Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Final Fantasy 16 lead Ben Starr says Marathon has a special trick up its sleeve that will nab it Game of the Year.
If you think about the three games in recent years that have absolutely demolished the Game of the Year running in their given years, it's Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, and – most recently – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. All three of these games have something in common, and not just being fantasy RPGs. No, all three have a prominent role played by Jennifer English, who plays Latenna the Albinauric in Elden Ring, Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate, and Maelle in Clair Obscur. So naturally, fans have dubbed her power the Jennifer English effect, and are now looking for more games to see if her luck rubs off on it.
At Emerald City Comic Con 2026, Popverse interviewed some of the cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with English joined by Verso actor Ben Starr, and Aliona Baranova who played multiple characters in the game (as well as motion capture on Baldur's Gate 3). During the panel, host Ashley Robinson explained "Are you familiar that Reddit has dubbed the Jennifer English effect? A game that creeps up and becomes deeply popular following the release of Clair Obscur."
English, seemingly unfamiliar with her lucky charm status, responded "That's really nice! What?" Starr on the other hand started looking towards this year, saying "That means Marathon is gonna be Game of the Year." The panel took place during the weekend Marathon first debuted in, and while it's not quite lighting the world on fire the same way Clair Obscur did, the Bungie sickos seem to like it.
Of course, Mewgenics is going to be Game of the Year in the only awards that matter (my choice) but sadly I think this year's awards are already locked in for GTA 6 unless Rockstar Games somehow royally messes up with that game. But maybe Ben Starr's prediction will come true if that does happen, even if he seemed to be joking.
Marathon just buffed the best loot you can find outside Cryo Archive and nerfed the Thief exploit
