Megabonk developer withdraws from The Game Awards' debut indie category after revealing that the game is not their first title

The developer of Megabonk, one of the year's biggest indie hits, has made the decision to withdraw from The Game Awards after being nominated for Best Debut Indie Game, despite having released games under a different moniker in the past.

The details:

• Vedinad announced that he would be withdrawing from the show in a post on X, stating that while it was an honor to be nominated for The Game Awards, he felt the nomination didn't qualify for the Best Debut Indie Game category since Megabonk is not actually his first game, having released titles under different studios in the past.

• The Game Awards defines the Best Debut Indie Game category as recognizing "an independent studio that produced and shipped its first game in 2025." Host and show creator Geoff Keighley acknowledged and approved of Vedinad’s request, publicly commending the developer for his honesty, and adding that Vedinad will share more about his story at a later date.
• Megabonk has been a massive commercial success, selling over one million copies in just two weeks and establishing itself as one of 2025's standout indie releases. The roguelike blends elements of fellow indie hit Vampire Survivors with third-person shooter gameplay, seeing players collect random upgrades and skills throughout a run as they take down increasingly difficult enemies and bosses along the way.