Elden Ring Has A Third Chance To Win GOTY In 2025

2 weeks ago 9

In a shocking turn of events, Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree didn't end up taking home any awards this year, despite its high praise from critics and fans alike. Following its controversial nomination for GOTY despite being DLC for an existing game, Shadow Of The Erdtree had more than enough content to stand up against the competition. While the beloved Elden Ring wasn't able to take home any awards in its second outing, the third time might be the charm for the legendary FromSoftware.

With the popularity of Elden Ring, many viewers expressed their concern it would have another clean sweep this year, but The Game Awards still seems to have a preference for independent titles. While it's a shame that Shadow Of The Erdtree didn't wind up winning any awards, it set a new precedent that a masterful DLC can still be recognized as an achievement in gaming. With the doors being opened for DLC nominations at The Game Awards now, the newest spinoff Elden Ring Nightreign has an even better chance at winning awards again next year.

Elden Ring Nightreign Could Be Nominated For GOTY 2025

The Third Time Is Often The Charm

Being one of the most exciting announcements at The Game Awards, Elden Ring Nightreign is a multiplayer-focused spin-off of the groundbreaking open-world RPG. Set in a warped version of the lands between, players will find themselves in an almost arcade-style mode with new abilities and bosses, alongside the return of some familiar fan favorites. While Nightreign is likely to forego the storytelling elements of soulslike games in favor of its randomized combat encounters, there could still be an in-universe explanation about the state of Elden Ring's game world.

Elden Ring Nightreign promotional images showing different characters.

Elden Ring Fans: Mark Your Calendars For The Nightreign Test Sign-Ups

Elden Ring; Nightreign was only announced last night, and it's now been announced that network test beta registration will begin very soon.

While The Game Awards tends to favor a single-player narrative-driven experience for GOTY, with Nightreign having enough content to warrant an entirely new game rather than DLC, it might just surprise fans next year. It's still too early to tell how positive the reception to Nightreign's departure from the standard FromSoftware formula will fare among critics, but it offers some exciting promises. Being the first FromSoftware release to include fully compatible co-op from start to finish of a run alongisde a revamped class and progression system, Nightreign has the potential to become a big hit when it releases in 2025.

Nightreign Has A Better Chance At Beating The Competition

A Standalone Spin-Off Has A Much Higher Chance At Winning GOTY

Despite The Game Awards' ability to publicly recognize a DLC like Shadow Of The Erdtree as a contendor for awards, it's clear there is still plenty of stigma surrounding them in the industry. The decision itself was heavily criticized online upon its announcement, with users on X like mrppyo1 voicing their understandable complaints over the topic. Despite the controversial change to The Game Awards' nomination traditions, it didn't matter much in the end.

While Elden Ring Nightreign still has the title attached, it has a much heavier focus on an independent experience not tied to the original. It's clear that even FromSoftware itself wants the public to see Nightreign as a separate product from the original, while not identifying it as a true sequel to the original hit title. While fans will have to wait a while to see if Nightreign holds up to the quality expected from the long-running franchise, there's plenty to be excited about when it eventually releases next year.

Source: X/mrpyo1