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The first day of Tokyo Game Show 2023 featured an announcement event for Japan Game Awards 2023. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak won the most prestigious Grand Award.
The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association narrowed down the top eleven titles from a list of popular games that were released in Japan from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak was included in the list and thus also won an Award for Excellence. The association ultimately decided that Sunbreak deserved to win the highest Grand Award out of the eleven titles.
A special panel of judges, which was led by Masahiro Sakurai and included Yoko Taro and Hideki Kamiya, deliberated separately for the Game Designers Award. The group gave this award to RPG Time: The Legend of Wright.
The presentation also included an award from Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry. While the minister usually gave this award to individual or group developers, the 2023 award went to Family Computer (a.k.a. Nintendo Entertainment System) for its contribution to the growth of Japan’s gaming industry. The console is also celebrating its 40th anniversary since Nintendo launched it in Japan in 1983.
The complete list of winners in Japan Game Awards 2023 is available right below.
- Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Award: Family Computer
- Best Sales Award: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Game Designers Award: RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
- Awards for Excellence:
- Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Earth Defense Force 6
- Splatoon 3
- Sonic Frontiers
- God of War Ragnarok
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Grand Award: Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Sunbreak‘s victory also marked Capcom’s success in achieving Grand Awards for both a base game and its expansion. The base Monster Hunter Rise shared the Grand Award with Ghost of Tsushima in 2021. The company repeated this feat after Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite won back-to-back Grand Awards in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
In the 2022 edition, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring won the Grand Award. The game’s director Hidetaka Miyazaki also received an award from the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, the Grand Award winner of Japan Game Awards 2023, is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.
