Full Breakdown
The Game Awards 2025: Nominations and Highlights
11/18/2025, 2:55:54 AM
Overview of Nominations
The Game Awards, an annual event celebrating achievements in the video game industry, announced its 2025 nominees on November 17. Leading the nominations is *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, which received a record 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in the event's 12-year history. The nominees for Game of the Year include *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* (Sandfall Interactive), *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* (Kojima Productions), *Donkey Kong Bananza* (Nintendo), *Hades II* (Supergiant Games), *Hollow Knight: Silksong* (Team Cherry), and *Kingdom Come: Deliverance II* (Warhorse Studios).
Key Categories and Notable Nominations
In addition to Game of the Year, several other categories feature prominent titles. For Best Score and Music, nominees include Christopher Larkin for *Hollow Knight: Silksong* and Lorien Testard for *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*. The Best Performance category highlights Ben Starr and Charlie Cox for their roles in *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*. Other notable categories include Best Adaptation, with nominees such as *The Last of Us: Season 2* and *Devil May Cry*.
Voting and Event Details
Fans can participate in the voting process from now until December 10 at 6 p.m. PT via the Game Awards website. The event will be held live at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 11, featuring awards, new game announcements, and performances by The Game Awards Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe. The show will also be streamed live on Prime Video and over 30 other platforms, including Twitch and YouTube.
Historical Context and Viewership
The previous year's Game Awards set a viewership record with 154 million global livestreams, a 31% increase from 2023. This growth reflects the increasing popularity of the event, which is executive produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie Kim, with Richard Preuss as director.
Criticism and Opposition
Despite the excitement surrounding the nominations, some critics have pointed out the absence of Xbox Game Studios titles in the Game of the Year category. Notably, *Avowed*, *South of Midnight*, and *The Outer Worlds 2* did not receive nominations, raising questions about representation in the awards.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
While *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* is celebrated for its nominations, there are discrepancies in reporting the total number of nominations for other games. For instance, *Death Stranding 2* is reported to have eight nominations in some sources, while others suggest a different count.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the way with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in the show’s 12-year history.” — Billboard
- “The Game Awards is executive produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie Kim.” — Billboard
The Game Awards 2025 promises to be a significant event, showcasing the best in gaming and engaging fans worldwide through its interactive voting process.
