Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the nominations at this year’s Game Awards with an impressive 12 nods.
The critically acclaimed role-playing game (RPG) is vying for the coveted Game of the Year award, in addition to boasting three nominations in the best performance category.
Other contenders for the top honor include Death Stranding 2, Nintendo’s platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, indie darlings Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2, and the medieval adventure, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
The nominees will compete at the prestigious event – the world’s most-watched ceremony celebrating video games – on December 11 in Los Angeles, California.
Organizers report a staggering 154 million livestreams in 2024, when the platformer Astro Bot was crowned Game of the Year.
Often hailed as the “Oscars of gaming,” the Game Awards, hosted by founder Geoff Keighley, will present accolades across 29 categories this year.
Despite the nickname, the approximate three-hour show blends a traditional awards ceremony, complete with musical performances and celebrity appearances, with advertising segments.
A primary draw for viewers is the exclusive unveiling of trailers for forthcoming and previously unannounced games.
Last year’s event offered audiences first looks at The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, from The Last of Us studio, Naughty Dog.
This year’s frontrunner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, was developed by a core team of approximately 30 individuals at Sandfall Interactive’s headquarters in Montpellier, France.
Inspired by classic, turn-based RPGs, it has garnered critical acclaim and praise for its engrossing storyline, engaging battles, and compelling performances.
Three actors from the game – Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, and Jennifer English – are nominated for best performance, with the game also competing for the best narrative prize.
It also receives a nomination for best independent game – a decision that may spark debate given the project’s reliance on global support studios and the backing of publisher Kepler Interactive.
Sony, a consistent performer at The Game Awards, boasts two exclusive titles with eight nominations each.
In addition to the Game of the Year category, Death Stranding 2, directed by celebrated video game visionary Hideo Kojima, is also nominated for best narrative.
However, none of its prominent cast members, including The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus, are up for an acting award.
The samurai-themed adventure, Ghost of Yōtei, another PS5 exclusive, shares the same number of nominations, with star Erika Ishii contending for a performance award.
Challenging the blockbuster titles are Game of the Year nominees Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 – both sequels to widely successful games crafted by smaller teams.
Silksong, often dubbed the “GTA 6 of indie games” due to its prolonged development and ardent fan anticipation, overwhelmed various online stores upon its release.
Rounding out the top category are Donkey Kong Bananza – expected to be a launch title on Nintendo’s anticipated Switch 2 console – and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Split Fiction, from Hazelight Studio, led by the unconventional former film director Josef Fares, following in the footsteps of previous Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, did not secure a nomination this year.
And mystery game Blue Prince, which garnered some of the year’s highest review scores, only received a nomination in the best independent game category.
The Game Awards has faced criticism in the past for prioritizing advertising over the recognition of artists, with acceptance speeches sometimes cut short and on-stage presentations omitted in certain categories.
The 2024 show was praised for making an effort to address these criticisms, but developers have continued to urge organizer Geoff Keighley to better acknowledge industry challenges, such as the significant number of job losses in recent years.
This year, concerns have been raised regarding the awards’ decision to discontinue its Future Class scheme – an initiative established in 2020 to spotlight emerging talent in the video game industry.
It was last active in 2023, when current and former members of the group co-signed an open letter imploring the awards ceremony to address the complexities of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Leading up to this year’s nominations, after confirmation that Future Class would not be returning, alumni accused the scheme of being performative and insufficient in helping them establish industry connections.
Last year, the ceremony introduced a new “Game Changer” award, recognizing Amir Satvat for his efforts in supporting laid-off developers in their job searches.
BBC Newsbeat has reached out to the organizers for comment.
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