The Golden Joystick Awards 2024: A Celebration of Gaming Excellence, with a Focus on Indie Titles
The Golden Joystick Awards, a prestigious event celebrating the best in gaming since 1983, returns on November 21, 2024, for its 42nd year. This year's awards showcase games released between November 11, 2023, and October 4, 2024, with a significant spotlight on indie developers. Titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes have garnered multiple nominations, highlighting the rising prominence of smaller-scale game development.
A notable addition this year is a new category dedicated to self-published indie games, recognizing the growing diversity within the indie gaming landscape and specifically acknowledging teams lacking the backing of larger publishers.
Here's a glimpse at some of the nominated titles across various categories:
Key Award Categories and Nominees:
- Best Soundtrack: A Highland Song, Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Hauntii, Silent Hill 2, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- Best Indie Game: Animal Well, Arco, Balatro, Beyond Galaxyland, Conscript, Indika, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Thank Goodness You’re Here!, The Plucky Squire, Ultros
- Best Indie Game - Self Published: Arctic Eggs, Another Crab’s Treasure, Crow Country, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, I Am Your Beast, Little Kitty, Big City, Riven, Tactical Breach Wizards, Tiny Glade, UFO 50
- Console Game of the Year: Astro Bot, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- PC Game of the Year: Animal Well, Balatro, Frostpunk 2, Satisfactory, Tactical Breach Wizards, UFO 50
- Most Wanted Game: This category features a wide array of anticipated titles, including Assassin's Creed Shadows, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Grand Theft Auto VI, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
(Note: A full list of nominees for all categories is available on the official website.)
Fan Voting and Controversy:
Fan voting is currently open on the official website, with the nominees chosen by a jury of gaming industry experts. The voting period runs until November 8th, 2024. A separate "Ultimate Game of the Year" (UGOTY) shortlist will be revealed later.
The initial nominee announcement sparked some controversy, with fans expressing disappointment over the exclusion of certain highly-anticipated titles like Black Myth: Wukong from the Game of the Year categories. The Golden Joystick Awards organization addressed this, clarifying that the UGOTY shortlist was yet to be released.
The Golden Joystick Awards 2024 promises to be a thrilling event, celebrating both established and emerging talent in the gaming industry. The full list of winners will be revealed on November 21st.
