It’s officially awards season

The Golden Joysticks kick off award season for video games. Check out the winners, plus nominees for The Game Awards and Indie Game Awards. Also, could Sony buy FromSoftware, maker of Elden Ring? All this and more. Let’s go!

And the award goes to…

With the end of 2024 looming, the run of game of the year awards has begun. 

The 42nd Annual Golden Joystick awards took place last week, with Black Myth: Wukong taking home Game of the Year. The awards are voted on by fans, and Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth led the way with 4 awards. Here is the full list of winners:

Best Audio Design - Astro Bot
Best Soundtrack - Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
Best Storytelling - Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth
Best Multiplayer Game - Helldivers 2
Best Visual Design - Black Myth: Wukong
Best Indie Game - Balatro
Best Indie Game (Self-published) - Another Carb's Treasure
Studio of the Year - Team Asobi (Astro Bot)
Best Lead Performer - Cody Christian (Cloud, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
Best Supporting Performer - Briana White (Aerith, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
Breakthrough Award (Critics Choice) - Balatro
Still Playing Award (Console & PC) - Minecraft
Still Playing Award (Mobile) - Honkai: Star Rail
PC Game of the Year - Satisfactory
Console Game of the Year - Helldivers 2
Most Wanted Game - GTA 6
Critics' Choice Award - Helldivers 2
Best Game Expansion - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Best Gaming Hardware - Steam Deck OLED
Best Early Access Game - Lethal Company
Best Game Trailer - Helldivers 2
Streamers' Choice Award - Chained Together
Best Game Adaptation - Fallout
Ultimate Game of the Year - Black Myth Wukong

While The Golden Joystick announced their winners, The Game Awards announced their nominees for their 2024 awards. Winners will be announced Dec. 12, and the ceremony will be streamed live on Twitch. Some stories and opinions about the nominees:

• The developer of Balatro says their Game of the Year nomination was ”completely surreal.”
• One of the biggest snubs: Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
• Black Myth: Wukong is one of the lowest-rated Game of the Year nominees in Game Awards history.

Finally, the Indie Game Awards announced their nominees, including 10 for Game of the Year. Check out the full list of nominees.

Could Sony own Dark Souls?

Sony is interested in purchasing Kadokawa, the company that owns Dark Souls and Elden Ring developer FromSoftware.

Reuters reports that Sony is looking to add to its entertainment portfolio, and Kadokawa would be a natural fit. The purchase would also give Sony ownership of some of the biggest franchises on its system, and potentially make them exclusives. Kadokawa released the following statement:

There are some articles on the acquisition of Kadokawa Corporation (hereinafter “the Company”) by Sony Group Inc. However, this information is not announced by the Company. The Company has received an initial letter of intent to acquire the Company’s shares, but no decision has been made at this time. If there are any facts that should be announced in the future, we will make an announcement in a timely and appropriate manner.

Basically, stay tuned.

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

🎮 Sony is working on a new handheld PlayStation console to rival the Switch. 

🤖 Itch.io will require all creators to disclose if they used AI-generated content. 

📋 Steam is adding support and more rules for season pass content, including communication requirements on what is included in DLC. 

😃 Xbox Cloud Streaming, part of Game Pass Ultimate, will now let subscribers stream (some) games they own.

☁️ Meanwhile, Sony’s PlayStation Portal update lets Plus Premium subscribers stream PlayStation 5 games from the cloud. 

🤖 Pokémon Go players have unwittingly trained AI to navigate the world.

👶🏼 Roblox adds further protections for young children on its platform. 

🎮 Valve is reportedly working on a new Steam controller and a new Virtual Reality headset. 

📱 A mobile version of Final Fantasy XIV is in development.

🤖 Star Realms maker Wise Wizard Games defends using AI art in new projects, while board game artists call out the ethics of their decision.

🦮 Microsoft announced Edge Game Assist, a way for players to get tips and guides while playing PC games.

📈 Epic raised the price of the Fortnite Battle Pass for the first time ever. 

⚖️ In 2002, an intern saved Valve from a Vivendi lawsuit that likely would have bankrupted the company. 

🖥️ Steam will no longer function on Windows 7 or 8. 

🎰 There will be no DLC for Final Fantasy Rebirth, as the team is switching their focus to the final installment because “fans want to see the third part of the series as quickly as possible.”

🎩 Monopoly Go! launched a new ad campaign that features Will Ferrell as Mr. Monopoly, as well as Jason Momoa, Keke Palmer and Chris Pratt.

🎢 Minecraft theme parks are coming to the U.S. and U.K.

🖥️ Microsoft has paused Windows 11 updates to computers with Assassin's Creed, Star Wars Outlaws and other Ubisoft games installed.

💰 Round numbers: Farm Simulator 25 sold over 2 million copies, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl sold 1 million copies in two days and Starfield recorded 15 million players. 

🎰 A Fallout fan loved New Vegas so much, they actually moved to the Nevada desert.

New Releases this week: 

Check out our article on 12 New Games to Play in November.

11/26: Critter Café (Switch and PC)
11/26: Neon Blood (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
11/28: Snow Bros. Wonderland (PlayStation, Switch and PC)

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