If you haven’t seen it by now, The Game Awards have revealed its nominees for numerous categories pertaining to gaming and those who helped make the games. As you would expect, many are debating who might win certain categories. However, the most controversial element of the nominations has to do with the “Game of the Year” category. Specifically, a few days before the show unveiled its six main contenders, it put out a FAQ noting that DLC/expansions could be considered for any category if the judging committee “deemed them worthy.” We all knew what was coming with that, and sure enough, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was put on the GOTY list.
This sparked a firestorm of backlash from fans in places like Twitter, who didn’t hold back in stating why this was a stupid move across the board. First, DLC/expansions aren’t full games, and they NEED the base games to play them. Thus, they can’t be “games of the year,” because they aren’t true games, they’re additional content.
Just as important, though, is that not only did this decision snub games from being rightfully named GOTY contenders, but it meant that DLC from past years that were on par or arguably better than From Software’s DLC were officially snubbed because they didn’t “catch the eye” of the judging committee for some reason.
Two of the biggest standouts come from the RPG field, and both were from last year. Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty was widely considered one of the best DLC expansions ever, and it almost entirely saved the franchise for CD Projekt Red. Not only did it get highly reviewed by critics, but it also sold well and was nominated for multiple non-GOTY categories at The Game Awards.
But wait! There’s an even worse precedent being set here. You might recall that at the 2022 show, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was rightfully nominated for Game of the Year. It lost, but it was still big to be there. Just a few months after that nomination, the DLC “Future Redeemed” arrived and offered an expansive story that was praised by critics and fans alike. Yet, it didn’t get nominated for anything at the 2023 Game Awards, and fans are furious about it getting snubbed, while From Software’s DLC literally changed the rules to get nominated for the biggest category.
Many fans believe that this rule change will lead to the DLC winning the biggest prize, and that’s not fair in many respects, which is why many are furious with Geoff Keighley, and are right to be.
