The Game Awards Game of the Year nominees have been announced, and fans are already debating the worthiness of the titles on the list. However, the most controversial aspect of the picks isn’t the games themselves but the fact that one of them is a DLC.
Fans debate the inclusion of Shadow of the Erdtree as The Game Awards GOTY nominee
One thing to clarify is that DLCs, remakes, expansions, remakes, and remasters weren’t ever forbidden from being nominated as Game of the Year at The Game Awards before. That fact just wasn’t explicitly stated. However, the official FAQ was recently appended to clarify that they’re eligible:
“The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.”
Now that the nominees have been announced, we know this was added to prematurely address the inclusion of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree as one of the six Game of the Year nominees. You can see the complete list below:
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Metaphor: Refantazio
While (almost) no one is arguing against Shadow of the Erdtree being a great DLC and one of the best gaming experiences of the year (we gave it a 10/10), there are some compelling arguments against its inclusion as a candidate for GOTY. Unlike any of the other entries on the list, you need a high-level character in the base game and must defeat two of the most challenging bosses before you can even access the DLC. Some argue that a separate DLC/expansion category should have been created and that a self-contained experience should have been nominated for GOTY instead.
What game do you think got snubbed (and why is it Stellar Blade)?
