The Game Awards Will See Remakes/Remasters, DLC, And Expansion Packs As Eligible Nominations

As the 10th iteration of The Game Awards prepares to announce the nominations and categories Monday November 18th, the year-end celebration clarifies its stance on the practice of recognizing post-release content and video game remasters being a part of the ceremony. It's a topic that has been on the tip of the tongue of fans and pundits when brought up. According the Game Awards' FAQ, considerations are made to include game DLC, Expansion Packs, and remake/remasters in the conversation.

"The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release," it reads. "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."

This means the expansion for Elden Ring that was released in June, Shadow of the Erdtree, is award viable. FromSoftworks' action RPG Elden Ring has already gain accolades, being 2022's Game of the Year. Considering that there are award categories for ongoing and live service games, there's certainly reason to view game add-ons that can at fundamentally change the way a game functions, be it new characters that affect the meta with their play style, or new mechanics overall. It may be seen as controversial, but in the evolution of the gaming medium, this felt like an eventual outcome.

The Game Awards 2024 will be held December 12th, 2024 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. How do you feel about post-release content being a potential Game of the Year or genre winner?

~Article update 11-18-24~

The Game Of The Year titles revealed are as follows:

GAME OF THE YEAR