Last Thursday, December 12, the 10th edition of The Game Awards took place, once again hosted by its creator, Canadian journalist Geoff Keighley. During the more than 3-hour event, in addition to awarding prizes and listening to the winners’ speeches, several trailers for new projects were presented, as well as a good number of advertisements.
Event Summary – Who Won and Lost at The Game Awards 2024?
Before breaking down the categories and their winners, I’ll provide a brief summary of who I believe came out as winners and losers of the event. It’s worth mentioning that these are personal opinions, and being nominated—even without winning—is still a positive achievement worthy of recognition.
It could be said that the big winner of the night was Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was the studio with the highest number of nominated games, with six in total, receiving 16 nominations and taking home six awards. Among all the games at the event, the standout was Astro Bot, which had the most nominations (seven) and also the most wins, with four awards.
Regarding independent studios, the standout was Balatro, which received five nominations and won three awards, placing it among the most nominated and winning games of this edition.
Returning to AAA studios, SEGA had a spectacular evening, securing nine nominations across three of its games and winning three awards, all thanks to Metaphor: ReFantazio. However, I personally feel two of these awards were undeserved, potentially reflecting some bias from the judges.
Calling those who were nominated but didn’t win “losers” is just a figure of speech. Being selected from among the thousands of games released this year is already a significant accomplishment. That said, the following companies could be seen as those who didn’t fare well.
Nintendo didn’t secure any awards with its four nominations. The same situation applied to Capcom. EA only managed to win in one category. Microsoft’s Xbox division was disappointing, with 11 nominations across four games but only one award. Similarly, Square Enix received 11 nominations for three games but took home just one prize.
If I had to name the biggest losers of the event, I would point to Konami and Bloober Team. Their brilliant remake of Silent Hill 2 earned five nominations but won none. The most disappointing loss was in the “Best Narrative” category, where it lost to a rival whose story doesn’t come close to measuring up.
All the Winners in Each Category at The Game Awards 2024
Best Fighting Game
Tekken 8 won Best Fighting Game, beating out Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, and Multiversus.
Best VR/AR Game
Batman: Arkham Shadow took home the award for Best VR/AR Game, surpassing Arizona Sunshine Remake, Asgard’s Wrath 2, Metal: Hellinger VR, and one of the clear favorites, Metro Awakening.
Best eSports Game
The legendary MOBA League of Legends by Riot Games won Best eSports Game again, defeating two powerhouses from Valve, Counter-Strike 2 and DOTA 2, as well as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Valorant (another Riot title).
Best eSports Athlete
Faker, the world’s most famous League of Legends player, earned the award, beating out 33, Alexby, Chovy, Zywoo, and Zmjjkk.
Best eSports Team
T1 won Best eSports Team, surpassing Bilibili Gaming, Gen.G, Navi, and Team Liquid. Essentially, Riot Games triumphed in all eSports-related categories this year—not just for the game of the year, but also the best player and team, all centered around League of Legends.
Games for Impact
This category honors the best games with positive social messages. The winner was Neva, developed by the excellent Spanish studio Nomada Studio and published by none other than Devolver Digital. The other nominees were Closer the Distance, Indika, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and Tales of Kenzera: Zau.
Innovation in Accessibility
Ubisoft took the award with its brilliant Metroidvania Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. It triumphed over Star Wars Outlaws, Xbox Game Studios’ entries Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Diablo IV, and EA/BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Best Family Game
The last pre-show award was the first of the night for Astro Bot, which beat out several Nintendo titles including Princess Peach Showtime!, Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and the indie game The Plucky Squire.
Best Performance
This award celebrates the best actors who voice characters we love. Once again, Melina Juergens won for her role in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, just as she did for the first game. Other nominees included Briana White (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), Hannah Telle (Life is Strange: Double Exposure), Humberly González (Star Wars Outlaws), and Like Roberts (Silent Hill 2).
Best Action Game
Chinese studio Game Science made history by becoming the first from their country to win an award, taking Best Action Game with Black Myth Wukong. It triumphed over true genre gems such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade, and WarHammer 40,000: Space Marines 2.
The Game Awards Game Changer
For the first time in the event’s history, an award was presented to someone who contributed to the industry without necessarily developing games. The winner was Amir Salvat, who created a database to help industry workers find jobs. This nonprofit project has already helped over 3,000 people secure employment in its short lifetime.
Most Anticipated Game
Unsurprisingly, the award for Most Anticipated Game went to GTA VI, beating out Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yotei, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Monster Hunter Wilds. Each of these games is highly anticipated, but whenever Rockstar launches a new GTA installment, the entire industry holds its breath.
Best Multiplayer Game
Helldivers 2 was crowned Best Multiplayer Game, beating the hugely popular Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and other competitors such as Super Mario Party Jamboree, Tekken 8, and Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2.
Best Community Support
Last year’s Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3, won Best Community Support at this year’s edition. It triumphed over formidable contenders like Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, Helldivers 2, and No Man’s Sky.
Best Art Direction
Up to this point, the night had gone smoothly, but the Best Art Direction category delivered what I consider the event’s first and biggest injustice, with Metamorph ReFantazio winning over Neva.
I don’t want this to be misunderstood. Atlus and SEGA’s game has top-tier artistic design. However, it remains an anime-style game using cel shading that, while visually impressive, doesn’t hold a candle to Neva. This indie title boasts a much more artistic and revolutionary visual style. It’s a true masterpiece. Unfortunately, it seems fan service prevailed here; popularity outweighed merit for this unnecessary win.
Other nominees included Astro Bot, Black Myth Wukong, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, all deserving of their nominations.
Best Game Direction
The great Hideo Kojima made an appearance to present the award for Best Game Direction, which went to Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment for the brilliant platformer Astro Bot. The other nominees were Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Metamorph ReFantazio.
Best Indie Debut
The creators of Shovel Knight, previous winners of this award, announced this year’s winner, which was none other than Balatro. It triumphed over Animal Well, Manor Lords, Pacific Drive, and The Plucky Squire, all superb indie games.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Astro Bot claimed another award, this time for Best Action/Adventure Game. It beat out Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Star Wars Outlaws from Ubisoft, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom from Nintendo, and Konami’s excellent Silent Hill 2 remake.
Best RPG
The award for Best RPG went to Metamorph ReFantazio, surpassing Dragon’s Dogma 2, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth.
Best Sports/Racing Game
EA Sports FC 25 claimed this category, which was dominated by titles from EA and 2K. The other nominees were F1 24, NBA 2K25, Top Spin 2K25, and WWE 2K24.
Best Sim/Strategy Game
Frostpunk 2 won the award, defeating Age of Mythology Retold, Kunitsu-Gami Path of the Goddess, Manor Lords, and Unicorn Overlord.
Best Ongoing Game
Another award went to the brilliant Helldivers 2, which surpassed Destiny 2, Diablo IV, Final Fantasy XIV, and Fortnite.
Best Adaptation
With the rise of successful series based on video game licenses, this became one of the most anticipated categories. Ultimately, the award went to the series Fallout, which triumphed over Arcane, Knuckles, Like a Dragon Yakuza, and Tomb Raider The Legend of Lara Croft.
Ella Purnell, who plays Luci, director Jonathan Nolan, and, of course, Todd Howard, who enjoys giving speeches whenever possible, went on stage to receive the award.
Best Score and Music
A highly contested category with top-tier nominees, the award went to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, beating Astro Bot, Metamorph ReFantazio, Silent Hill 2, and Stellar Blade.
Best Indie Game
Once again, Balatro emerged victorious, cementing it as one of the most awarded titles of this edition across indie and AAA categories alike. The other nominees included Animal Well, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Neva, and UFO 50.
Best Audio Design
Another award for Ninja Theory and Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2, this time in the Best Audio Design category. It triumphed over Astro Bot, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Silent Hill 2.
Players’ Voice Award
This award is entirely based on public voting. After the nominees were revealed, the internet exploded with controversy, claiming the voting process became a popularity contest rather than an honest selection. The inclusion of Black Myth Wukong and Elden Ring was uncontroversial, but the rest of the nominees were gacha games lacking notable merit.
Ultimately, Black Myth Wukong claimed victory, earning the Chinese studio its second award. It defeated Elden Ring, Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, and Zenless Zone Zero.
Best Narrative
For the Best Narrative award, industry legend Sam Lake made an appearance, delivering a fantastic black-and-white introduction with his iconic voiceover. Seeing Sam is always a pleasure, but even his charm couldn’t soften the disappointment of who won. Metamorph ReFantazio once again claimed a title it didn’t deserve.
I don’t know the judges’ criteria, but for them to consider this game superior in storytelling to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, and especially Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 and Silent Hill 2, feels like a real travesty.
This isn’t to say that Metamorph has a bad narrative; it simply pales in comparison. Its storylines are far below Silent Hill 2, universally hailed as a cult classic, and Hellblade 2, a pure narrative experience. This was a completely unjust decision by the jury.
Once again, quantity trumped quality. It doesn’t matter if the story lasts a thousand hours; what matters is the emotions conveyed. None of this seemed to resonate with a jury that valued a massive anime-style adventure over true masterpieces of storytelling.
Game of the Year
The final award of the night, as always, was Game of the Year. Here, at least beyond personal opinions, a worthy winner emerged. Unsurprisingly, Astro Bot, which tallied the most awards of the night, took the title. It beat out Metamorph ReFantazio, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, Balatro, Black Myth Wukong, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
This victory highlights platformer games, a genre often overshadowed by the mainstream but still capable of delighting audiences of all ages. During Team Asobi’s acceptance speech, they fittingly gave thanks to Super Mario Bros. and made a nod to Nintendo and all the companies that have helped platformers evolve as a genre over the years. These games, once giants, are now being revitalized by modern titles.
