TGA 2025 Snubs 4 GOTY Slots; Valve Slips [2]
Summary
These competitive shifts and platform missteps highlight ongoing tensions between indie visibility and major developer support in the AAA space.
- Indie GOTY Record Indie titles secured 3 of 6 GOTY nominations, a historic high, led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 [1, 6].
- TGA Snubs Confirmed Major anticipated titles were omitted from the 2025 Game Awards nominations, despite strong predictions 4.
- Platform Error Reoccurs Valve caused another sales failure for Planet Centauri via a poorly timed Daily Deal, repeating a past mistake 2.
- Industry Loss Legendary designer Rebecca Heineman, known for Space Invaders, passed away after a cancer diagnosis 8.
- Design Philosophy Debate Silent Hill f’s new Casual mode was criticized for taking a frustrating approach to accessibility for new players 3.
- 3 out of 6 - The number of indie games nominated for Game of the Year 2025 6.
- 2025 - The year for which The Game Awards nominees were announced this week [1, 4].
- 1 - The number of times Valve apologized for ruining Planet Centauri’s sales 2.
Key Moments
-
The Game Awards announced the six nominees for Game of the Year 2025, including *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* and *Hades 2*.
— Article [1] -
The multiplayer exploration game *Planet Centauri* suffered a sales failure upon exiting early access.
— Article [2] -
Konami released a small update for *Silent Hill f* that introduced a new 'Casual' difficulty mode.
— Article [3] -
The nominees for the 2025 Game Awards show notable omissions, despite anticipated strong showings.
— Article [4] -
Game developer Rebecca Heineman... has died following an aggressive cancer diagnosis made last month.
— Article [8]