Game Awards changes the rules to make DLCs and remakes eligible for GOTY

The Game Awards for 2024 is right around the corner and this year it will be different as DLCs, expansion packs, new game seasons, remakes, and remasters will be officially recognized across all categories, meaning a DLC could win Game of the Year.

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The Game Awards will be holding its 2024 live event on December 12 and the nominees are only four hours away from being announced, with voting for each of the games in their respective categories expected to be available shortly after the nominees have been unveiled. The nominees, which will be spread across 29 categories, will also include DLCs such as the incredibly popular, and highly rated Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for FromSoftware GOTY 2022 GOTY winner Elden Ring.

It's likely The Game Awards have decided to open up the rules in 2024 because of the three big publishes, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, have had a reasonably light release schedule throughout the year. Additionally, the sheer popularity of Shadow of the Erdtree is hard not to recognize, with it being slated to be nominated across multiple categories.

"The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content's release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes, and remasters are eligible in all categories if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration," writes The Game Awards

On a personal note, I don't believe this is a great decision by The Game Awards when they can just make a new category dedicated to recognizing DLCs and expansions. I believe there should be a distinction between a standalone DLC and a DLC that requires the base game to be played. I also believe DLCs would be better recognized in their own category as they would just be going up against other DLCs and not fully-fledged games that will likely overshadow them purely based on their scope and complexity. It's actually surprising The Game Awards doesn't already have a category for DLCs.

Moreover, I believe The Game Awards should have a new category for Remakes/Remasters, as these are becoming increasingly frequent and deserve their own spotlight.