What Got A Game Awards 2024 Game of the Year Nominations and What Didn’t

The Game Awards nominees for 2024 have just been announced with much fanfare by Geoff Keighley, and while there is plenty of debate about whether these awards “mean”, it is actually the highest profile awards show the industry has, along with being its biggest preview showcase now that E3 is dead.

There’s a very long list of nominees in a bunch of different categories, but I wanted to focus on the Game of the Year 2024 nominations, what was nominated and what wasn’t, whether you’d consider it a “sniff” or not.

Nominated for Game of the Year 2024

Astro Bot – The love letter to the platform for the PlayStation is one of the best contributions to the genre in years, and it’s no surprise that its celebration of not just the PlayStation IP, but what feels like gaming in general, is nominated here. I would personally consider this the front runner.

Metaphor: ReFantazio – A stunning new RPG entry from ATLUS of Persona fame, this latecomer instantly captured audiences and launched it into surprising GOTY contention, which has been realized with a nomination here. It could definitely win.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth – This was actually a sure thing in terms of landing a nomination, loved by critics and most fans. A win? Less guarantee, but it feels like it’s definitely dueling in the top 2 or 3.

Black Myth Wukong – It both has a lot of fans and sets explosive sales records thanks to its popularity globally, but especially in China. It’s an extremely competitive year and the game was reviewed well, albeit not spectacularly, and I didn’t expect it to do well. I was wrong, here it is on the list, selected by the jury, landing a top spot. A win feels difficult given its competition, but we’ll see.

Balatro – Unlike anything else on this list, the genius card game has been a dormant megahit all year, and I thought it might slide in a nomination here. You love to see it.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – In the last few days there has been a flurry of drama over The Game Awards confirming that yes, DLC or expansions could be nominated for Game of the Year. Although the immediate aftermath of this discussion was about a likely nomination or even victory for Shadow of the Erdtree, it was still up to the voters whether or not to consider the thought it spoke. It probably did, it seems. Could it win now? That would raise some … opinions

No nomination

Helldivers 2 – An explosively popular game that shattered the perception of whether Sony could produce a live service hit. It’s certainly had its ups and downs since it was released, but it’s hard to forget that great initial launch period, and it’s a multiplayer entry that…couldn’t be nominated. This may be the biggest “snub” if we play that game.

Silent Hill 2 – This one was bound to be controversial as a remake, but Silent Hill 2 had seen a large amount of nominations overall before the GOTY list was even announced. However, it didn’t even land an actual GOTY nomination, which was a bit of a surprise.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard – There were some theories that gaming journalists would rally behind this game enough to get it nominated, but despite solid enough reviews and many Dragon Age fans enjoying it, it’s not exactly a product similar to BioWare’s full-on glory days and as such it didn’t land a nomination.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – Definitely a departure from a traditional Zelda game, but it’s still a bit surprising that it didn’t represent Nintendo on the GOTY list. I suppose it’s not a mainstream entry, but you don’t often see Nintendo miss out on having a top game contender in any given year.

Tekken 8 – A metascore of 90 can usually guarantee a spot on a list like this in most years, but Tekken suffers from being in the (relatively) niche fighting game genre where it will unfortunately be overlooked by most voters. It’s obviously a likely favorite for best fighting game.

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