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An indie developer has voluntarily withdrawn their game from The Game Awards after raising concerns about their nomination category. Vedinad, the solo developer behind Megabonk, a roguelike game inspired by Vampire Survivors announced the decision on the game’s social media channels Tuesday.
The developer explained that they had previously created games under a different studio name, which they believe disqualifies Megabonk from the Best Debut Indie Game category.
“I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards,” Vedinad wrote. “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 developer clarified: “I’ve made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game.”
As of now, Megabonk retains its nomination on The Game Awards website. According to the awards organizers, the Best Debut Indie Game category recognizes “an independent studio that produced and shipped its first game in 2025.”
The nominees for The Game Awards 2025 were announced earlier this week. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads all games with 12 nominations, setting a record for the most nominations in the awards’ history. PlayStation’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei follow with eight nominations each, while Hades 2 received six nominations. Sony Interactive Entertainment is this year’s most nominated publisher with 19 total nominations, followed by Kepler Interactive with 13.
