According to The Verge, The Game Awards 2025 is set to deliver the industry’s familiar cocktail of new game announcements, a “metric ton of commercials,” and celebrity Muppet appearances. The main event, however, seems to be the coronation of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has netted a dominant 12 nominations. That’s the most of any contender this year. Those nominations sweep all five major craft categories: Game Direction, Art Direction, Music and Score, Narrative, and Audio Design. The only potential spoiler mentioned is the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong. The show’s goal, as always, is to validate the gaming public’s opinion on the year’s best title.
The Obvious Choice Problem
Here’s the thing: when the frontrunner is this obvious months in advance, it kinda sucks the drama right out of the room. The Verge writer even admits it’s “pretty obvious.” So what are we really tuning in for? The awards themselves start to feel like a foregone conclusion, a checklist before the next trailer drop. That shifts the entire weight of the show onto the announcements and the spectacle. It becomes less a celebration of the year’s best and more a high-budget preview for next year’s hype cycle. Is that what these awards should be?
Craft Sweep And Its Meaning
Now, sweeping all five craft awards is a huge deal. It signals that Clair Obscur isn’t just a critical darling for one element—it’s being recognized as a holistic masterpiece of game development. That’s rare air. But it also sets a brutally high bar. When a game is nominated in every single artistic and technical category, the expectation is that it will win most of them. If it doesn’t, the narrative instantly becomes “What went wrong?” instead of “Congratulations to the winners.” The pressure isn’t just on the game anymore; it’s on the voters to align with what seems like the logical outcome. That’s a weird spot for an awards show to be in.
The Real Reason To Watch
Let’s be real. Most people don’t watch The Game Awards for the awards. We watch for the reveals, the weird musical acts, and yes, the Muppets. The Verge frames it perfectly: it’s our “monthly dose” of that particular brand of chaos. In a way, the predictable GOTY race makes the other segments more important. The show’s success will hinge entirely on whether the world premieres land, whether the host segments are fun, and if the pacing doesn’t drag. The awards become the formalities between the actual entertainment. Basically, it’s a trade show masquerading as an Oscars ceremony, and maybe we’re all finally okay with that.
