I recommend: 2023 | This Year in Videogames

A huge thanks to Gigabyte Aorus for sponsoring the video. To learn more about their impressive range of PC hardware visit www.aorus.com/..., and to see how ‪@SimpleModz‬ built the Mini-ITX PC featured here, check out the build video on his channel: • STARFIELD INSPIRED GIG...
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Do I recommend 2023? Sure, but it's complicated...
#ThisWeekInVideogames #2023 #GOTY
The Day Before video: • The Day Before - A Sca...
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Here are the full specs for the Mini-ITX PC btw:
GIGABYTE RTX 4060 OC Low Profile graphics card
GIGABYTE B760I AORUS PRO motherboard
Intel Core i5 13400F processor
LZmod A24-V5 5L mini-ITX chassis
Thermalright AXP120-X67 WHITE low profile CPU cooler
32GB Crucial PRO DDR5 5600MHz memory
2 x 2TB Crucial T500 Pro PCie Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSDs
400W Fully Modular Flex power supply
Orange Pelican 1450 Case
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Video written by Ralph P, edited by Austin B and Stuart K
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If you want to check out the Friends Per Second Podcast, you can find all the links to it here:
linktr.ee/frie...
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Thanks for taking the time to watch the video. If you'd like to support the channel even more, the best way is through my Patreon: / skillupyt
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Grab 12% off any SteelSeries peripheral by using offer code SKILLUP at checkout: steelseries.pb...
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Edited by Austin @ausomehd
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Twitter: Sk... (@skillupyt)
Instagram: www.instagram....
Tiktok: / skillup
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[@SkillUp]

A huge thanks to Gigabyte Aorus for sponsoring the video. To learn more about their impressive range of PC hardware visit www.aorus.com/en-au, and to see how @SimpleModz built the Mini-ITX PC featured here, check out the build video on his channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXe1c6abebJ3oKcsi=7KO997qqRsHA7m7p

[@lukerotman9091]

Your videos have helped make 2023 a good year for me. Thanks for all your work making quality for us to enjoy! Super excited to see what next year brings

[@Iffy350]

If you think 2023 was good than 2024 is going to ‘blow your freaking mind.’

[@eigmatic8166]

Why didn't you talk about valhalla

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

Let's be clear, any PC builder will tell you, don't buy a 4060 or 4060ti. Value for money here is a joke. Don't just take my word for it. Aorus is a great brand tho, just buy their other products. It's what I use

[@ScotBurnapp-vj1jt]

Is there a direct link to buy the mini pc?

[@TheMinidow]

The incredible difference in the peaks and dips this year has made the wildest rollercoaster ever.

[@DurandalOfAegis]

As someone who was impacted by the layoffs, thank you for taking the time to bring some light to the public. For me 2023 was a weird one, I feel we experience too much of the same this year. I would have welcome one or two Death Stranding experiences where something feels fresh and ambitious outside of Zelda TOTK. Sequels, remakes, remastered and a few indie gems, to me the year was a bit of a let down probably because I have been playing these games since the 80s. Lets hope we see some real creativity in 2024. Happy new year to everyone here, I hope you all have a fantastical new year.

[@Leee275]

Something being well Refined matters a lot more than Reinventing an already existing thing.

[@wholesomegamer]

0:00 - Intro 3:08 - January 7:14 - February 11:43 - March 15:48 - April 19:28 - May 26:17 - June 30:09 - July 34:11 - August 37:50 - September 46:47 - October 51:32 - November 55:03 - December 1:00:10 - Outro Love you Ralph - long time viewer, but considering your average video length I would love to see chapters marked in your videos 😉 If anyone is looking for a builds & guides channel feel free to check out mine 😁

[@dyn9726]

Ikr, ive been telling this months ago. The only time that he put timestamp on his channel are his podcast 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@wholesomegamer]

@@dyn9726 I mean I have a channel on my own and if your income depends on it you may fear that video engagement goes down if people just jump from one chapter to another. So you will have to consider that as a factor, but I would always think that in the long run people appreciate the little extra convenience, especially if you are more into releasing longer videos.

[@dyn9726]

@@wholesomegamer that make sense, though i only watch his videos that really need unbiased video, i came to skillup, but for general review others that put timestamp i more keen to surf their channel

[@echinas0908]

He has stated before that he doesn't put chapters because of the loss of watch time

[@nikidelvalle]

​@@echinas0908 I think a channel raking in thousands of dollars a month on Patreon making the excuse of sacrificing the viewership experience for the sake of viewer engagement is a pretty scummy business strategy.

[@ryanduarte8742]

I’ve enjoyed Ralph and his teams work since Laymen Gaming with his brother to SkillUp which has become my favorite gaming channel of all time as well as my go-to for anything gaming related. Thank you guys for all your hard work in providing such high quality content. It’s truly been a privilege to watch this channel grow. Look forward to 2024!

[@GeekdomCentral]

I’m still really bummed that Laymen has basically closed up shop. They were so much fun together

[@Boss_Fight_Index_muki]

CEO: 10 million dollar check developers: 2 weeks notice

[@paulszki]

@@BamOuttaDaBayouDPOY like 0.1 million is still $100.000. I mean, I guess in SOME cities in the U.S. by now that counts as "making ends meeet" but 8.3k per month still sounds like a lot of money in a lot of places.

[@makasete30]

I thought it was 20 million….

[@paulszki]

@@BamOuttaDaBayouDPOY honestly? there are a couple of reasons to "settle" for just x amount in your salary. $8.3k per month certainly isn't anywhere near filthy rich. Sure, ok. Now double that to $16,6k per month. Consider the expenses in your life and your own lifestyle. Would you say that $16,6k per month would eradicate any of your financial woes? It's still not filthy rich but you're certainly "untroubled" now, if you're not a gambling addict or decided that you NEED to live in a multi-million dollar villa. But now double that to $32k month (400.000 a year). You can now pay off your dream villa/apartment within a decade or two while maintaining a very comfortable lifestyle. I'd still consider this an acceptable level of wealth. But double that amount of money. 800k. Not enough, double it. 1.6 million. No. Double that. 3.2million. DOUBLE it. 6.4 million. NOPE TRIPPLE THAT. 20-ish million. Ah, FINALLY acceptable recompensation for whatever it is I'm doing. But they don't seem to be the type that cares to ask themselves: Why aren't my employees earning more? Why am I FIRING x% of my staff? Why are my games shit? Because you want a yacht? Like I'm sorry, but absolutely nobody in the world "needs" or even "deserves" more than $500k a year, including Jesus. It all needs to go to charity or the state for schools, education, free public transport, free internet (debatable), free healthcare and also to help other nations to get to your level -> less wars, less refugees, more cool places to be in the world instead of... ruins. Anything to lift up humanity. The world is already incredibly unfair for a majority of all people. There is so much unhappiness. In that way there really is no "ethical" way to earn 20 million a year. Let alone MORE. 20 million a year is NOTHING. It won't get you NEAR the forbes 100. Not a single one of these people has done ANYTHING to "deserve" a fraction of the wealths they own. They were simply lucky and/or ruthless.

[@Beldaross]

​@@BamOuttaDaBayouDPOY corporate capitalist bootlicker

[@S2Pot_Gaming]

What a wild year of gaming; truly it hit records on both extremes of high and low. Great video recap; thanks for all the hard work you and your team put into this year.

[@MrmorpheuZ]

Ralph, you're a legend mate. Merry Christmas and happy new year. Thanks for all of the video game news this year ❤

[@zachdavis8488]

This channel has been and continues to be my number 1 watch every year. Absolutely awesome to see all the development and new routines you’ve put together this year. Ralph, Stu, and Austin, can’t wait to see what next year holds for you. See you then!

[@Shnagovic]

Skill Up, thank you for all the work you've put in through out this year and the years before! Honestly, your content always cheers me up and I am glad that quality content is still appreciated on KZbin. May 2024 be a prosperous year for you, games and developers. Also, a special thanks to Austin, for not only editing the vids but actually doing a great job at helping you with reviews. Thanks to both of you.

[@Paladinbaroque]

Thanks to you, Stew and Austin for all your efforts over the year and all the content. Hope all of you are enjoying the holidays Much love, stay safe and take care folks x

[@RandomShytStuff]

Thanks shillup - another year of quite literally my favorite passive media consumption. Unbelievable depth, fantastic writing, and pertinent and useful information - been killin’ it for years. Much love, and happy new years :)

[@Inogat]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY FAVORITE KZbinR(S)!!! and thanks for all you do, helps me keep up with all the madness without going crazy on twitter and the rest of the internet. May the Force be with you!

[@ChrisLT]

So many great games that I'll still be catching up well into next year.

[@anasshahid224]

Me too!

[@DroneCorpse]

2 years even

[@BrokeBillionare]

Only 5 great games. Cyberpunk, Zelda, Armored core, Remenant and Baldur's gate. And I am still playing Elden ring and destiny 2. Rest are good, average and bad.

[@ChrisLT]

@@BrokeBillionare Remnant*

[@rundown132]

2024 is looking like the year to catch up on

[@enragedwindows1331]

I picked a hell of a year to start watching this channel, it's been a fantastic ride so far.

[@EndrzGame]

Bravo to team Skill Up for bringing us a year of extensive news coverage, insight and laughs that you just can't get anywhere else!

[@GambitRaps]

Thanks for being a highlight of my week every week this year.

[@callsignjoker1]

Ben Starr is such a gem. Can't wait to see him in more stuff!

[@kirkshanghai]

Homie deserves the world. Such a nice dude and amazing VA

[@elidasilva5558]

He deserved to win Best Performance at the TGA

[@Warden_Saga]

He’s launching an actual play D&D channel called Natural Six with several other awesome people, including the dude who plays Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher games (if you wanna see more of him as a person, which you should).

[@callsignjoker1]

@brianreynolds9488 when is this? I could dig something like that.

[@Warden_Saga]

@@callsignjoker1 They have a kickstarter for a full launch, but the KZbin channel (Natural Six) is live now with some behind the scenes and a couple sessions.

[@zedrake]

2:16 - This is me! I studied games design at university, did my masters in games dev and wanted to be a UIUX designer for games. This was around 2016-2018 and on top of that once I compared the salary ranges from Tech to Gaming it was embarrassing for the industry to say the least. Within a year just being a midweight product designer I was making more than most senior games roles. The industry seriously needs to start giving real salaries and stop selling "but games!" as a selling point. Can't buy a house or food with "but games!"

[@nadg866]

the joke is that those salaries are clown-tier and on top of that game devs have the shittiest working conditions in the tech field and risk to be fired even when the company does well. It's so sad knowing that behind your favourite game there is such frustration and unfairiness

[@zedrake]

@@nadg866 literally! When we had people come in to university and talk about different roles and experiences nearly all of them had since left the industry for something better

[@nadg866]

@@zedrake not hard to believe

[@legatoredsummers]

ShillUp, thanks to your channel and a coworker, I'm playing Destiny 2 now. Idk if I should thank you or not, but I love your content.

[@juliodavila424]

Ha, I got into the original Destiny-after its panned initial release-thanks to Skill Up, and his letting us know that the game was actually good now. I also learned to appreciate Warframe, and gave it another go. Never figured out the whole mod system, tough. Even Shill Up's shilling hasn't been able to get me back into Destiny 2, though. Thanks for the hard work, and I'll see you next year.

[@loganknoll]

I love you man. I look forward to your videos each week. There are like three people in the world who are as compelling as you are when it comes to videos game reviews and analysis Thanks for another year Ralph , I will be tuning in for the forseeable future

[@tristanpalser7860]

Ralph your content is imo the finest gamimg content on KZbin. The consistency and quality of your content is unmatched and is a true inspiration. Keep it up!

[@sublimesubaru2857]

I recommend SkillUp not just for the passionate, well thought out, edited, directed, and regular uploads! I appreciate your hard work and all my other favorite youtubers out there as well & I hope yall have a good new year!

[@ResandOuies]

On publisher learning that "LiVe SeRvIce" is a risky bet. It's basically MMOs after WoW all over again. They will learn, but dev time from greenlight to release being long and add in a couple of "but our idea is much better" means it will probably die down in a couple of years. Then we'll basically get none for a while, as the industry pivots to chase the next trend.

[@dandylionwine]

Don't think I've heard anyone bring up that comparison before now. Excellent point.

[@onlyenkei]

There are few things as deeply satisfying as coming back to work for the new year to see a big fat hour-long episode of SkillUp waiting for you. Thank you Ralph, Austin and Stu. Love you lads longtime. ❤

[@kylelangford5643]

Thank you for the year of reviews, Ralph. You’re a top notch journalist and kept me interested in games I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Wishing you all the best for 2024

[@MetaRam]

"If he meant Starfield's central technology, Loading Screens" I had to pause the video for a good 5 minutes to laugh.

[@JarvisSensei]

Thank you for another awesome year of content team. Still the best channel on the platform. ❤

[@phoenyck]

"Best of luck with the sentencing, my dude." is one of the greatest lines I've heard

[@belsamethtaken4107]

Thanks for an excelent year to both Austin and his helpers. I'm also very glad that you haven't let all the good games overshadow the fact that a *lot* of people got shafted by the industry. Keep it up!

[@AlexMakesGames80]

As someone hoping to enter the games industry in 2024 I am indescribably grateful you cover the state of our industry and the people who make the games we love

[@inorite4553]

Run dude! Run for your life!!!!

[@maxloera052]

I wasn´t even aware of the Snoop Dogg story but man, Shillup's tone made it even funnier. I've been here since the good ol Laymen days (still sad) and never regretting to be a huge fan of This Week in Videogames, congrats on being one of the best videogame Yotubers out there. Looking forward to see all your reviews and videos for 2024. Sending the best wishes from Mexico Ralph, Austin and Stu

[@whydoistillusethissite8626]

these are always my favourite videos, ever since they began in 2020 I hope you keep making them, can't wait for the 2024 one!

[@VioletElite4]

Going through this video keeps reminding me of how much of a doozy we've had with gaming this year, the good and the bad. You're a beast for covering all of it

[@wenskley]

I always love these videos! I can’t imagine how much work it takes to pull all this together.

[@commanderkitsune8524]

A very good roundup of the year. Very much enjoyed the show. Looking forward to your Games of the Year vid. Also think you should do a Hottest Trash of the Year to give us joy on some of the crap of the year, cause we never get tired of Gollum being crapped on XD

[@zacharron]

Wow, what a wrap-up! Amazing how fast the months fly by. All the best to you and the team, Ralph! Looking forward to gaming in 2024.

[@jpbaiano1]

It will be a year to remember! Thanks for all the hard work, Shillup!

[@ahsankhan-zg6gr]

While at times I don’t always agree with your reviews - I won’t deny listening to your wrap ups is phenomenal - concise yet, full of personality. Always a delight and thank you for some of the best KZbin video ( for me) in 2023

[@arllyfat_cat9678]

2023 was a weird year. As game enjoyers, we ate really well in both the amount of good and great titles and the entertainment value from the bad games as well. With my personal subjective Game of the Year being Final Fantasy XVI. But most certainly developer wise, 2023 is one of the worst years to have ever happened. Praying all those whom had lost their jobs get back on their feet, and I hope those at Insomniac recover personally from the hack and those employees stay safe. In short: 2023 - one helluva year.

[@Owen-ey2gh]

Final Fantasy XVI was also my personal game of the year! 2023 felt like it opened Pandora’s box. It’s simultaneously one of the best and worst years of gaming. We’ve had amazing games, horrible games, and cynical corporate practices. I’m terrified as much as I’m excited for the future of gaming

[@Azmodan514]

FFXVI as game of the year on a channel that completely blasted the game on its release? You have some balls/ovaries KEKW.

[@meekulator]

Thank you for all your hard work this year! Love this channel x

[@HappyLarry.]

"looking forward to seeing more of him in the future" talking about Jonathan Majors better be a real dry sarcastic joke

[@Iaadpgg92]

one of the best video game videos i have seen this year. and this is really saying something. Thank you for this!

[@IndianTelephone]

Thank you Ralph, for another incredible year of reporting, inspiring and recognizing talent, and best of all, making entertaining content while maintaining authenticity and ethics!. A very happy new year to you, Austin and new member Stu! See you next year!

[@jariel2568]

Thank you so much, to ralph stu, and Austin. What a year, have looked forward to this every week amd made every day a bit better.

[@Klaatew]

We can talk about how 2023 was fantastic for games, and that’s so true. But it’s been an even more fantastic year for this channel. This year Ralph put in so much work and it shows, and we even got Austin’s debut as a very serious and integral part of this channel. Ralph will always be SkillUp, but SkillUp will now always be Ralph and Austin. Stu, I don’t know much about you - but thank you for your work too. This channel is most definitely a group effort and it’s so nice to see the fruits of that labor.

[@ProffessorWaffle]

Happy new year Skill Up crew, 2023 was an eventful year in gaming. Following you all has been a pleasure. Looking forward to 2024's lineup and cant wait to see you guys content as well.

[@victorclaudio435]

Hoping to see more of Kang in the future... 😂 That aged like milk

[@MPRNPN]

Came here to post about this. The verdict is out and Majors has been cut from Disney MCU. He is such a phenomenal acting talent but he deserves what he gets. Maybe in an alternate universe we could have had Chadwick Boseman's Avengers leasing the fight against Jonathan Majors Kang.

[@AtomicPiggly]

The funny thing is this video is recent...Just posted. But somehow he still didn't know the news? Or did he decide to pre-record that part like forever ago? That would be pretty weird...It's all so fucking weird lmao. Not sure how he writes his scripts but with AI these days I could never imagine taking WEEKS/Months to write and record something. The AI will cover all the basics then you just tighten that up and add a few more things to it then just record. Done.

[@BornIn1142]

@@AtomicPiggly He was being ironic.

[@Underdrill]

​@@AtomicPiggly He was clearly being sarcastic in his tone. Most of us picked up on that easily, but I wouldn't expect much intelligence from someone trying to weasel in a fucking blantant AI ad in a comment that made zero mention of it. Stop trying to ruin the creativity of the human race with your dreadful AI bullshit.

[@jzilla1234]

He's knows, "Thats the joke"

[@heavenly2k]

Great recap video! Love these (:

[@Cozycoze40]

I’ve been with this channel since you reviewed Neir. You’ve always put out great content and that’s why I continue to watch even when my gaming is only on the phone these days. Thank you for the hard work and efforts. Looking forward to next year

[@lemonsarentreal]

Thanks for the great content this year :)

[@Shayden52]

No mention at all of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora? I mean, it wasn't this year's critical darling by a long shot, but it was Ubisoft's biggest release of the year and won the best graphics of 2023 award from Digital Foundry.

[@spartan_a1176]

Yeahh it doesn't save it from being a mid teir game

[@higglyjuff]

I thought that was weird too. Mentioning Dead Island 2 and Minecraft Legends, but Frontiers of Pandora gets pushed to the side.

[@gregoryjames3287]

I look forward to all of your videos Shillz! Thank you and Austin for your hard work! Heres to '24

[@Keinish79]

If in ten years I happen to have to write something about a videogame released in 2023, I will come back to this video to remember what the hell was going on at the time.

[@thenomadicwebb]

This and your game of the year videos are ones that I’ve looked forward to for many years now. Thank you for what you create and do

[@stevenjackson9028]

This Skillup guy makes some okay videos, Austin should let him make more videos for the channel.

[@user-ij5oo5jt1x]

Great video, thanks to the team for leaving 2023 with a bang. Hopeful for next year!

[@theonemarlowe9117]

It seems you forgot to land your Jonathan Majors joke. Still, quite the recap. Thanks for all the hard work.

[@Mica-zg1sj]

Yeah great recap but I was waiting for the punchline on that one too, you can even see the story in an ad at 53:47

[@eldengarrett9153]

I thought he was using dramatic irony there. At the time of the movie, the abuse wasn't known about, I presume.

[@alvikay]

Huge thanks for another great year Team Skill Up. Phil... this video had me laughing, crying and drinking too much pepsi max. thanks mate. x

[@lukemoonwalker8444]

The Alan Wake 2 title reveal on October hit really hard, good job at who decided to do that.

[@4eyedwhiteguy]

Cheers to you for another great year of content for lunch breaks and drives home for long hours at work! Between this channel, Gameranx, and FPS, this is truly the soundtrack to my work life!

[@atari947]

Jeez Tood seems alot more invested in his games than most exects. Looks genuinely defeated.

[@chaserseven2886]

who wouldn't i'd be salty as all hell

[@daizenmarcurio]

I saw that there were people who watched the game awards just to see starfield lose lmao.

[@chriswihulu]

​@@daizenmarcurio sounds like they missed the concept of a game award show, not that the Game Awards themselves have shown it understands it any better 😂

[@selectionn]

he started at bethesda as a grunt actually making the game, so yeah he cares more about his game being good. sure the game made a bunch of money so he should be happy, but money =/= happy when its something you made

[@azmodanpc]

Could make better games or gtfo. Starfield is a buggy shallow mess they learned nothing from Fallout 76.

[@DataDietz]

Your distinction between loving games news and gaming industry news is perfect and exactly why I watch you! 3:07

[@zackeryparkerson]

It will never stop being infuriating to me that the creator of Sonic got busted for insider trading, but the members of the American Congress do it openly and it’s considered an open secret we all just ignore.

[@serjobsalot8768]

With all the ups and downs in gaming this year.... Ralph, you and your little team with Austin and Stuart (did I get the spelling right this time?) are seriously a blessing. Always a pleasure watching your content. Stay save and healthy in 2024 as well and keep spoiling us ;)

[@rishabhmalhotra7017]

From what I have read regarding the layoffs this year, it seems like companies were too slow to realize that the entertainment boom that happened during covid (where the demand for new shows, games etc was skyrocketing) was going to be shortlived. And hence, quite a lot of companies overinvested in new roles. Now that the growth curve has slowed down and 'normalized' a bit, it is becoming unsustainable to retain all those employees, especially when you pair it with the fact that video game development is getting costlier nowadays (for example, Spiderman 2 production cost around 300 million dollars). In such a scenario, I do understand how job security can get affected. However, I also realize that there might have been a lot more factors for these layoffs, and I would love to know more about why this happened. It would have been heartbreaking to be a part of a development team and making a particular game for years, only to be laid off while that game might be getting praises and awards. Man, I really hope this thing gets better. One thing I often think about is that if AAA game development is getting too big and too costly for its own good. Look at those Square Enix news where we often hear how they announce their titles as 'commercial disappointments' even when they sold millions. Perhaps AA games and overall smaller budget is going to be more sustainable in future? 1) Smaller costs mean devs dont have to be scared of taking risks, 2) A game can recuperate its costs and 'break even' faster leading to more profits and 3) Even if a game flops commercially, it wont create a disaster where the company goes under (we have seen this too many times this year, Forpspoken, Immortals of Aveum, etc). But well, I guess its easier said than done. And still, I am glad that the creative output this year WAS THROUGH THE ROOF!! LET THEM MAKE LONGER SPEECHES NEXT YEAR GEOFF KEIGHLEY :)

[@socratese5]

Maybe it’s time to develop smaller games with less costs like you said, in another realm of entertainment, movies for example often cost hundreds of millions of dollars while Godzilla minus one cost 15 million to make. There must be a way for games to do something similar eg streamlined smaller scope and lower costs

[@mattb6646]

There were financial factors as well, way lower interest rates for companies to easily borrow cash, and that's been changing the past 2 years.

[@makasete30]

The thing is that this may be the case overall, but then we have Microsoft, Sony and EA making huge profits this year. Sony raising prices as the ps5 continues to sell well, as well as their game franchises and yet they lay off employees. Microsoft’s gobbling up game developers with astronomical prices, still making huge profits and then laying off employees including those at the companies they just bought. EA making huge profits, and their CEO receiving a ridiculous salary and yet he doesn’t at least take a pay drop to save some of those employees. Embracer group purchasing lots of companies than having to close them and lay off over 900 due to huge debts. On the other hand in Japan, we have Nintendo, Sega (apart from the the case noted in the video)and Capcom actually increasing salaries, and going on a hiring spree. They also went through COVID but are not downsizing. Square Enix is the exception and they at least have a good reason with the poor performance of some of their big games that have continued from last year. Notice that they still found jobs for most of those from Luminous and merged the company. In a year of huge profits some of these layoffs are indeed due to downsizing after COVID, but notable ones look like poor management mixed with greed that could have been avoided or look unnecessary. I feel the danger of blaming COVID is it lets all the companies off the hook and they can deflect the blame where they clearly deserve the criticism from Ralf and others.

[@socratese5]

@@makasete30 looks like the big companies are Deep sea trawling and just leaving barren landscapes in their wake They don’t care

[@Michael-fs1cw]

Thanks for another year of great content Ralph and Austin!!

[@billwibbly1492]

Seeing an hour-long Skillup video releases incredible chemicals into my brain

[@tylerwood8710]

Thanks for 2023, SkillUp. Great year. Looking forward to 2024 with ya!

[@aryalshoots]

i'm honestly so glad i found out about Skill Up this year.

[@Yu7Zi]

Been one of my favourite content creators on the platform for years. Perfect mix of professional reviews and game content whilst still giving a personal and realistic perspective.

[@Hecarim420]

For long time I thought skill-up has similar voice to one of brothers from laymen-gaming but it was long time ago.

[@mrpear7]

Hands down, you make the best video game recap/news videos. Well written, paced, sprinkled with just the right humor and perfected edited. I look forward to them every week. Keep up the great work!

[@Labib-dw1lk]

Jonathan’s kang performance was incredible. ..Hope he doesn’t commit heinous crimes anytime soon!

[@nflhalowarrior]

That was the joke..

[@Labib-dw1lk]

@@nflhalowarrior that was the joke Backatcha buddy

[@TheFallingFlamingo]

Usually when someone makes an obviously questionable statement with a change to a mocking tone, it means they are being sarcastic.

[@GuthrieMG]

I love this summary of the years. Top marks, my friend. Looking forward to more from. You, Stu, Austin and anyone else you're bringing onboard.

[@datboiTimAltstadtAKATheedar]

If Baldurs Gate 3 hopefully sets the standard for RPGs in their sense of storytelling, then the new BioWare games have a hell of a bar to jump

[@connorross123]

Imma level with you.... future Bioware games have a zero percent chance of being good

[@Bridges94]

Bro, those dudes diving to the titanic just to brunch, driven by a logitec controller has to be the gaming highlight of the year.

[@PXAbstraction]

If there's one thing I've taken from 2023, it's how more and more critics are becoming out of touch with audiences. The reviews of several major releases both in games and movies where critics just don't plain represent what the actual customers think has been quite interesting.

[@TheRogueWolf]

Critics look for things that push the envelope, improve the medium. The audience just wants critics to tell them how smart they are for liking what they like.

[@socratese5]

⁠​⁠@@TheRogueWolfis that why Starfield got all those 9s and 10s in the beginning because it pushed the envelope and improved the medium?

[@slyseal2091]

@@TheRogueWolf You had to wait less than 72 hours for the year to end and your opinion to not be afflicted by being posted in the same year as Starfield, Diablo 4 and the two AAA remakes

[@Brokenlance]

@@socratese5it got those scores because it’s a good sandbox. Let me guess, you think the game is empty, outdated and boring? You had better apply that same logic to every other sandbox in existence or your opinion is worthless.

[@selectionn]

@@Brokenlance you are trolling, you gotta work on your baiting skills, this one is too obvious. If you want to troll about starfield properly, and make people argue with you and take the bait, you have to talk about how the modders will make it better and bethesda worked as hard as they could through covid, working remotely, and having to make a massive game world where you can explore and do anything you want, while no other AAA developer dare to make a similar game, because bethesda is the king.

[@zh300eleven96]

This channel is the best gaming community there is. Love you all.

[@Lean_Dad]

I showed this to my dog and he shit on the carpet.

[@easygoingdude9990]

Looking forward to the new year and everything you have in the works you guys. Thank you so much for everything.

[@MistahNoName]

I really appreciate the amount of time and effort dedicated to the layoffs in 2023.

[@SeanLumly]

THANK YOU for contextualizing layoffs as bieng a phenomenon common to the industry and wider economy, and not any one company.

[@alsage9992]

You completely skipped over hifi rush.

[@tropictom5996]

Fantastic summary. You are a credit to the industry, reporting, writing, and you are entertaining as well. Good luck in 2024.

[@inquisitorichijou883]

Another year of SkillUp. Big thanks to everyone involved in the channel. And to the crew of Friends Per Second.

[@kankles6569]

I found your "This week in Video games" from your 2022 review. Been waiting all year for this!

[@JakeGottfriedStudios]

I remember him saying 2017 was not a good year for gaming and I was confused since sure some infamous titles came out but I wouldn't argue it was a "step-back". In 2023 I would say it is understandable since so many phenomenal games came out but so many studios have suffered this year and many infamous titles also came out. It's possibly been both the best and worse year in gaming at the same time.

[@raresmacovei8382]

2017 was brilliant also. Alongside 2015. And 2016.

[@RobVespa]

Infamous?

[@fulcrum6760]

@@raresmacovei8382You kidding? We had the Battlefront 2 loot box controversy.

[@FluxCrush]

Waited the whole year for this video, LFGGGGG!

[@twitsik8966]

over 62k layoff in gaming and gaming adjacent industries, 2023 was a great year for gaming but a horrible on for game makers!

[@syatek]

6.2k* big difference there

[@ArariaKAgelessTraveller]

they mostly work for Giant companies so screw them anyway

[@eduardovitiello3316]

I proudly say I haven't skipped one single video release. This channel is the very best youtube produces when it comes to gaming. I love the content and the effort put into it. Keep going man!

[@KahranRamsus]

Thanks SkillUp team for the year of keeping us up to date with gaming news. You went too easy on FF16 though. 😂

[@maskedspartan7397]

Great year guys, thanks for the work

[@kasv4103]

yeah, yeah i love the lies of p, but i wanna hear about the lies of the completionist - no one deserves a digital OPEN HAND slap more.

[@SirShadeyy]

It has been a pleasure watching all of your content this year. Austin has really come into his own for his reviews, and Ralph’s reviews are always a pleasure to watch. Great job to everyone involved, can’t wait for an even bigger 2024.

[@itisWhatitis12345]

Starfield was my GOTY easy

[@marcuskane1040]

Lowest-rated BGS game on Steam lil bro Cope and seethe LMAO

[@neilk]

Best gaming discourse channel on this platform, keep up the fantastic work Ralph and team

[@alexDD-j6e]

The layoffs must be terrible for the affected but maybe the industry just needed to shed some fat accumulated in the lucrative covid years. I doubt most publishers and developers have let go their best talent with irreplaceable knowledge, as SkillUp said.

[@benhickson6149]

Thank you Austin, Stu and Ralph. Skill up content always brightens my day.

[@marcusclark1339]

Not the best year at all - half the games coming out unfinished - filled with ESG politics (sweet baby inc or blackrock or vanguard ESG companies) - more of them being Remakes (and thanks to the leak we now know why) - media hypocrisy - Sony basically bleeding money all throughout - Xbox buying and monopolizing more and more this year sucked lets be real

[@Darkholow]

Nothing will beat for me playing Baldurs Gate 3 into Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty and into Rogue Trader..it was simply magical. Happy New Year!

[@mroutcast8515]

Layoffs were across all industries globally - absolutely no economical reason why it would omit gaming industry. I work with databases for logistics company. 20% were fired this year (so 80 people just in my division, probably 10x that across all divisions in my country). I hate the act as if it was only gaming industry affected by this.