For the last decade, The Game Awards has taken place every December, usually between December 3 and December 10. In theory, this is the ideal spot for a ceremony like this, with it capping off the year with a celebration of the games that have come out and a tease of what’s to come in the next 12 months. ButThe Game Awards' placement isn’t ideal for a certain group of games, a group thatSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylnow belongs to.
The Oscars, the Grammys, and even the gaming industry’s own D.I.C.E. Awards all occur within the first few months of the year, allowing every movie, artist, and game of the past year to be considered. The Game Awards doesn’t follow this approach, and this leads to a handful of games every year being left off the nominee list due to the voting jury not having enough time to play them, or due to them not landing within the Game Awards' consideration window. A case for the Game Awards to shift its date has been growing for years, withKotaku’s Kenneth Shepardrecently discussing the impact it’s likely had onDragon Age: The Veilguard. And now, thanks in part toSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, that case is stronger than ever.
The Case for The Game Awards to Move Its Date Is Growing Stronger
Some Great Games Have Missed Their Chance for a Game Award Over The Years
Back in December 2021,Halo Infinitehit Xbox and PC. WhileHalo Infinitewon the Player’s Voice category at the 2021 Game Awards, it wasn’t eligible for nominations in any other category, with the game technically having missed The Game Awards' consideration window, having released just a day before the ceremony’s December 9 air date. ThoughHalo Infinitecould have then been eligible forthe 2022 Game Awards, it didn’t receive any nominations, essentially getting lost in the mix amid 2022 releases likeElden Ring,God of War Ragnarok,Overwatch 2, andCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Marvel’s Midnight SunsandPentimentwere another two titles that missed their chance of taking home a Game Award.Pentimentreleased on November 15 andMarvel’s Midnight Sunslaunched on December 2, and both titles were arguably snubbed at the 2022 Game Awards. And much likeHalo Infinite, these titles were then forgotten about when it came time to vote for2023’s Game Awards nominees.
STALKER 2 Is The Latest Case for Why The Game Awards' Date Should Be Moved
After an unprecedentedly difficult development cycle,STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis finally in players' hands, and while it’s far from perfect, it’s making a sizable impact in the gaming world. Unfortunately,STALKER 2’s release datemeans that it missed its opportunity to be nominated at this year’s Game Awards. In theory,STALKER 2could still have its chance in the spotlight at next year’s Game Awards, but with juggernauts likeMonster Hunter Wilds,Grand Theft Auto 6,Borderlands 4, andGhost of Yoteiall set to release in 2025, the likelihood is that it’ll get passed over.
Asgard’s Wrath 2released on May 17, 2025, and it’s received a nomination for Best VR Game at this year’s Game Awards. This makes it one of the rare examples of a game missing its year’s consideration window and actually being nominated a year later.
December 2024 Could Have a Few Games Worthy of a Game Award Nomination
ButSTALKER 2isn’t the only game this year that’s likely to miss its chance due to the Game Awards' limited consideration window and next year’s intense release schedule.Marvel RivalsandIndiana Jones and the Great Circleare both set to release in the coming weeks, and both have the potential to be forgotten about comenext year’s Game Awards ceremony. Even December VR releases likeSkydance’s BehemothandAlien: Rogue Incursioncould suffer a similar fate.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLDTake over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONSMeet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
