Erdtree’s shadow
fromsoft
A controversial rule means The Game Awards will allow downloadable content (DLC) and expansions for existing games to be nominated for Game of the Year, from the next show in December. The fact that this is being highlighted now seems to be no coincidence, given that Elden Ring’s massive Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is one of the most beloved and highest-grossing releases of the year. But is it… a game? Here’s how Game Awards Now addresses this issue in its FAQ:
Are DLC, expansion packs, and remasters/remakes eligible?
“The Game Awards aim to honor the best creative and technical work each year, regardless of the format of release of that content. Expansion packs, new game seasons, downloadable content (DLC), remakes, and remasters are eligible in all categories, if deemed appropriate by the jury.” New creative and technical work is worthy of nomination and factors such as the novelty of the content and its price/value should be taken into account.
In general, I see people saying, whether they’re journalists or players, that this seems…wrong. In the case of Shadow of the Erdtree, despite its size, you not only need to own an Elden Ring, but you must have played a significant portion of the Elden Ring to even start playing it. I also think something like the Phantom Liberty from Cyberpunk 2077 comes to mind, but again, same situation.
Illusory freedom
CDPR
Personally, it’s strange. Shadow of the Erdtree is currently my favorite release of the year. Phantom Liberty was my favorite release that year as well. But even then, I’m not sure I can support the idea of them being considered “games” when they’re not standalone offerings. Obviously something like Miles Morales, a standalone Spider-Man, despite using the same city, would have to be counted. But the actual DLC and expansions? Maybe they just need their own category.
But here’s the thing: just because this rule now allows these expansions to be nominated, doesn’t mean they will actually be nominated. Even if I thought that despite them being my favorite releases for a given year, they probably wouldn’t count, that’s something any number of pther candidates would think as well, and thus might not hit the threshold required for nomination even if the rule “allows” it now. I’d be a bit surprised if Erdtree gets a nomination as a result, and I doubt there’d be any chance of actually winning, even with this rule change.
The way The Game Awards does categories is always weird. One major issue, that hasn’t been addressed yet, is that if a GOTY nominee belongs to a subcategory like Best Adventure Game, then by default it has to win that category, making the whole thing somewhat pointless for other games. But that’s a separate issue from this one, and we’ll see how the expansion issue develops in December.
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