This year’s iteration of The Game Awards are packed with some strong indie game representation, but unfortunately, while it was great to see some shocking representation, the nomination list is also packed with quite a few headscratchers. Some games (or DLC expansions) got a few too many nominations, while some got too few, and here is a list of the 5 biggest snubs and surprises at this year’s Game Awards.

 

Snub: Animal Well (for more nominations)

One of this year’s biggest indie hits came early on, and still remains one of this year’s best independent titles. Animal Well, coming from developer Shared Memory, is a passion project turned into a massive success. Appearing on the PS Extra library, it’s one of the smallest games one could download, and is also one of the best titles of the year. Managing a 91 score on Metacritic, this little Metroidvania would go on to show the genre at its absolute best.

 

With its strong exploration and fantastic pixelated artstyle, Animal Well looked like an early shoo-in for a Game of the Year nomination, but rather surprisingly and disappointingly, it only managed to garner only two nominations in the Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game categories, sharing that combination with Balatro. Its lack of nominations for its Art Direction is rather unfortunate, as is the disappointing Game of the Year snub. As one of the best Metroidvanias gaming has gotten recently, it’s a shame it wasn’t recognized even more.

 

Surprise: Balatro (for how it actually got recognized)

There’s been some criticism of Balatro’s placement as a card game amidst Final Fantasy and Metaphor: ReFantazio, but those criticisms are completely unfounded. While it is a card game, it is one of the most addicting games this year, sitting at a 90 for three consoles on Metacritic, and a 95 on one. 

 

Given that Animal Well was snubbed heavily, Balatro’s 5 nominations, including Game of the Year and Best Game Direction are very much surprises, but of the positive kind. This perfection of the RNG system that is so commonly hated by players is revelatory, and its massive commercial success is emblematic of the game’s mastering of the mechanic.

 

Snub: Nine Sols (for any nomination)

Soulsborne and Soulslike fans were absolutely fed this year, and Nine Sols is another fantastic Soulslike that unfortunately went under The Game Awards’ radar this year. Coming from Red Candle Games, this genre is brand new for the studio, but absolutely works, as can be seen in its 83 on Metacritic.

 

Though it likely wouldn’t have made it into the Game of the Year category, it is still disappointing it didn’t get at least any Independent Game nominations, nor did it get any Art Direction nods for its strong, hand-drawn animation style.

 

Surprise: Star Wars Outlaws (for getting an Action / Adventure Game nomination)

Star Wars Outlaws as a whole wasn’t seen as a bad game. In fact, it received a 75 on Metacritic, the ultimate indicator of a perfectly average game. But what’s truly baffling is that it got any recognition at all beyond Humberly González’s nomination for Best Performance, and its Innovation in Accessibility nomination.

 

Though a 75 isn’t a bad score, it’s absolutely nothing in comparison to its competition in the exact same category, going against games with 94, 86, and 87 scores on Metacritic, with reviews criticizing its technical issues and repetition. It takes the spot of what could be many more deserving titles, and is the most surprising nomination in its category this year.

 

Snub: Satisfactory (for any nomination)

First available in early access all the way back in 2019, the same year Sekiro was released, we finally saw the full version 1.0 release of Satisfactory, the same year Sekiro’s successor’s DLC was released, and it released to strong critical acclaim, garnering a very solid 90 on Metacritic, with praise for its execution of its simple concept.

Thanks to this year being packed with strong titles, it was an uphill battle getting recognition in the bigger awards like Game of the Year, but given its genre, it was an absolute shock not seeing it up in the Best Sim / Strategy Game category, where all of the nominees are either in early access, or have scored lower than it.

 

Surprise: MultiVersus (for its second nomination in the same category)

In what might be a first outside the Players’ Voice category (more on that later), Multiversus has somehow managed to earn its second nomination for Best Fighting Game, and this nomination is far more baffling than its first. Multiversus is sitting at a comfortable 75 in the category, but its inclusion at all, not to mention its competition is incredibly confounding.

 

Multiversus’ re-release was met with far less positive reception, receiving far more criticism for its predatory microtransactions literally incentivizing a pay-to-win method unlike the recently released Marvel Rivals, with most of its cast locked behind tedious progression. All that adds to the fact that it is somehow nominated again much to every fighting game player’s chagrin.

Snub: Mullet MadJack (for any nomination)

Indie games were hit especially hard this year, with some surprise nominees certainly being responsible for a lot of snubs and exclusions. Mullet MadJack, a strong, fast and violent FPS title released all the way back in May, was one of this year’s standout independent releases, dropping on Steam to a great 88 score on Metacritic.

 

Though it had tough competition to face, its lack of nominations in the Action Game and Independent Game categories are quite disappointing, and even considering the aforementioned competition, the fact one of 2024’s most gleefully fun and frenetic shooters isn’t given a single nomination is unfortunate.

 

Surprise: Black Myth Wukong (for its many nominations)

Black Myth Wukong being a surprise at this year’s Game Awards doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. In fact, it’s a pretty good game, but it managing to score 5 nominations, including the incredibly prestigious Game of the Year nomination, is an absolute shocker.

 

With an 81 and a 76 on Metacritic, Black Myth Wukong is the lowest-rated game in the history of The Game Awards to score a Game of the Year nomination. While it wasn’t too surprising to see it in the Action Game category, it being nominated for the 3rd highest number of awards of the evening is certainly a surprise, even if it was undeniably one of the most popular games of the year.

 

Snub: Tekken 8 (for Game of the Year)

There has only ever been a single fighting game nominated for Game of the Year, and that was 2019’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Despite there being many great fighting games released over the past decade, including Mortal Kombat X and Street Fighter 6, none of the big three fighting game franchises have scored a nomination despite having more than worthy releases.

 

Tekken 8 is another unfortunate victim, sitting at a comfortable 90 on Metacritic, praised for its gameplay and content offerings, receiving nominations in the Fighting Game and Best Multiplayer categories. The lack of a nomination for Game of the Year is incredibly disappointing, as its strong acclaim gave it a bigger chance than usual at scoring a nomination in the biggest category of the evening.

 

Surprise: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (for getting so many nominations)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a fantastic DLC expansion, and there are strong arguments for it being one of the greatest of all time, but an expansion is not a whole new game. Shadow of the Erdtree may be one of the highest rated releases of the year, sitting at a 94 on Metacritic, but its many nominations rob far more new, fresh experiences of a chance at the spotlight.

Much has been, and much more will continue to be said about the recent rule changes seen at the bottom of the Game Awards’ website’s FAQ made to allow Shadow of the Erdtree’s 4 nominations, including a Game of the Year nod so controversial it has sparked widespread debate. Spurring further discussions on the lack of a proper DLC category at The Game Awards, it looks to be that Elden Ring’s second strong showing at The Game Awards is going to be the most controversial set of nominations for years to come.

 

Bonus Surprise: The Players’ Voice nominees

Black Myth Wukong is a game anyone could have anticipated getting a nod here thanks to its immense popularity and high quality, but the rest of the nominees provide an incredibly disappointing and potentially infuriating list. It features Shadow of the Erdtree, continuing the heated discussion about its status as a mere DLC among actual original games, and three different gacha titles. 

 

Zenless Zone Zero, Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves all scored nominations, and it is expected to be the result of the games’ fanbases voting in the hopes of getting in-game rewards, something well-documented after Genshin Impact’s previous victories and nominations resulted in the players being given in-game currency as “thanks” for voting. Its fanbase has notably come into conflict with many others, particularly the Sonic fandom, since its first victory in 2022, and its status as a repeat nominee despite being 4 years old has drawn criticism.