Arab Game Awards, the largest gaming ceremony celebrating video games and developers in MENA brought the region together to crown the best games of the year across 28 categories, connect the community with the brilliant minds behind these games, and to support the local indie scene. Powered by TikTok in the MENA region, and in collaboration with VOV Gaming, Arab Game Awards united the MENA gaming scene and delivered unforgettable night.
Arab Game Awards premiered live on the 26th of January 2024 to celebrate the best games released in 2023. Gamers across the region came together to watch their favorite content creators presenting the awards, and hear about awesome new global and local titles!
Alan Wake II won a massive 8 awards, including the Best Game of 2023 Award. The Remedy Entertainment team including Sam Lake, Kyle Rowley, and actors Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta appeared at the ceremony to thank the MENA community. Other winners include Hi-Fi Rush with 3 awards, Forza Motorsport, Baldur’s Gate 3, The Finals, Diablo IV, Little Nightmares III, and other great titles.
This year, Arab Game Awards connected the MENA community with many world-class developers to introduce the fans to the brilliant minds creating the unforgettable experiences. The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield creator Todd Howard was honored with the Industry Legend Award, and spoke with his Arab fans directly. Furthermore, various developers surprised the fans with their appearances during the ceremony such as Swen Vincke, Baldur’s Gate 3 director, Resident Evil 4 producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas, The Finals creative director Gustav Tilleby, and more.
Arab Game Awards is not only a platform to honor games and developers but also to showcase games! During the ceremony various global titles were showcased such as FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, where the game director and producer showcased the game in addition to the creative director of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden who introduced the game to the MENA audience.
The biggest ceremony of MENA also celebrated local titles, where MENA indie developers had the platform to showcase their upcoming games, such as Neon Moon, Catatonic, Koroneko, and Seed In. Arab developers who are making an impact in the games industry were also celebrated, such as Fawzi Mesmar, Ali Farha, Nuha Al Kadi, Ahmad Salama, and Osama Dorias.
“Our biggest achievement is connecting the world-class and local developers with the MENA audience, as they are the brilliant minds and real heroes of the games industry,” said Arab Game Awards Organizers. “Developers deserve to be in the spotlight, and we are proud of being the bridge between the global and MENA games industry. Special thanks to our partners at TikTok and VOV, in addition to DigiPen, Advanced Initiative, AOC, and others for their incredible support and dedication to the MENA games industry.”
Arab Game Awards 2023 Winners
- Best Game: Alan Wake II
- Fan’s Favorite Game: Resident Evil 4
- Best Indie Game: Sea of Stars
- Best Adventure Game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Most Innovative Game: Hi-Fi Rush
- Most Anticipated Game in 2024: Little Nightmares III
- Best Role-playing Game: Baldur’s Gate 3
- Best Multiplayer Game: Diablo IV
- Best Esports Game: League of Legends
- Best Sports Game: Forza Motorsport
- Best Family Game: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- TikTok’s Gaming Content Star: Basharkk
- Best Story Game: Alan Wake II
- Best Esports Player: Quartz
- Best Action Game: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Best Shooter Game: The Finals
- Best Game Design: Alan Wake II
- Best Arabic Localization: Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Best Local Support: Cyberpunk 2077
- Best Sound: Hi-Fi Rush
- Best Esports Team: Twisted Minds
- Outstanding Performance: Both Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta from Alan Wake II
- Achievement in Directing: Alan Wake II
- Technical Achievement: Alan Wake II
- Best Animation: Hi-Fi Rush
- Best Horror Game: Alan Wake II
- Best Visual Design: Alan Wake II
- Industry Legend: Todd Howard
