Let's Not Agree on the Meaning of 'Game of the Year' Signifies
The challenge of finding new releases persists as the video game industry's most significant fundamental issue. Despite the anxiety-inducing era of business acquisitions, escalating profit expectations, employee issues, broad adoption of AI, digital marketplace changes, changing audience preferences, hope somehow returns to the mysterious power of "breaking through."
This explains why I'm increasingly focused in "honors" like never before.
Having just several weeks remaining in 2025, we're deeply in GOTY season, an era where the small percentage of gamers not experiencing the same six no-cost shooters each week tackle their library, discuss development quality, and understand that they as well won't experience every title. Expect comprehensive annual selections, and there will be "but you forgot!" reactions to such selections. A player broad approval voted on by journalists, streamers, and fans will be announced at annual gaming ceremony. (Developers participate the following year at the interactive achievements ceremony and GDC Awards.)
This entire celebration serves as entertainment — no such thing as right or wrong selections when discussing the best games of the year — but the stakes seem higher. Any vote cast for a "GOTY", either for the grand main award or "Excellent Puzzle Experience" in community-selected recognitions, opens a door for wider discovery. A moderate experience that flew under the radar at release might unexpectedly gain popularity by competing with more recognizable (i.e. extensively advertised) big boys. When the previous year's Neva appeared in the running for an honor, It's certain without doubt that many gamers immediately wanted to check analysis of Neva.
Traditionally, recognition systems has established limited space for the variety of titles launched every year. The hurdle to address to consider all seems like an impossible task; about 19,000 titles were released on digital platform in the previous year, while only 74 releases — including new releases and continuing experiences to smartphone and virtual reality platform-specific titles — were included across The Game Awards selections. While popularity, discourse, and digital availability influence what gamers experience each year, there's simply not feasible for the structure of honors to adequately recognize twelve months of games. However, there exists opportunity for improvement, if we can acknowledge it matters.
The Predictability of Annual Honors
Recently, a long-running ceremony, including interactive entertainment's most established recognition events, announced its finalists. Even though the decision for Game of the Year itself occurs soon, it's possible to notice where it's going: 2025's nominations allowed opportunity for rightful contenders — blockbuster games that garnered acclaim for refinement and ambition, successful independent games welcomed with major-studio attention — but across multiple of honor classifications, exists a noticeable predominance of familiar titles. Throughout the vast sea of art and mechanical design, excellent graphics category makes room for several sandbox experiences taking place in feudal Japan: Ghost of Yōtei and Assassin's Creed Shadows.
"Suppose I were designing a future Game of the Year theoretically," a journalist commented in a social media post I'm still amused by, "it should include a PlayStation exploration role-playing game with mixed gameplay mechanics, character interactions, and randomized roguelite progression that embraces risk-reward systems and has basic building construction mechanics."
Industry recognition, throughout its formal and community forms, has become expected. Several cycles of nominees and honorees has created a formula for which kind of polished lengthy game can achieve award consideration. There are games that never reach GOTY or even "major" creative honors like Creative Vision or Story, typically due to innovative design and quirkier mechanics. Many releases launched in any given year are likely to be relegated into specialized awards.
Specific Examples
Hypothetical: Could Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, an experience with review aggregate just a few points less than Death Stranding 2 and Ghosts of Yōtei, reach highest rankings of annual top honor category? Or perhaps a nomination for excellent music (since the audio absolutely rips and warrants honor)? Doubtful. Top Racing Title? Absolutely.
How exceptional does Street Fighter 6 require being to receive Game of the Year consideration? Will judges look at unique performances in Baby Steps, The Alters, or The Drifter and see the best voice work of this year absent a studio-franchise sheen? Can Despelote's short play time have "sufficient" narrative to warrant a (earned) Excellent Writing award? (Also, should industry ceremony require a Best Documentary classification?)
Overlap in choices over recent cycles — on the media level, among enthusiasts — shows a process increasingly skewed toward a particular lengthy experience, or smaller titles that generated enough of attention to check the box. Not great for a field where discovery is everything.
