Game of the year nominees are:
- Astro Bot
- Balatro
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Metaphor: Refantazio
Yes, DLCs are included in categories. Kind of ridiculous TBH.
Any one of those 6 could win and I wouldn’t be mad. Great year
Black Myth: Wukong would surprise me, but the other 5 all have a real shot.
Considering it’s a press award, I’d be shocked if one of the lowest reviewed games ever to get nominated won. Feels like compensating for none of these being huge sellers (which might also be part of the reason that DLC is in there). And even then, BM:W only sold one out of four outside of China. Says a lot about the state of Western AAA gaming this year.
The state of AAA gaming is that releases slowed way down, resulting in way less output, which means you’re going to have fewer winners, by the numbers. Not every year can be like last year.