Yesterday,The Game Awardsrevealed its full list of nominees, but most people could only focus on the most prestigious award: Game of the Year (or GOTY). However, among some expected choices likeFinal Fantasy VII: RebirthorAstro Bot, there was a peculiar one that stood out:Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
The nominees for GAME OF THE YEAR at#TheGameAwardson December 12.Vote Now:https://t.co/ExP93r9Pcqpic.twitter.com/75AZeqo6KS
This is becauseShadow of the Erdtreeis actually a DLC campaign forElden Ring, and not a full new game. This was not a complete surprise, however. While DLC has technically been eligible for multiple categories,the official website explained this fact in detail just this year.
Reactions to theShadow of the Erdtreenominationwere extremely negativefor the most part. Gamers all over social media complained thata DLC should never be nominated for GOTYbecauseit doesn’t count as a full new release, seeing as you can’t really playShadow of the Erdtreewithout owningElden Ringfirst.Other gamers are furiousbecause it feelslike this DLC is taking the spot of other excellent gamesfrom 2024 that belonged in the running for GOTY instead, likeSilent Hill 2,Helldivers 2orLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
On top of that,many other people claimed that this is unfairbecause this is the first time The Game Awards states that DLCs are eligible for all categories (especially GOTY) while plenty of other critically-acclaimed expansions, likeCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, didn’t get that privilege on their respective years. As always, some jokesters saw this is as an opportunity tomake memes about the controversial nomination.
The Game Awards’ history with Elden Ring and FromSoftware
The idea of nominating a DLC for GOTY is already controversial enough, but what makes it even worse is thatElden Ringwon the Game of the Year award back in 2022, so it definitely feels like another, new game deserves its time in the spotlight instead. Some people pointed out thatThe Game Awards often favor FromSoftware games, even though the studio’s only other title to win GOTY wasSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in 2019.
To no one’s surprise,theElden RingSubredditis one of the few places on the internet that seems satisfied withShadow of the Erdtree‘s GOTY nomination. Many fans defend it, stating that this DLC is so expansive and ambitious that it feels like a whole new game, and thatnobody would complain if FromSoftware and Bandai Namco sold it as a standalone sequel. However,a silent minority in the Subreddit do agreethat, as high-quality asShadow of the Erdtreeis, it still is a DLC, and The Game Awards should have only nominated it in its respective category.
For now, we can’t be sure ifElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewill actually win the Game of the Year award or not, but we’ll find out very soon, when the Game Awards go live on July 14, 2025, at 9:30 PM GMT-3.
