Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Game Awards Nomination Sparks Renewed Debate Among Fans

ign.com:

The full list of Game Awards 2024 nominees has dropped, and one release in particular has been sparking plenty of discussion on social media and elsewhere.

Since the nominees were revealed Monday morning, fans have been discussing whether Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree deserves to be on a list that also includes Metaphor: ReFantazio, Black Myth Wukong, Balatro, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. They mainly point to it being an expansion pack that can only be accessed by completing the main game, making it less of a standalone experience than comparable ones like The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine.

"As amazing as Shadow of the Erdtree was, it getting a GOTY nom just kind of rubs me the wrong way. Yes, it was expansive, but it wasn't the first DLC for a game to be giant. Witcher, Xenoblade, Cyberpunk, etc. Would've rather seen an actual game," one fan wrote on Reddit in what has become a common sentiment online. Others simply memed the decision.

Elden ring dlc in goty nominations pic.twitter.com/y47ujBGgCe

The Game Awards has made it clear that Shadow of the Erdtree falls within its official selection criteria. Its website includes a statement issued today reading: "The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release. 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."

Certainly, there's no doubt that Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the biggest releases of 2024. We awarded it a 10 in our review, writing, "Erdtree’s absolutely jam-packed with secrets, valuable treasures, challenging boss battles, and horrific monstrosities to face off against, as well as cool new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, talismans, and more to play around with and use to find even more