The panel has voted and this year’s Game Awards nominations have been announced – with Astro Bot, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Silent Hill 2, and Balatro all looking like they could be in for a very merry Geoffmas come 12th December.
Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are the big pre-winners, having both been shortlisted across seven categories for this year’s Game Awards. Metaphor: ReFantazio, meanwhile, has secured nominations in six categories, with smash-hit poker roguelike Balatro and Bloober Team’s sublime Silent Hill 2 remake scoring five appearances apiece.
Only four of those games feature in this year’s Game of the Year shortlist, however, with Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Metaphor: ReFantazio all making the cut, alongside Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. As for Silent Hill 2, its nominations are primarily audio and music-related, although it’s also up for best narrative, and Luke Roberts has a well-deserved nomination for his portrayal of James Sutherland.
Away from triple-A, Animal Well, Balatro, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Neva, and UFO 50 are all up for best independent game, while Balatro (again!), Animal Well, Manor Lords, Pacific Drive, and The Plucky Squire have all been shortlisted for best debut indie game. Developer Odd Meter’s marvellous Indika also puts in an extremely well-deserved appearance, albeit squished slightly awkwardly into the Games for Impact category, but there’s absolutely no sign of Thank Goodness You’re Here anywhere, which feels like a crime of the highest order.