▲
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
The Unfinished Swan
Poppy Playtime
Pac-Man Museum+
LEGO The Incredibles
SimCity
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Chainz 2: Relinked
Moonlighter
Bravely Default II
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Halo 3: ODST
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Tekken 8
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown
Alan Wake
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Law & Order: Double or Nothing
The Smurfs
Gal Guardians: Demon Purge
Kill the Bad Guy
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
BlazBlue: Central Fiction
JumpStart Adventures 5th Grade: Jo Hammet, Kid Detective
Crazy Taxi
Dynasty Warriors 6
Maestro
Angry Birds Seasons
Star Trek: Elite Force II
Psychonauts 2
A Bug's Life
ToeJam & Earl
LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge
RapeLay
Metal Slug Defense
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo
Chip's Challenge
Pandemonium!
Bullet Witch
Breath of Fire IV
Pokémon Uranium
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Caladrius Blaze
Fallout 2
Fruit Ninja
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Destroy All Humans! 2