The Game Awards now considers ‘remasters, remakes & seasons’ for GOTY awards

The Game Awards tends to run into one controversy or another each year and it looks like 2024 is no different. Over the weekend, just days before revealing this year's chosen nominees, show organiser, Geoff Keighley, announced that starting this year, DLCs, expansions, remakes and even remasters will be in consideration for all categories, including Game of the Year. 

This idea was floated in 2023, in large part due to the quality of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, which also coincided with the last major update for the base game. The reception to this completely eclipsed the launch-day issues and many now consider Cyberpunk 2077 to be a 9/10 or 10/10 game.

In an FAQ on The Game Awards website, we are told that: “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.”

Many have begun speculating that this means Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will be a nominee for Game of the Year at this year's show. The base game had previously won the coveted GOTY award back in 2022.

KitGuru Says: I do think that expansions and remakes could be worthy of more praise at these shows, but I don't think either should ever eclipse the genuinely new games released that same year. If a remaster were ever to win GOTY, I don't think many would be able to take the show seriously anymore. 

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