mode it was thinking of monetizing, and then right at the end of the year it's floundered pre-alpha tests. Games like Camelot Unchained, Ashes of Creation and more feel nowhere closer to releasing, despite taking player pledges years ago.
And we still don't know what Chronicles of Elyria is trying to do.
Will 2024 be the year we finally see these games release? Probably not - and that's a problem. Whether this is just a case of development teams in way over their heads, or the fact that we're seeing a more transparent look at how MMO development goes - and how long it takes, it's an issue that will continue to rage throughout the next year.
Best Battle Royale: Fortnite
Runner-up: Fall Guys
Fortnite is a game that defies logic at times. A metaverse all its own, the battle royale has seen in-game live concerts, multiple map overhauls with each new season, as well as the addition of new modes such as the recently released LEGO Fortnite survival mode. It's a game that can see Goku, Solid Snake and Buff Peter Griffin team up and tackle any obstacle, fighting against Geralt of Rivia, Michael Myers and Alan Wake. The game that Epic has built continues to redefine itself, though at its core, it's still a very fun, very wacky battle royale game that feels good to win, whether you're playing in no build or its traditional mode.
Best Persistent Online Game: No Man's Sky
Runners-up: Elite: Dangerous; Warframe
Don't worry; we're renaming this category next year to "Best Shared World MOG" or something similar. This category is always a tricky one as it's meant to capture all of the multiplayer online games that we enjoy while not necessarily being full-fledged MMOs in the traditional sense.
This year's winner is once again No Man's Sky, a game that continues to prove that despite a rough launch, you can redefine your game into something that is stellar. No Man's Sky continued its trend of massive updates, improving every aspect of the space exploration game - all for free. It's an insane package if you like to dip your toes into Hello Games' procedurally generated universe occasionally, as each new update brings new ways to play.
Considering the fact that the team has been working on a new ambitious project alongside No Man's Sky called Light No Fire, it'll be interesting to see how 2024 fares as we all wait patiently for the studios' next title.
Best Indie MMO of 2023: Albion Online
Runner-up: Temtem
Albion Online is an incredible example of an indie MMO. It sandbox gameplay allows for players to be who they want in Albion, while its territory and guild wars are constantly providing content for its rabid playerbase. 2023 had a good year, with the Wild Blood update this past fall being an exceptional highlight. It proves you don't need to be the next Blizzard or Electronic Arts to create a great game that will resonate with your players - you just need talent and vision, which the team at Sandbox Interactive has in spades. We're looking forward to seeing what they put together for their 2024 campaign.
Best Cozy Game of 2023: Palia
Runners-up: Disney Dreamlight Valley
Palia, the self-proclaimed cozy MMO from developer Singluarity 6, is a charming life sim title we all enjoyed when it released into its open beta back in August. From its cute art style, insistence on cozy life swimming over combat, and its welcoming and wholesome NPC cast, Palia struck a chord with many of us this year.
It's not perfect - its more "MMO" elements could be refined and made better, especially if Singularity 6 is insistent on calling it an MMO, but we're really excited for what is to come as development continues into next year.
Most Anticipated: Blue Protocol and Path of Exile 2
Runners-up: Nightingale; Throne & Liberty
With each receiving 23.5% of our staff vote, we couldn't decide on just one game to be really excited for. Blue Protocol, which won our Most Anticipated award last year, was released in Japan earlier this year, but its Western release was pushed back to 2024. We're hopeful that the extra time gives Amazon Games Studios the ability to tailor some of the microtransaction elements to fit the North American audience better while also ensuring that the localization is as best it can be. We got the chance to go hands-on during Summer Games Fest and came away incredibly excited for what Bandai Namco and Amazon have cooking.
Path of Exile 2, meanwhile, finally has a release window despite being announced way back in 2019. During ExileCon 2023, we saw so many new details, including the news that the ARPG from New Zealand developer Grinding Gear Games will be a stand-alone product and not fit into the original Path of Exile. The new skill system, as well as the classes that have been revealed so far, including the WASD-powered Mercenary, provide new ways to play the ARPG and we're excited to finally see it release, even if it's a beta next June.
Most Improved MMO: New World
Runner-up: Warframe
New World has had a banner year. Its expansion, Rise of the Angry Earth, went a long way towards improving on almost every complaint we had when the MMO first launched in 2021. From a more streamlined questing experience, to making the grind just grindy enough to be enjoyable, but not tedious, to the inclusion (finally) of mounts - the New World of today is worlds better than the one that released originally. This is the second year in a row we've felt New World was the most improved MMO of the bunch, and things can only continue to look up for the Amazon Games Studios team as we enter 2024.
Best Mobile MMO: Genshin Impact
Runner-up: Albion Online's mobile port
Look, we know that many don't consider Genshin a full MMO - and that's fine. But for our money, it's one of the best mobile MMO experiences on the market right now. It's a free-to-play title that gives players tons of content to go through either solo or with friends, and developer HoYoverse continues to expand on the Genshin universe with each major update. It is seeing more and more competition in the market, especially as games such as Tencent's Tarisland release, as well as Level Infinite's Tower of Fantasy. Still, right now, nothing has removed Genshin Impact from its spot at the top of our go-to mobile game list.
Best ARPG of 2023: Path of Exile
Runner-up: Diablo IV
Path of Exile continues to impress with each new expansion and challenge league it puts out. The free-to-play ARPG that has pushed its larger brother Diablo to start taking notes, Path of Exile seemingly redefines itself with every release. We love its visceral, satisfying combat, and each new challenge league shakes up the formula enough to make things fresh and exciting every few months. Path of Exile's development doesn't seem to be slowing down, either, despite the sequel's eventual release next year, so we can be certain that the award-winning ARPG will continue to shine into 2024 and beyond.
Best Survival MMO of 2023: Valheim
Runner-up: V Rising
Valheim continues to dominate this category, winning it for the second year in a row. The jaunt through Viking purgatory still resonates with us even after a few years in early access, and the road ahead looks bright as the Ashlands update is on the horizon. Valheim also launched on Xbox Game Pass for console fans, bringing the lax survival game to a new audience.
Best MMORPG Expansion of 2023: The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
Runner-up: New World: Rise of the Angry Earth
Returning to Morrowind, even if its to a location that hasn't been seen since The Elder Scrolls II: Arena, is always a good decision on ZeniMax Online Studios' part. But Necrom takes that a step further, taking players back to Apocrypha, which was last seen in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, albeit with ZOS' own twists in place. The storytelling of Necrom is great, with our reviewer Kevin really enjoying his time in Apocrypha specifically.
The voice acting also saw an improvement this year, while the new Arcanist shined, especially as ZeniMax toyed with building new mechanics that make it feel functionally different than other spell-casting classes thanks to its Combo system. The Elder Scrolls Online continues to be a solid MMO for anyone looking to spend more time in Tamriel, especially wth friends.
Best RPG of 2023: Baldur's Gate 3
Runner-up: Final Fantasy XVI; Sea of Stars
What can be said about Baldur's Gate 3 that hasn't already been said? The generational RPG brought an incredible story, enduring characters that could all star in their own spin-off titles, and the wackiness that makes tabletop Dungeons & Dragons so unforgettable - all in a single package. Larian Studios is at the height of its powers, building a CRPG that will be talked about for years to come, while other RPG developers are already taking notes for their own projects. To quote our Player's Choice blurb from last week:
"This is the type of RPG that will influence how RPGs are thought of and built over the next generation of game development. Its depth of gameplay, its incredible player freedom to literally do whatever they want and BG3 can handle it, and its beautifully written and told human stories will be talked about for years to come. It's a much deserved win for a studio that for many has become the studio for RPGs in the modern era."
Best MMORPG of 2023: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Runners-up: World of Warcraft Retail/Classic; New World
Final Fantasy XIV continues to top our best MMORPG of the year voting, winning the top spot three years running now. Despite not releasing a major expansion - that's coming next summer with Dawntrail, FFXIV is still one of the best MMOs on the market today, if not the best full stop. Despite not dropping an expansion, Square Enix's Creative Business Unit III didn't slow down (even as they also built Final Fantasy XVI alongside the MMO); dropping Patch 6.5 in October, announcing the much-anticipated and long-awaited Xbox version, and much more.
Final Fantasy XIV continues to tell interesting stories, and no matter which world you play on, the community is one of the best out there. We're definitely looking forward to what Yoshi-P and the team have in store, as well as continuing to move past the Hydaelyn-Zodiark saga that has dominated the MMO since its launch.
