The final nominees for the Players' Voice category at The Game Awards 2025 have been announced, and I'm sorry to say that indie darling Megabonk is—again—out of the running. And this time, there's no coming back.
It's been quite a journey for Megabonk. Developer Vedinad withdrew the game from contention in the Best Debut Indie Game category in November, revealing that it wasn't really a debut game at all: Vedinad has previously released games under other studio names. But two weeks later, it elbowed its way back—so back—in the Players' Voice category, which unlike every other TGA category is chosen entirely by fans.
Well, the fans have chosen not to have Megabonk in the running for the Players' Voice category. This year's final nominees are:
Clair Obscur might seem like the obvious favorite here, because it's the obvious favorite everywhere, but the fact that the Players' Voice category comes down to a public vote—that is, whichever community can most effectively rally its troops to the cause—really opens things up.
Congrats to our final 5 nominees for #TheGameAwards Players' Voice, a 100% fan voted award.Clair Obscur: Expedition 33DispatchGenshin ImpactHollow Knight: SliksongWuthering WavesVote now to select the winner: https://t.co/S6KIGLKvbc pic.twitter.com/Nvy5awJs50December 8, 2025
Vedinad handled the loss with grace: When Palworld communications director Bucky said on X that Megabonk will "forever be the game of 2025 to me," they replied, "My heart bleeds with you... but just know that your bonks are worth more than any game award."
The Game Awards 2025 get underway with a preshow at 4:30 pm PT/7:30 pm ET on December 11.
