Baldur’s Gate 3 has been sweeping up accolades left and right since its release, and it hasn’t run out of steam yet. The Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure from Larian Studios can now call itself a Hugo Award winner, beating out competitors like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Alan Wake 2, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to the Best Game or Interactive Work crown.
This makes it the second video game to win the newly created category, following Hades‘ victorious feat in 2021. Voted by the World Science Fiction Convention (WSFC), the Hugo Awards were first presented in 1953 with the aim to recognise excellence across a range of categories, including Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Short Story, and more. The literary achievement is considered the most prestigious award for science fiction and fantasy works.
“I’m very grateful that you created this award and this category. Video game writing is often underestimated,” said studio founder Swen Vincke in his acceptance speech. “It is very, very, very hard work. For Baldur’s Gate 3, we had to create over 174 hours of cinematics just to be able to respect the choices of the players and to make sure that each and every single one of them would have an emotional story that was reflecting their choices and agency.”
Prior to 2021, WFSC attempted to create an award for Best Interactive Video Game in 2006, but had to scrap the idea due to insufficient votes. The organisation would later debut the video game and interactive media-focused category in 2021, intending for it to be a one-off award. No industry-related accolade was given in 2022 or 2023.
The Hugo Award is the latest addition to Baldur’s Gate 3‘s impressive haul. Apart from nabbing the Game of the Year award at five major video game award ceremonies, including the Golden Joysticks Awards, The Game Awards, and BAFTA Awards, it also leaves behind an iron-clad legacy in and outside of gaming and pop culture. A group of Stardew Valley fans, for instance, is currently working on a Baldur’s Gate 3 mod for the farming sim, while wrestling champion Athena entered the ring as Karlach back in April.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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