One of the Game Awards nominees, the PC smash hit Megabonk, is not going to be part of the awards show after receiving a nomination this week for Best Debut Indie Game.
The game’s developer said on social media that they are “withdrawing from The Game Awards” because Megabonk is not actually his first game.
“It’s an honor and a dream for Megabonk to be nominated for TGA, but unfortunately I don’t think it qualifies for the category ‘Debut Indie Game’ I’ve made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game,” the developer said.
They added: “I really appreciate the nomination, support and votes, but it doesn’t feel right in this category. You should vote for another one of the amazing debut titles, they are all amazing games! Thanks again!”
As of yet, representatives for The Game Awards have not responded to Megabonk’s announcement, nor has organizer Geoff Keighley. If the game is indeed withdrawn from the official ballot, it remains to be seen if another title could take its place. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
Megabonk was released in September on PC and reached an all-time peak of more than 100,000 concurrent players.
The $10 game that has “Very Positive” reviews on Steam has players smashing their way through ongoing waves of enemies. A new update is “coming soon,” the developer said, though it’s unclear what’s in the update.
As for games that are still nominated, that’s all of them except Megabonk, including the Game of the Year nominees: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
For more, check out all the nominees in the gallery below.
