There's been a bit of drama concerning The Game Awards 2021 over the past 24 hours-or-so, as Xbox fans have been gathering in their droves to criticise the decision not to include Forza Horizon 5 in the 'Game of the Year' category.
There are two Xbox Game Studios titles nominated for the award in Deathloop and Psychonauts 2, while Forza Horizon 5 is limited to the 'Best Audio Design', 'Innovation in Accessibility' and 'Best Sports/Racing' categories.
And as we mentioned previously, there's been plenty of disgruntlement:
https://twitter.com/mr_stormzy/status/1460861515087572995
Interestingly, Windows Central has highlighted that the reason Forza Horizon 5 potentially got overlooked for Game of the Year is because game journalists had to submit their picks by November 4th, with Forza Horizon 5's early access releasing the next day on November 5th. Journalists reportedly had up until November 11th to alter their ballots, however "this information [wasn't] highlighted clearly enough, and not enough time was given in general."
It's a bit of a mess, then. It's a shame Forza Horizon 5 isn't in the running for Game of the Year, but we're assuming it'll take the 'Best Sports/Racing' category at the very least, and we'd love to see Psychonauts 2 win the GOTY award!
Do you think Forza Horizon 5 should have been up for Game of the Year? Let us know in the comments.
[source windowscentral.com]
Comments 56
Don't review outlets have some say in who's nominated?
@ironMan30 yeah its review outlets. So it'll be multiple people within one outlet, each person casts their own vote
It's probably because it's a car game and already included in the best sports/racing category.
But Returnal and Tales of Arise didnt get included either, should expand the nominee amount to include more choices
Did they include the best Microsoft game for the choice though, personally I would of rather had forza as a contender than psychonauts 2
@Chaudy oh, it mentions that in the article. Thanks for clarifying, anyway.
Tbf, the Game Awards should probably be in January and cover the previous January to December then give a longer cutoff time to outlets. I'm sure that would still be a logistical nightmare and certain games would still get snubbed, though.
Just goes to show how broken the gaming journalist landscape is. Games which have copy/paste gameplay but prioritise story and narrative are praised higher than unique gameplay experiences and gameplay focussed games.
Whilst the "cut off" point is semi valid, the fact is it wouldn't have been nominated anyway.
More people play games than ever before, which means more people play "games as a film" than ever before.
Case in point, IGN's recent best game ever of all time poll was won by.... God of War 2018. One of the most polished games of all time but something with absolutely no new gameplay. Sad times.
Forza Horizon 5 rules. Its my game of the year (though Psychonauts 2 is up there) and i dont care what anyone else thinks.
The awards are a joke. I mean, Hitman 3 isn’t in the running, this is worse than the Oscar, only games released in the last handful of months count.
Also, how much we bet Ratchet and clank wins only on the grounds of being a Sony game?
Meh, I honestly never cared for this show and every year it feels less and less legitimate.
At the very least they could just drop the pretense and rename “game of the year” to “story of the year”
It's a racing/sports game. Thus, it isn't eligible. Cinematic, single player, story-driven action adventure games with a lot of diversity are GOTY material. At least that's what this looks like recently.
"X game isn't nominated therefore a joke." We're at that season again! Like what you like, you don't need validation.
I don't really care about the awards, although I Am looking forward to all the new games that will be revealed
@pip_muzz
So you mean that FH5 got praised to much since it is much like another car game?
It is not like they invented the wheel.
They changed background and tada.
@Chaudy @IronMan30 It's one ballot for each of the 100+ outlets not multiple for each person within each outlet.
https://thegameawards.com/faq
More generally it always amuses me when people attack "The Game Awards" and Geoff Keighley directly for the choices. The jury doesn't include Geoff or TGA staff. It's 100+ outlets across gaming media, news and youtubers. Sites like Eurogamer, IGN and Easy Allies who make up the jury.
I didn't know the year ended Nov 4th.. like why don't they wait until.. I don't know the end of the year to pick the games?
I does seem rather sus that it's ommited from the GOTY vote. End of the day it's a fantastic game and or will likely be nominated in other award event's for GOTY. This won't effect my enjoyment of the game, it's just people's opinions end of the day. I spent 5 hours in the game last night and I did manage to get some races done outside of just driving around discovering roads and smashing signs. It's just so easy to get stuck into this game!
hmm Im not a fan of racing games but even I know that fh5 is quite well made
@themightyant but won't it be multiple people within the outlet voting for a game and then that 1 game with the most votes gets put forward. So for instance it's not based on the review of the game, IGN gave forza horizon 10/10 but that doesn't mean forza horizon would get put forward. It all depends on how many employees vote for it?
I get when games arrive too late to be eligible for GOTY, thats what I suspected happened here like smash bros and jedi fallen order in 2019. But then shouldnt it be excluded from all categories and be up for nomination for all categories next year? How have the nomination groups played enough to nominate for racing game of the year and audio design but not overall game of the year. It seems really suspect that its not eligible for the main goty but valid for other categories.
@pip_muzz GoW 2018 has absolutely no new gameplay? As a hack/slash nut I never played another game that let me throw my melee weapon at an enemy, punch a dude in the face and recall my weapon while aiming at another dudes legs to trip him. Then catch and throw my weapon to pin another enemy to a wall while I'm still punching enemy No2 in the face.
That is new gameplay and no other GoW game had it nor has any other hack/slash game.
@themightyant
He can say anything he wants, unless he openly post all outlets and their votes after the event^^
@Chaudy Ah I see. It will be up to each publication. I'd assume most will try and have some sort of consensus before they get to cast their one collective vote. Whether that be by counting votes or a discussion. But they could just nominate different people to choose different awards. It would be completely up to them how they go about it.
Regardless each outlet still only gets one vote for each category they vote in.
FYI a lot of sites already do this a bit with their review scores, the review being written by one person but the score being more of consensus. There's pros and cons to this. It helps prevent howlers but also means you occasionally get reviews that don't read the same as the score.
@themightyant yeah, I should have been a little more clear at what I was getting at because I agree it's a little unfair to get upset at Keighley and TGA (for this, anyway) when he isn't really responsible for that aspect of it.
Plus, does a game you love not winning an award hamper your enjoyment? I'd feel a little sorry for you if the answer was "yes," but to each their own.
@Murray Ah a cynic, I like that!
Though I very much doubt Geoff is the one counting the votes, that's far beneath him. lol He'll have his staff do it
More reasonably, seeing his attention to detail and reasonable transparency there will be checks and safeguards in place to prevent cheating within TGA's themselves. Publishing voting records is not a great idea whether here or in life as it will just lead to personal attacks.
@Tharsman nah man, somehow the Last of Us Part 2 will win again.
Joking aside, I genuinely hope that Metroid Dread wins GOTY although because the awards are pretty much rigged, I am guessing Deathloop will win.
Also somehow Cyberpunk 2077 is in the category for Best RPG, imo it doesn’t deserve it
A few years ago Three Houses was snubbed and Nintendo fans weren’t happy. I think now it’s MS’s turn. People need to realize Keighley makes a shiny show to watch but means little in the long run. I mean honestly DICE is more the awards the industry follows. It is was it is. It’s model after the Oscars so they want games that look more appealing to masses not necessarily fantastic games.
@UltimateOtaku91 Returnal is too niche, TOA is too Japanese, and Forza is a car game.
@IronMan30 It does seem to bother a lot of people!
Ultimately there are literally hundreds of GOTY awards each year. If people don't like this one, or Critics awards in general, there are plenty of other ones voted for by fans, or devs, or other big or niche communities to choose from.
But TGA's are pretty unique in attempting to combine many groups across a wide area including 30+ countries and 100+ outlets across games, news, YouTube, etc. PLUS a 10% fan vote. And trying to do that as fairly as possible without allowing brigading, social engineering or conflicts of interest.
Personally I think it's impossible to make everyone happy, but they've always been very transparent with their process and jury selection, and while there are flaws in any system I think they do a better job than anyone at solving all those problems.
Psychonauts 2 FTW!
Does anyone really care about the awards themselves?
The only reason I watch the Game Awards is for World Premiers.
@GamingFan4Lyf I read it in "the voice" lol
@GamingFan4Lyf not [judging], but I have no clue how anyone can subject themselves to this show just for the premiers. I feel it’s more than ideal to wait for the show to be over and watch the trailers on their own.
TLOU2 won it last year so it’s hard to take these awards seriously anyway.
Well it is nominated for Audio design and Racing/Sim category ... so all is not lost.
It literally is the highest rated new game of 2021 at 92 on OpenCritic. It definitely deserved a nomination.
I also feel Death’s Door deserved it as well. It’s my personal GoTY.
Just a quick thought....FH5 is in like 3-4 other categories for awards....so it wasn't late to the party as it was nominated for awards....just skipped for GOTY for some reason.
I don't follow the awards but apperently when they gave Overwatch the award it was because it was popular, successful, great looking and engaging....kinda like FH5 no?
If the cutoff is a certain date then people shouldn't be able to vote until after that date.
No skin on my back but just pointing out the issues with the way it's setup and the reason that they are getting so much hate.
Also could be done on purpose to stay in the news and get them $$$ at the end of the day.
@themightyant
How can they be transparent with the jury selection, if they don't list the jury?
@Tharsman True. I also "tune in" (i.e. have it on in background) for any potential cringe-worthy moments that may crop up! But, yeah, overall it's not great entertainment.
@Murray Errrr They do
https://thegameawards.com/voting-jury
and their process
https://thegameawards.com/faq#The-Award-Process
They're more transparent about who is voting and how than the other big awards.
The best-rated game, a commercial success, engagement through the roof and still is not considered as GOTY but audio/sports game. If Ratchet & Clank wins the big prize instead of Psychonauts 2, this ceremony is going to be a joke.
The game awards should be in January..
@themightyant
oh thx =)
I just assumed the game was released too late to be a contender this year. All I know is I love that game and thats all I need really.
This is why the "VGA's" are such a joke. It's supposed to be a celebration of video games and achievements in the industry, but instead it's just a celebration of how biased and out of touch the video games journalism has become. Not that I am attacking everyone, but there is definitely a problem with the big gaming sites these days and they seem to have all the influence.
Can't say I like the concept of award shows in the first place, and a video game award show just feels really dumb after a while, especially if they aren't even going to reflect most of the audience's taste. That and it seems like politics plays into their "game of the year" after seeing what apparently won last year.
I know one thing is for sure. I won't be watching it, and I won't care what wins either. They didn't even nominate the best games.
@themightyant Even if TGA does not directly pick nominees it doesn't mean they have zero power to influence who gets picked. They choose who votes, they chose the cutoff date that excluded one of the biggest releases of the year, they chose the order in which info is presented to voters, and they chose which info to highlight. They have a lot of ability to game the system. It's easy to influence a secret vote.
@RBRTMNZ It's true that they do pick the juries. But with a jury selection as wide as this it's going to be difficult to 'game the system' and definitely not in their interests, these things always come out eventually.
But the dates are basically the same, give or take a day or two every single year. Having run a few awards those dates aren't chosen arbitrarily. You start with your show date (Dec 9th), set a decent amount of time for the public to vote and tally votes (3 weeks) to open the public voting (16 November). To get that done you need your shortlist and time to edit the website and any supporting material's (1-2 weeks) so your shortlist is always needed this long in advance.
It isn't some mass conspiracy to pick on Forza! Take the tin foil hat off.
Microsoft / Playground know when these dates are going to be.
Thinking ahead Starfield launches 11/11/22... allegedly.
Personally think if FH5 won it would be a big disappointment. It certainly looks nice but it does feel very much the same as the last one to me - and going on the ratings hasn't worked in any previous years, and if going on popularity then COD or FIFA should win every year.
Feels like a lot of Xbox owners are disgruntled because its supposed to be one of the flagship titles but it isn't really anything stand out (in terms of interesting innovation) - but saying that I am absolutely loving R&C but really don't think it should be in there for GOTY for the same reason. I didn't enjoy Psychonauts 2 as much as others did and felt it wasn't as good as R&C gameplay wise however the story felt a lot more interesting to the throw away story in R&C so happy if that won GOTY.
Haven't played Deathloop but sounds like that will be the most worthy of the title going by the general consensus.
@Bmartin001 prime time is early December for ads. This is all about money at the end of the day.
@themightyant I am not saying it is a mass conspiracy. You're replying to a straw man you constructed. I am saying that the dude who is friends with Sony execs and developers probably uses whatever influence they have to help their friends. It's not a conspiracy, it's just normal rich dude *****.
@themightyant that is true, TGA does its best to ensure that a decent mix of people have a say in who wins awards.
Awards shows aren't voted on, they are paid for. I remember when CDs and tapes would release when I worked at a record store several decades ago. We would receive a top 10 list to post, every time a new album came out before anyone's heard it, they list it as a best seller. The reason, if they say it sells well people believe it must be good. So the producers pay them to be on the list for marketing and exposure. I'll never watch or take a recommendation from an awards show ever.
@Medic_Alert Well said. I think you speak for most of us when you said that.
The whole video games as art movement has a lot to do with the pseudo-intellectualism that drives these "game of the year" arguments these days. It's like video games are just entertainment at the end of the day, but to people who are trying to legitimize video games as something comparable to Hollywood, they can't just be fun entertainment, they need to be making statements and pushing cinematic quality and story telling. It's all a part of the VGA's aggressive push to make the gaming industry more like Hollywood.
@Royalblues "There's an obvious anti-Xbox bias at the Keyleigh awards." Wait what???
Does that look like anti-xbox bias to you? Genuinely interested.
@iplaygamesnstuff That used to happen on the radio (I guess it still happens), they chose the songs to play depending on the money that was given.
@JayJ Like when people told me you have to play these PS4 games because they're the best. I did but why are they the best? Because of the drama, the mediocre gameplay or because they look just like films?
Resident evil village was my game of the year but if it doesn't win I'm not going winge & moan about it
@Royalblues “only released on PlayStation so far”
It released on PC too. It was marketed by Sony for PS5. Xbox could have marketed it harder for PC but didn’t want to. But even if you take Deathloop out, which you shouldn’t it’s a Xbox studios title, they STILL have parity. Doesn’t look anti-Xbox to me.
The Forza H 5 release timing was inconvenient for this one award show (there’s are hundreds of others) but that’s nothing new, EXACTLY the same happened last year with Demon’s Souls (another Meta 92 game) and other games. As I said about MS + playground know the dates of the awards and votes.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2020/11/18/21574150/the-game-awards-nominations-2020-games-list
“You tell me”
If you see gremlins and conspiracy everywhere, even in the face of factual evidence, what’s the point.
That’s a shame as it’s a very good game. I won’t be surprised if The Last Of Zeus Part 2 sweeper all the awards, again.. whilst thr peoples vote is the only sensible real choice and will be the complete opposite.
@BlueOcean Exactly, as an employee I'm putting the list out thinking. How is it a best seller if they haven't even sold one copy yet?
@iplaygamesnstuff The hypocritical world we live in.
@Royalblues I think you have a point. To heavily advertise, I mean, reward Deathloop at the Awards gives it more visibility and it wouldn't be surprising if many people want to play it now because of it. You know, like some kind of punishment. Nine (!) nominations seem excessive for a game like Deathloop.
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