Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak named 2023’s best game at Japan Game Awards

Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise expansion, Sunbreak, took the top prize at the Japan Game Awards held on Thursday.

The expansion, first released for PC and Nintendo Switch last year and ported to other consoles earlier this year, picked up the Grand Award during the ceremony, which is run annually by Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) and partially voted for by the public.

Nintendo’s Family Computer (aka Famicom, or NES in the West) was named the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award winner, which is given to an individual or organization that has made a great contribution to the growth of the Japanese games industry.

Famicom marked its 40^th anniversary this year and Nintendo executive officer and Super Mario Bros. designer Takashi Tezuka collected the award on Nintendo’s behalf.

Tezuka thanked the CESA for the award and said that Nintendo alone should not accept it, rather all the companies who created classic games for Famicom should do so.

11 games were given an Award for Excellence, including God of War Ragnarök, Hogwarts Legacy, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Resident Evil 4, Sonic Frontiers and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

The Game Designers Award, which is chosen by a panel of nine Japanese creators, including Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai and PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya, was given to “hand-written role-playing game” RPG Time: The Legend of Wright.

The full list of winners can be found below. Titles released from April 2022 to the end of March 2023 in Japan are eligible for the Japan Game Awards 2023.

JAPAN GAME AWARDS 2023 WINNERS

Grand Award

• Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (Capcom)

Award for Excellence

• Earth Defense Force 6 (Sandlot)
• Final Fantasy 7 Reunion (Square Enix)
• God of War Ragnarök (Sony)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)
• Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (Capcom)
• Paranormasight (Square Enix)
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Nintendo)
• Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
• Sonic Frontiers (Sega)
• Splatoon 3 (Nintendo)
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Nintendo)

Best Sales Award

• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Nintendo)

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award

• Family Computer

Game Designers Award

• RPG Time: The Legend of Wright