▲
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
Five Nights at Freddy's
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Robotron: 2084
Crysis Warhead
Bendy and the Dark Revival
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Battlefield 2
Snake's Revenge
Final Fantasy XV
The Surge 2
Street Fighter II
Sid Meier's Civilization III
The Curse of Monkey Island
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
The Basement Collection
Halo Infinite
Rock 'n' Roll Adventures
House Party
Nightingale
Duke Nukem II
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse
Gunbird
Watch Dogs: Legion
Darkened Skye
The Darkness II
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
The House of the Dead
Shady Lewd Kart
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Crystal Wish: Classroom Dungeon
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
Genshin Impact
Densha de GO!
Telltale Texas Hold'em
Super Danganronpa Another 2 ~The Moon of Hope and Sun of Despair~
Wanted!: Monty Mole
Winnie's Hole
The Invincible
Soul Hackers 2
Rivals of Aether
Gem Smashers
Poptropica
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
Umbrella Corps
Streets of Kamurocho