▲
3
▼
During the lead-up to The Game Awards 2023, several people became confused by Dave the Diver's nomination for "Best Independent Game" since Mintrocket, the game's developer, is a subsidiary of the much larger Nexon, who had previously claimed that the game was not necessarily an indie. This sparked debates as to what exactly counts as an "indie" video game, as another game that had received nominations, Baldur's Gate 3, was also technically independent, but was likely not counted due to both Larian Studio's employee count and the use of an existing IP. The Game Awards' host Geoff Keighley would later respond that "independent can mean different things to different people", and that it was up to a jury to decide the final decisions. During this, a similar debate arose in regards to the "Games for Impact" nomination: described as "a locker to stuff all the diverse games into", it was noted that five of the six nominees had not received any other nominations, and seemed limited to independent games despite there being other games that fit the criteria.
Dave the Diver's nomination:
https://www.inverse.com/gaming/game-awards-2023-nomination-snubs-and-surprises
Balder's Gate 3 comparison:
https://www.thegamer.com/indie-games-categories-goty-tga-the-game-awards-dave-diver/
Geoff Keighley response:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/keighley-weighs-in-on-debate-over-dave-the-diver-qualifying-for-best-indie-game/
Games for Impact discussion:
https://www.thegamer.com/the-game-awards-games-for-impact-goodbye-volcano-high-queerness-culture-inclusivity/
https://www.inverse.com/gaming/game-awards-2023-nomination-snubs-and-surprises
Balder's Gate 3 comparison:
https://www.thegamer.com/indie-games-categories-goty-tga-the-game-awards-dave-diver/
Geoff Keighley response:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/keighley-weighs-in-on-debate-over-dave-the-diver-qualifying-for-best-indie-game/
Games for Impact discussion:
https://www.thegamer.com/the-game-awards-games-for-impact-goodbye-volcano-high-queerness-culture-inclusivity/
Related Games
Double Dragon Advance
Metro: Last Light
Ecco the Dolphin
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Cars Mater-National Championship
Dragon's Dogma II
Diablo II
The Dig
Worms 3D
Crysis Warhead
Shady Lewd Kart
Terraria
Broken Age
Infamous: Second Son
Christmas Massacre
Batman: Arkham Trilogy
Shipwrecked 64
No More Heroes III
Far Cry 6
Theme Park
The Crooked Man
Atlantis no Nazo
Command & Conquer
Ultimate Custom Night
FIFA Soccer 97
Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator
The Callisto Protocol
Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
SimCity 3000
Raiden
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra
Spec Ops: The Line
Glittermitten Grove
My Hero One's Justice 2
F-Zero 99
The Boogie Man
Imscared
Sleeping Dogs
Yo-kai Watch 4
Gothic II
Globetrotter 2
SpongeBob SquarePants: Krabby Quest
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Sonic Generations
Serena
Dead Space
Starfield
Path of Exile