The Game Awards announces “DLCs, game seasons, and remasters” are eligible for Game of the Year and more
Update: The Game Awards has revealed its nominees across all categories, with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree nominated for Game of the Year.
Original article:
The Game Awards has confirmed that "expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters" are eligible for all of this year's awards, including Game of the Year.
The details:
According to the Game Awards website, judges can now consider more than just base games for the show's categories, making releases like Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion eligible for Game of the Year. “The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release," the website states. "Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration."
Judges were informed of the new rules before submitting their entries, and the shortlists will be revealed later today at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. The guidelines mean that not only the well-received Shadow of the Erdtree and Silent Hill 2 Remake could be shortlisted, but also games like Destiny 2 and Apex Legends, which were released years ago but continue to receive seasonal updates.
Fans have speculated that this change was made specifically to qualify Shadow of the Erdtree for Game of the Year, as the expansion contained roughly the same amount of content as a full game. Others have argued that separate categories should have been established for DLC and remasters/remakes to ensure that they are recognized without taking an award away from a full release.
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