The GAM3 Awards 2023 final shortlist of games is now out! The largest web3 gaming event is back for a second year on December 14, 2023. Games compete for bragging rights and a prize pool over $2 million, setting the stage for 2024.
This year, GAM3S.GG is reviving the “oscars of web3 gaming,” presented in collaboration with Magic Eden. More than 70 experts in both conventional and web3 gaming will convene to choose the top titles in this genre.
To assist create the preliminary list of candidates, 214 nominated games were first presented to a jury comprised of more than 70 people. Forty shortlisted games have advanced to the next phase, which is available for community vote starting today, November 22, based on criteria including gameplay, mechanics, replayability potential, “fun” factor, accessibility, and overall excellence.
By contrast, the first edition of the 2022 awards included 106 nominations, and the quantity of certified games with playable versions more than doubled. This indicates the remarkable development of web3 gaming over the course of the previous year.
Nine blockchain networks were represented among the 40 nominated games; this year, Arbitrum made its awards debut with four of its games reaching the final cut. The final shortlists include Polygon, Ethereum, Immutable X, Arbitrum, and Avalanche as the top five networks.
The awards are able to maintain a healthy balance between enthusiasm, caution, and anticipation since they bring together leaders in the gaming industries from both conventional and blockchain gaming. This year’s jury includes web3 gaming ecosystems, VCs, media outlets, content producers, and top executives from Amazon, Google, Ubisoft, Microsoft, and Samsung.
The prize pool for the winning games this year is more than $2 million, and it comes from a variety of partners, including Amazon, Magic Eden, AD Gaming, Ultra, Blockchain Gaming Alliance, Naavik, Aethir, and Horizon. It also includes cash grants, tech service credits, marketing support, sponsored tournaments, infrastructure assistance, and cloud gaming capabilities.
The 40 finalists will go on to the GAM3 Awards’ second round, where a jury and public vote will be used to make the ultimate selection. In this stage, the jury’s votes will weigh 90% of the total, with community votes making up the remaining 10%. This means that the public will have an impact similar to that of seven jury seats, which could potentially act as a tiebreaker or tip the scales in favour of some finalists over others.
But for other categories, like “People’s Choice Award” and “Best Content Creator,” community votes are the only factor in determining the winner. More than 50,000 submissions have already been received for both categories, highlighting more than 500 games and 300 global artists as beloved favourites. Furthermore, the nominated game studios vote for what is effectively their own version of the game of the year to choose the winner of the “Games’ Choice Award.”
The judges felt that a few games stood out this year: Big Time, Wildcard, Parallel, and Deadrop had the most nominations—five apiece—followed by Illuvium and MetalCore, each of which received four.
On December 14, 2023, Twitch, YouTube, and X, among other streaming platforms, will hold the final GAM3 Awards livestreamed event. Trailers for Star Atlas and The Unioverse, among other games, will have exclusive debuts and gameplay premieres. The first public premieres and exclusive video from a number of games, including NFL Rivals, Mighty Action Heroes, and Mythic Protocol Riftstorm, were shown during last year’s event. Since then, the game has received over 3 million downloads on mobile devices.
Finally, the occasion is designed to honour voters, community members, and spectators for their involvement. Voters will get early access to future mints, gaming giveaways, and unique quests during Magic Eden’s special free mint event.
Furthermore, viewers and community members may win prizes from a prize pool exceeding $100,000 USD, which includes in-game stuff, early access tickets, gaming PCs, gaming consoles, and accessories.
The following are the final nominees for Game of the Year:
- Parallel
- Big Time
- Deadrop
- Wildcard
- NFL Rivals
To find out more, go to gam3awards.com and see the whole list of nominees. Final voting takes place directly on GAM3S.GG’s platform on the GAM3 Awards website, beginning on November 22 and ending on December 1.
Ahead of the presentation on December 14, keep an eye out for exclusive material, jury interviews, finalist announcements, and more. For further details, please go to gam3awards.com.
