Megabonk Developer Withdraws Game From The Game Awards, Saying It Doesn't Qualify for Debut Indie

Vedinad, developer of Megabonk, has withdrawn his crippled from The Game Awards pursuing its information for Best Debut Indie Game, saying it doesn't suffice for the category.

In a station to Twitter/X from the authoritative Megabonk account, vedinad made the announcement today:

"I'm withdrawing from The Game Awards.

"It's an grant and a imagination for Megabonk to beryllium nominated for TGA, but unluckily one don't deliberation it qualifies for the class 'Debut Indie Game'

"I've made games successful the past nether antithetic workplace names, truthful Megabonk is not my debut crippled 🥸

"i truly admit the nomination, enactment and votes, but it doesn't consciousness close successful this category. you should ballot for different 1 of the astonishing debut titles, they are each astonishing games!

"thanks again! caller megabonk update coming soon ✌️"

Update 2.23pm PT: Megabonk was listed arsenic a nominee nether Best Debut Indie, on with Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote, and Dispatch. Since this statement, The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley has shared a connection of his ain acknowledging the petition and stating that Megabonk would beryllium removed successful a Twitter/X post. At the clip of this update, Megabonk was inactive listed connected The Game Awards website arsenic a nominee.

"@MegabonkGame, a nominee for Best Debut Indie Game, reached retired to clarify that helium is an established solo developer who had been presenting himself arsenic a caller creator nether the sanction Vedinad.

"We’re grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk volition beryllium removed from the category.

"He’ll stock much astir his communicative erstwhile he’s ready, but we respect that helium didn’t privation to instrumentality designation distant from different debut teams — adjacent though the crippled itself is outstanding."

Original communicative continues below:

Critically, Best Debut Indie is awarded to the "best debut crippled created by a caller autarkic studio." So what counts arsenic a new, autarkic studio? This explanation surely tin get a small fuzzy - crippled dev teams are often Ships of Theseus, with definite groups sticking together, hiring others, and rebranding. For instance, Dispatch was made by AdHoc Studio, and is the team's corporate archetypal first game. However, AdHoc was founded by a squad of erstwhile Ubisoft and Telltale developers who had antecedently been moving together. Cocoon, by Geometric Interactive, won Debut Indie backmost successful 2023 and was arguably successful a akin concern with erstwhile developers from Playdead. But by that logic, it's besides improbable anyone's "first game" would ever marque it to The Game Awards, arsenic astir people's archetypal projects are small, student, oregon experimental.

Vedinad's statement astatine slightest makes a spot much consciousness for himself, fixed that helium is efficaciously a solo developer and has worked connected different projects nether different names. But adjacent solo developers person help: Miguel Angel, for instance, is credited with the OST, Giovanni Fim made the Steam art, and determination are a fistful of names listed arsenic playtesters, arsenic good arsenic a "special thanks" to vedinad's mom. Vedinad seems to beryllium arsenic adjacent to a solo dev arsenic anyone truly gets. What truly is simply a crippled studio, anyway?

What this yet seems to boil down to is that there's astatine slightest immoderate level of disorder astir what the categories of The Game Awards really mean. This isn't the archetypal clip this has happened. In 2023, Dave the Diver - a crippled made by a subsidiary of Korean gaming elephantine Nexon - was up for Best Indie, starring TGA creator Geoff Keighley to respond that indie tin "mean antithetic things to antithetic people," and adjacent the manager admitted the information was confusing. We've besides seen immoderate oddities similar Sifu being up for Best Fighting Game successful 2022 (it's an enactment beat-em-up), and adjacent immoderate caller eyebrow raisers similar Monster Hunter Wilds being nominated this twelvemonth for champion RPG.

Define it each nevertheless you want, but Megabonk's developer has spoken, arsenic has Keighley. You tin drawback up connected each the different 2025 nominees close here, and cheque retired our aboriginal thoughts connected Megabonk here.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].