The Game Awards has announced the nominees for its 2024 awards categories. As always, the most anticipated topic is none other than Game of the Year.
This year features six prominent titles including Black Myth: Wukong, Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, Metaphor: Refantazio, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. However, it seems that this list has not fully convinced gamers, and criticism is directed towards one particular title.
Specifically, numerous gamers believe that Shadow of the Erdtree’s inclusion in the final nominee list for The Game Awards is completely unjustified.
This was somewhat anticipated, as the organizers of The Game Awards had previously teased that DLCs could qualify for all categories if the judges deemed them worthy. However, the majority of gamers feel that DLC versions should be separated from the Game of the Year awards, especially when compared to truly new games.
It must be acknowledged that Shadow of the Erdtree is a high-quality DLC. However, many argue that The Game Awards’ attempt to include it in the Game of the Year nomination is akin to trying to award Elden Ring twice, considering that this game won Game of the Year in 2022. Certainly, Shadow of the Erdtree cannot compare to the original title, given its significantly shorter playtime and a map that is about 40% smaller than the original. More importantly, this nomination could set a bad precedent for future editions of The Game Awards, which is what concerns many gamers the most.
Shadow of the Erdtree itself has not been without issues. Its rating on Steam has recently plummeted to a “mixed” status, particularly due to concerns about dropping FPS and poor performance when players enter certain areas.
