Year Ender 2023: 2023 in Gaming, Part 2: Hacks, leaks and this year’s good, bad, and ugly games

Nearly every contemporary gaming system got at least one superb title and a handful of very good ones sprinkled across a year that truly left gamers spoiled for choice. (Representational Image)

Previously on ‘2023 in Gaming’, we looked at Microsoft’s hit-or-miss (mostly miss, mind you) year, Government of India’s attempts to come to terms with how to regulate gaming, the massive number of layoffs in the industry, and more. You can take my word for it or click right here to check it out for yourself.

If you’re upto speed, and with hours left until the new year, let’s kick off Part 2 with a look at an issue that is likely to become a far more complex problem in the years to come.

Studio cybersecurity comes up woefully short

Among the biggest news from the world of gaming (from a cybersecurity perspective) is the life sentence handed to Arion Kurtaj — an 18-year-old from Oxford, UK, who hacked Rockstar Games last September and steal a reported 90 clips from the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. Perhaps the most incredible aspect of this entire story is that despite being “on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, [Kurtaj] continued hacking”. Remarkably, he did so without a computer (his laptop had been confiscated) and managed to get around Rockstar’s safety measures using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel TV, and a mobile phone.

Staying on the topic of Rockstar, the firm's long-awaited GTA VI teaser trailer was leaked hours before the official launch earlier in December.  Suffice to say that the much-vaunted developer/publisher would do well to beef up its internet security.

But Rockstar isn’t the only one to suffer from data breaches in 2023. The other big story this week was the ransomware attack on Insomniac Games. Likely basking in the glow of a reasonably successful year on account of the launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (although the less said about the collector’s edition fiasco in India, the better), it must have come as quite the rude shock to the studio to find all its dirty laundry hung out to dry. Details about the upcoming Wolverine game, employment and financial details, and a game launch roadmap were leaked by the ransomware group Rhysida.

Sony also suffered information leaks about its then-upcoming PS5 Slim and the dedicated PS5 remote play device known as the PlayStation Portal. On its part, Microsoft was also on the receiving end of leaks regarding the upcoming new discless Xbox Series X with a cylindrical design and 2 TB of memory.

Elsewhere, Nintendo, BioWare, Bethesda, and Rocksteady Studios were among the other studios/publishers to see their confidential data being unlawfully distributed among the public at large in 2023. Sadly, this is a trend that is set to continue into the new year because companies (across most industries) remain vulnerable in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks.

And finally, the games that made headlines in 2023

Amidst all the doom and gloom of leaks, hacks, layoffs, and legislative overreach, it was one of the better years in a while for the actual games themselves. Nearly every contemporary gaming system got at least one superb title and a handful of very good ones sprinkled across a year that truly left gamers spoiled for choice.

In no specific order then, the following are what I deemed to be the best games of the year. And if you are tempted to decry the absence of your favourite game or some obscure and ultra-difficult game that only you and three of your friends have heard of, do feel free to send your thoughts across on a postcard or via inland letter.

Hogwarts Legacy: Such has been the relentless nature of 2023 and its onslaught of quality games, that I find it hard to recall that Hogwarts Legacy released this year. And according to my PlayStation Wrap-Up 2023, it was the PS5 game on which I lavished the most time and attention. Without really being a Harry Potter fan, but harbouring an appreciation for the franchise’s world-building, I was most curious about the sort of open-world treatment Avalanche Software would bring to the table. And while I found it to be a beautiful world albeit full of almost entirely non-interactive NPCs, it’s the memorable and uncomfortable story that I shall carry with me. Oh, and a bunch of people loudly called for the game to be boycotted.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor: The sequel to Respawn Entertainment’s 2019 action-adventure improved on its predecessor in almost every way except, in my opinion, the story. Side stories and most NPCs were interesting enough, but the primary narrative thread was as clichéd as it was yawn-inducingly uninteresting. As an overall package though, it was a heady mix of polished parkour, exciting lightsaber play, and some engaging use of the Force. By and large, this one is well worth your time and probably better than the stuff that currently passes for Star Wars content on film and television.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: On the topic of sequels that improve in every single way over their predecessor, here is another. The only difference is that this one has in fact improved over The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in every single way; immersion, gameplay loops, scope for creativity, and quality-of-life features. That I spent 30 aimless hours without attempting to progress the plot or getting remotely bored is testament to the truly sandbox nature of the game. However, the less said about the extremely basic main story, the better.

Final Fantasy XVI: Over the past 35-or-so years, the series has evolved from a turn-based RPG to an action-adventure title in its most recent avatar. This, the sixteenth mainline edition of the game, featured exquisite and satisfying action — largely informed by combat director Ryota Suzuki of Onimusha and Dragon’s Dogma fame — and a mature set of storylines that traversed tricky topics. I have had an on-off relationship with the franchise throughout its years, and this was the first title since 1997’s Final Fantasy VII that I played to completion. Final Fantasy XVI represents a welcome return to form for the extremely popular series. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Ever since the credits rolled on 2020’s Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, fans have been eagerly awaiting the day they could play as Peter Parker and Miles Morales in the same game. That day was October 20 and brought with it a beautifully enhanced New York City, improved traversal mechanics, tweaked combat, a passable story and a crashing bore of a villain.Your mileage will most certainly have varied, but I found Kraven the Hunter to be a massive anticlimax after Marvel’s Spider-Man’s impressive gallery of villains. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Alan Wake II: Speaking of sequels with a high level of anticipation, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being entirely oblivious to the fact that Remedy Entertainment’s follow-up to the 2010 game was in the making. My experience with the original title had been mildly scarring, likely because I don’t respond well to the genre of survival horror as a whole. Nevertheless, I gave the latest chapter of the series a go. What I found was the most visually stunning game of the year buried under limited gameplay and slabs of meta-ness and the writers’ crippling need to be clever. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Super Mario Bros Wonder: For all those (myself included) who laboured under the impression that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was the Nintendo Switch’s last hurrah, Nintendo had one more trick up its sleeve — the reimagination of the classic Super Mario Bros formula spruced up for 2023. The spiritual successor to 2006’s New Super Mario Bros brought together beautiful locales, great art direction, entertaining gameplay loops and a marvellous twist on the 2D side-scroller formula. And in doing so, produced one of the most fun games of the year. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Hi-Fi Rush: A rare delight in a year of largely ‘safe’ games, Tango Gameworks’ rhythm-based action game took two existing blueprints and mashed them together. And the product was the sort of game I would like to see a lot more of, with a whacky story to boot. Very briefly, you play "future rock star" Chai, who suffers the indignity of getting his music player stuck in his chest, and this augmentation allows him to interpret the world through music and fight rhythmically with enemies. A strange premise made for a stranger game, but a memorable one all the same.

AEW: Fight Forever: This particular game gets a mention for what it was as much as what it represents. Much as is the case with pro wrestling, games about pro wrestling are also at their best when there’s at least two competing brands. And just as the wave of popularity Tony Khan’s AEW has been riding (until recently) rejuvenated WWE’s product, the arrival of THQ’s AEW title (a competent videogame with solid gameplay and interesting ideas) will push Visual Concepts’ WWE 2K franchise. As it stands, THQ is unlikely to make another AEW game any time soon. However, this year’s WWE 2K23 was a great return to form, and fuelled by comparisons with AEW: Fight Forever, we can expect next year’s WWE output to be even better. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Starfield: At long last and after several delays, it was on September 6 that the first new IP by Bethesda in 25 years was launched. And while it was not rated particularly high due to a mix of its dated gameplay, unintuitive approach to exploration and small number of memorable characters, I found the game extremely entertaining. And addictive, judging by the 100-plus hours I spent on it this year. Sure, it was flawed, but fun nonetheless. Read the Moneycontrol review here.

Baldur’s Gate III: The rebirth of a series 23 years after its last edition was many people’s favourite game of the year. And with very good reason. Larian Studios’ mammoth game is a wonderful example of a roleplaying game that gives you a great deal of agency, is packed with interesting characters and story arcs, and one where your choices really matter. Admittedly, I was quite late to the party, having balked initially at the idea of immersing time into learning the ropes of an RNG-driven, Dungeons & Dragons-based game. Nonetheless, I have thoroughly been enjoying my time in this world and have a long way to go before I reach the fabled third act.

Honorable mentions: SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio put out two Like a Dragon games — Ishin! And Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (read the Moneycontrol review here) — this year that provided bags of delight, but ultimately served only as hors d'oeuvres for next year’s Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. From getting players excited about the future to celebrating the past, Tayon’s RoboCop: Rogue City (read the Moneycontrol review here) was a wonderfully nostalgic exercise. The Cyberpunk 2077 story came to a triumphant close with the 2.0 update and the outstanding Phantom Liberty DLC (read the Moneycontrol review here). Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6 marked a first in the history of fighting games (when the two franchises saw a mainline game launch in the same calendar year) and were eminently enjoyable titles in their own ways.

Not-so-honorable mentions: Atop this list must sit action-adventure title The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and supposed MMO survival horror extraction shooter The Day After — the disastrous launches of which let to Daedalic Entertainment’s in-house studio and Fntastic respectively downing their respective shutters. Elsewhere, there was the laughably poor IguanaBee-developed Skull Island: Rise of Kong that stunned gamers worldwide. And finally, there was Arkane Studios’ Redfall that promised much and delivered decidedly less.

Across the board though, there was a rather worrying trend that spanned the entire spectrum: A vast majority of the big games that released this year to massive acclaim were either sequels or some part of an existing franchise (including remakes). With the exception of Starfield and Hi-Fi Rush, the rest of the ‘big’ games above built on an existing platform, ergo an existing player base. Whether this is a case of the cost of failure being so high that it has turned major studios highly risk-averse (the cancellation of titles less certain to rake in money in lieu of those with a ready audience) or that studios are out of touch with what gamers want, it doesn’t augur well for innovation in gaming.

Meanwhile, outside the AAA kingdom…

What does augur well however, are the leaps and strides made by the independent and AA studios this year. While the big studios were busy investing millions in safe projects, it was the (relatively) little guys who were making truly innovative games. To kick off this rundown through the ones I enjoyed most (and with apologies to the ones not mentioned), let’s start with The Invincible, based on the novel by Stanisław Lem. The debut effort from Starward Industries — a studio formed by ex-The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 and Dying Light developers — sat alongside Alan Wake 2 as one of the best-looking games of the year.

No More Robot’s Spirittea can be best described as Stardew Valley meets Studio Ghibli, and it was exactly as intoxicating as that cocktail sounds. On the topic of interesting crossovers, fishing met Lovecraftian creatures in Black Salt Games’ excellent Dredge. Staying with the sea, Dave the Diver wasn’t technically an independent game (made as it was by a major studio), however given its budget and riveting nature, it can be considered in this category. Wrapping things up, South Asia saw a massive boost in representation with Visai Games’ heartfelt Venba and Outerloop Games’ outrageously hilarious Thirsty Suitors. And finally, special mention must go also to the delightfully charming Tchia, by all accounts a very convincing call by developers Awaceb to visit New Caledonia.

What 2024 holds

The aforementioned Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Squad, Skull and Bones, Rise of the Ronin, Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are just a handful of the games expected in the first half of 2024. At first glance, the slate isn’t quite as exciting as what we saw in 2023, but first impressions can often be deceiving. And hopefully a vast majority of gaming news next year will be devoted to the actual games rather than scandals, drama, hacks and the like.