The Game Awards Winner Speeches We Didn’t Get to Hear

In the days since The Game Awards last week, there have been a number of discussions from fans and developers about what the show should have been, or should not have been. And one common thread among them was a desire to hear more from more developers who were accepting awards.

While a number of award winners did get up and give speeches that were limited to roughly 30 seconds, some other winners never took the mic at all. The Game Awards has in recent years presented several of its categories rapidfire, between announcement trailers, with no opportunity for winners to get up and give speeches. In some cases, whether you agree with them or not, you can maybe see the thinking behind that choice: it’s a three-plus hour show, Baldur’s Gate 3 won a lot of awards, does Sven Winke really need to clonk up to the stage multiple times in his armor to accept them all? (obviously the answer is yes, but I can see how some might argue differently).

However, that doesn’t really explain the choice to have so many award winners who only won one award not get a chance to accept their prizes with a speech, even one that would inevitably be cut short by prompters. A number of games were in this situation. Armored Core 6 (best action game), Resident Evil Village VR Mode (best VR/AR game), Sea of Stars (best indie), Final Fantasty 16 (best score), Street Fighter 6 (best fighting game), Honkai: Star Rail (best mobile game) and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth (most anticipated) were all put in this position, as were all the esports awards and content creator of the year.

Sure, maybe there are good explanations for why this happened. Maybe they weren’t able to send representatives out to accept the award, or declined to give a speech at all. But however we ended up here, it did end up feeling that a lot of deserving winners got skipped, and that’s kind of a bummer regardless of intention.

So we reached out to a number of the developers who hadn’t gotten a chance to give their speeches for whatever reason, and offered them the chance to do so here on IGN. Here’s what we got back:

Thierry Boulanger, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Sabotage Studios and Game Director on Sea of Stars, Winner of Best Indie

Thank you so much. I’ve been outspoken throughout development that Sea of Stars is a game that’s incredibly personal to me. It would be hard to put into words how much it means that the team allowed me to share this vision and then poured themselves into it to such an extent. That is something I will never forget. We are all so lucky to do what we love, and I try to keep that reminder close every day that I have the privilege to make games.

Like many productions, it has been a very challenging and fulfilling journey. Everyone from the team at Sabotage has poured in an incredible amount of heart and soul in this little world we created, and it is a real delight to see everyone that gathered to celebrate it. Shoutout to our partners Du Coup Animation for their amazing job on the cinematics, and to Kowloon Nights for believing in us from day one. And finally, a big warm hug to all our fans for their incredible support since the game was announced. Thank you!
Phil Crifo, Creative Director at Awaceb and Game Director on Tchia – Winner of Games for Impact

[Author’s Note: Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida accepted the award on behalf of Crifo at The Game Awards and did offer a short speech, but Crifo also shared his own thoughts with us since he couldn’t be there.]

This has an especially symbolic place in my heart, because the first time we revealed Tchia was on this show, and back then we couldn’t believe that a little piece of New Caledonian culture was, for the first time, being broadcast to millions of people around the world. We were incredibly proud then, and even prouder today.

There are many people I’d like to thank:

• Thierry Boura and Marilou Lopez, for taking that leap of faith with me.
• My Awaceb family, for their trust and unbelievable talent.
• Alexis Garavaryan, for somehow believing in this crazy project.
• Everyone at Kepler who I love dearly.
• Greg Rice for noticing Tchia so early, and everyone at PlayStation.
• Thanks to the Game Awards for celebrating games like ours, and congratulations to the other nominees who deserve this just as much.
• And most importantly, I’d like to thank the whole population of New Caledonia for championing and embracing Tchia all along.

This award is not just a celebration of what we made, it is fuel to keep going, and to keep telling stories that are deeply ours, believing they will keep resonating with all of you.
Takayuki Nakayama, director on Street Fighter 6 – Winner of Best Fighting Game

In a field of strong titles appearing in recent years, we’re very thankful to be selected Best Fighting Game. All the other nominated fighting games are amazing and shine brilliantly. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the players and to the members of the development team who worked so hard to bring the next chapter of the Street Fighter series to life. We will not be complacent and will continue to develop the game and provide the best experience possible to our fans. Thank you very much for your continued support.

Shuhei Matsumoto, producer on Street Fighter 6 – Winner of Best Fighting Game

Thank you very much for choosing Street Fighter 6 for Best Fighting Game. I was moved by the loud cheers in the theater when we won the award. I am filled with gratitude to the members of the development team who took on many challenges and to everyone who has played the game. We will continue to make Street Fighter 6 more exciting for players to enjoy, so please look forward to it!

The Resident Evil Village Development Team for Resident Evil Village VR Mode – Winner of Best VR/AR Game

It’s such a privilege to be selected as Best VR/AR game. From the solitude of the snowy mountains to the ornate beauty of the castle, and the intimidating immensity of Lady Dimitrescu, stepping into the shoes of Ethan Winters and seeing the game’s world from his perspective in the PSVR2 version of Resident Evil Village is a unique and unforgettable experience. We greatly appreciate and thank you for all the support!

It can be easy to dismiss the need for these moments, especially if you’re primarily watching a show like The Game Awards for the trailers. Why do we need to hear another developer thank their team and their players, right? But the chance to stand in front of your audience and peers and accept the honor and recognition they are giving you can be a powerful, weighty moment, especially for small developers who don’t often get a stage of that size. Hopefully The Game Awards is able to squeeze in a few more in future years.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.