For the first time ever, a nomination has been revoked from The Game Awards. The game in question, Megabonk, was disqualified with permission from the creator after a misunderstanding.
Since 2014, The Game Awards have become a big celebration for the best of gaming each year. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, it’s become home to several big reveals and moments, especially for Game of the Year. With a year as big as 2025 was for games, the competition is sure to be worthy of watching. Nominations for the awards came out earlier this week and had some snubs and surprises. However, it seems there’s already been a shakeup with one of the nominated games.
Megabonk Disqualified from Best Debut Game at The Game Awards 2025
The situation unraveled after The Game Awards nominations earlier this week. Megabonk, one of the games’ up for Best Debut Indie Game, was a pretty popular title when it released. However, the creator, who, in the Tweets, goes by John Megabonk, asked to be removed from the nominations. As for why, he said the following:
“I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards. It’s an honor and a dream for Megabonk to be nominated for TGA, but unfortunately i don’t think it qualifies for the category ‘Debut Indie Game,’” the creator said. “I’ve made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game.“
The category, Best Debut Indie Game, is reserved for those who’ve published their first-ever game as a studio, so those who have, even under a different name, shouldn’t count. Geoff Keighley later posted on Twitter that, after the creator’s comments, that Megabonk would be taken off the list. This now leaves Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Despolete, and Dispatch as the sole nominees. While it is shocking to see, at least the creator was honest about the situation. Unfortunately, Megabonk was only nominated for the one category so, while they won’t be going home with anything this year, at least it was on a good note.
What do you think of Megabonk being disqualified from The Game Awards? Do you agree with the withdrawal? Did you think it could’ve won the category? Let us know in the comments and on the official Insider Gaming Discord!
For more on The Game Awards, check out Clair Obscur’s record-breaking feat and Xbox’s unfortunate streak. Make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
