Did Astro Bot Deserve GOTY? One Week After TGA, The Answer Is Clear

screenrant.com:

The awards have been given out, and the dust has settled, but not everyone is happy about 's 2024 Game of the Year win at The Game Awards. Unfortunately, the reaction to Team Asobi’s platformer winning the top prize is very split. The idea is that is not viewed as a “serious” game. It's argued that ’s fun and accessible nature make it less valuable than other games with deeper stories or more complex gameplay.

Some believed that since is designed for a wider audience, including kids, it lacked the artistic depth and serious themes often expected of a Game of the Year winner. However, looking more closely at what makes special is very important. What makes a game great isn't just that it was difficult or had better gameplay elements; it's that it lasted the test of time when pitted against another game.

After won Game of the Year at The Game Awards, there was a surprising amount of backlash from the gaming community, and it doesn't take long to find a Reddit post against the win. This brought up a bigger discussion about what makes a game deserving of such an honor. Many people criticized for being too simple and lacking a deep story compared to other nominees. They felt the award was an attack against more complex and mature games, like RPGs and Souls-like experiences, which are often seen as having richer themes.

There is a new Funko Pop! for Astro Bot for pre-order in very limited quantity, and it comes after the game won Game Of The Year for 2024.

Some argued on GameFaqs that 's win favored nostalgia and accessibility instead of innovation and challenging gameplay. Many fans appreciate games that push creative boundaries or have intricate worlds and mechanics, so they see a family-friendly platformer as less worthy of recognition. It's also not common for family-oriented games not to get top awards.

Additionally, fans of other nominated games felt overlooked, particularly, which was an amazing game. However, even the producer felt upset about the loss (via