Indie Games Steal Spotlight at Golden Joystick Awards

The Golden Joystick Awards 2024: A Celebration of Gaming Excellence, with a Focus on Indie Titles

The Golden Joystick Awards, a prestigious gaming awards ceremony celebrating excellence since 1983, is back for its 42nd year on November 21st, 2024. This year's awards, recognizing games released between November 11th, 2023, and October 4th, 2024, showcase a significant rise in recognition for indie games. Titles like Balatro and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes have earned multiple nominations, highlighting the growing impact of smaller-scale developers.

A notable addition this year is a new category specifically for self-published indie games. This category acknowledges the evolving landscape of indie game development, focusing on teams operating independently without the backing of larger publishers. The organizers emphasize their commitment to recognizing titles that may not receive the same level of exposure through traditional publishing channels.

The Golden Joystick Awards 2024 features 19 categories, with nominees spanning a wide range of genres and platforms. Below is a selection of categories and their respective nominees:

Selected Categories and Nominees:

• Best Soundtrack: A Highland Song, Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Hauntii, Silent Hill 2, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

• Best Indie Game: Animal Well, Arco, Balatro, Beyond Galaxyland, Conscript, Indika, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Thank Goodness You’re Here!, The Plucky Squire, Ultros

• Best Indie Game - Self Published: Arctic Eggs, Another Crab’s Treasure, Crow Country, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami, I Am Your Beast, Little Kitty, Big City, Riven, Tactical Breach Wizards, Tiny Glade, UFO 50

• Console Game of the Year: Astro Bot, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

(A complete list of all categories and nominees is available on the official website.)

Voting and Controversy:

Fan voting is now open on the official website, with nominees chosen by a jury of gaming industry experts. The voting period for the main awards runs from November 4th to 8th, 2024. A separate "Ultimate Game of the Year" (UGOTY) category will be announced later.

The initial announcement of nominees sparked some controversy, with fans expressing disappointment over the exclusion of titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Space Marine 2 from the Game of the Year categories. The Golden Joystick Awards organization responded by clarifying that the UGOTY shortlist is yet to be revealed, suggesting these titles may still be considered for that prestigious award.

Voting participants are eligible to receive a free ebook as a bonus.

This year's Golden Joystick Awards promises to be a thrilling event, celebrating both established and emerging talent in the gaming industry. The inclusion of a dedicated self-published indie game category underscores the awards' commitment to recognizing the diverse and innovative contributions of independent developers.