2023 Golden Lance Award for Best New IP

New IP are the lifeblood of the industry. They provide creators the maximum amount of flexibility to bring artistic visions to life. They are inherently risky. To create something from nothing always is. That is what makes it so critical to celebrate them though. New IP are dreams come to life. New IP, particularly big-budget new IP, had a banner year this year. Where many times this award looks at smaller independent developers, this year heavy hitters came to play. With that said, here are the winners of Lords of Gamings 2023 Golden Lance Award for Best New IP.

Winner: Starfield

These days it’s very hard for a new IP to stand out above the rest. I would say that Starfield has done just that. Todd Howard’s “baby” he’s been waiting for the technology to be just right, is a once-in-a-generation-style game. There are so many different questlines people can experience with over 1000 different planets to explore. There is so much packed into this game, that some people won’t have a similar play experience. It just offers so much that these few sentences won’t even cover. Starfield is an ambitious game, that I believe stands out above all the other new IPs. Starfield it’s a once in a generation experience.

Runner Up: Hi-Fi Rush

Every so often, a game comes out of nowhere and takes the industry by storm like Hi-Fi Rush.

Memorable characters lead by Chai (played by Robbie Daymond) lead a revolution against an evil corporation using music as a weapon. This Rhythm Action Brawler rewards players for keeping on beat, but never punished.

Chai’s entire world bounces to the beat as he snaps his fingers in tempo. Saying a world feels alive might feel cliché, but it’s hard to describe such a bouncy world any other way.

Hi-Fi Rush came in with little expectations and blew everyone out of the water.

Runner Up: Pizza Tower

Of all the games I played this year, Pizza Tower is the game I cannot get enough of. The music, level design, and character animation is truly astounding and fitting of the Wario Land-styled gameplay developer Tour De Pizza was going for. It also has a look and feel we don’t get to see a lot of in both AAA and indie markets. Please, if you haven’t already, go check out this game. This is the game I wish more developers would strive to make.