The nominees for 2024’s The Game Awards have been officially announced, and a number of the year’s biggest games are being honored. There are plenty of predictable names among the most accoladed,includingFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthandMetaphor ReFantazio, but not every runaway hit from this year has been recognized as worthy of a GOTY nod.
One of the biggest “snubs” this year isPalworld, an almost unbelievable breakout success in the indie space. The game sold more than 25 million copies during its first month alone, making it an undeniable darling, and yet it has not managed to draw any nominations for TGA 2024, which is bound to raise some eyebrows among those following the game’s journey. ThoughPalworldhas been mired in controversy as a result of its similarities toPokémon(something that has now resulted in a high-profile lawsuit from Nintendo), there are other reasons for its absence from The Game Awards, which actually make a good bit of sense. Whether these reasons are enough to justify its omission, especially in this ever-changing games industry, is another question, however.
Palworld Is Still In Early Access
Early Access Games Don’t Tend To Be Nominated for The Game Awards
ThoughPalworldmay be deserving of a TGA nominationas-is, its status as an early access title is likely what precludes it. The ongoing lawsuit between Pocket Pair,Palworld’s developer, and industry titan Nintendo might not exactly help its case, but there’s evidence that it wouldn’t have been nominated regardless of these litigious circumstances.
Perhaps thestrongest argument in favor of this theory isHades 2, which has not been nominated for any TGA awards despite enjoying near universal acclaim and not suffering any real controversies. Although early access titles aren’t explicitly prohibited from being nominated, with The Game Awards' website describing “any game available for public consumption by the deadline” as being eligible for nomination, there’s some logic behind the relative rarity of early access games cropping up during the ceremony.
Should Early Access Games Be Considered for The Game Awards?
The standards and general cultural interactions surrounding early access games has changed quite a bit over the past few years. Though a game likeHades 2is obviously incompletein some ways, it is also incredibly rich with content, boasting more polish, gameplay variety, and fine-tuned balance than many fully-priced, “finished” games. Though not as prestigious, many of these same praises can be sung aboutPalworld, which has proven more captivating than many other survival games, even those in 1.0 or higher.
But these are exceptions in the early access space. The expectations for early access titles, at least those from independent or underfunded developers, should generally be set a bit lower. After all, while games likeBaldur’s Gate 3andHadesmade great use of early accessand received heaps of praise long before their alpha state, they were still technically incomplete. There’s a reason that most outlets and content creators don’t review early access games without some sort of disclaimer: they are not representative of the product in its entirety.
So, if an early access build isn’t representative of a product’s final state, itcan be tricky to consider it for a Game Award. The lowered expectations for early access titles complicate matters further, as much of an early access game’s strengths relate to its potential, what it promises to offer to players down the road. Additionally, being nominated for an award while in early access may mean that a game is excluded from the same award upon its full release. Conversely, a game could “double dip” at The Game Awards once hitting 1.0, giving it an unfair advantage over its competition.
Palworld
WHERE TO PLAY
In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices…even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!
