Two of 2024’s biggest talking points in PC gaming just collided: a record-setting sweep of award nominations for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and a surprise snub for Arc Raiders that sparked a blunt reaction from streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a turn-based, story-driven JRPG from an independent French team, launched in April to rave reviews and immediate word-of-mouth momentum. Its impact has been massive; the game now leads this year’s awards with 12 nominations, the most in the event’s history. It’s the kind of breakout moment that reshapes expectations for what an indie JRPG can achieve.
Arc Raiders took a very different route to mainstream attention. The PvPvE extraction shooter from Embark Studios arrived on October 30 and has quickly built a huge following on Steam, earning a Very Positive status with more than 67,000 favorable reviews. Fans praise its tense firefights, co-op chemistry, and high-skill ceiling, and Shroud has been one of its most vocal champions. He regularly urged his audience to vote for Arc Raiders as Game of the Year, arguing it delivered the freshest thrill ride in the genre.
Despite that groundswell, Arc Raiders landed just one nomination: Best Multiplayer. Expedition 33 secured 12. The Game of the Year slate instead features Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong Bananza, Death Stranding 2, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Shroud didn’t hide his frustration. He questioned how Arc Raiders missed the GOTY cut while taking aim at one specific nominee, suggesting it lacks an active player base compared with breakout hits dominating player attention. While he acknowledged Arc Raiders’ Best Multiplayer nod as a positive, he also criticized the overall direction of the awards, saying he expected more recognition given the game’s explosive reception among players.
He has floated one possible reason for the snub: Arc Raiders’ use of AI-generated voice lines for contextual callouts, such as pinging and pointing out objectives without cluttering voice chat. In his view, the broader industry isn’t ready to embrace AI in this way, and that discomfort may have influenced the final ballot.
Shroud also weighed in on a long-running debate around Game of the Year criteria. He argued that sequels shouldn’t generally take the top spot unless they fundamentally transform their series, citing only a few potential exceptions. He added that remasters don’t belong in the category either, a stance many players echo when discussing award lineups.
No winners have been announced yet. With nominations locked and anticipation building, all eyes will be on December 11 at 4:30 pm PT to see whether the year’s most-talked-about games meet fan expectations—and whether Arc Raiders’ single-category recognition proves to be an outlier or a sign of how awards bodies are weighing innovation, popularity, and player sentiment in 2024.
Key takeaways for readers searching for the latest on this year’s awards:
– Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads with a record 12 nominations after a stellar April launch.
– Arc Raiders, a PvPvE extraction shooter with a Very Positive rating and tens of thousands of positive Steam reviews, was nominated only for Best Multiplayer.
– Shroud believes Arc Raiders deserved a Game of the Year spot, questions certain nominees, and suggests AI voice lines may have hurt its chances.
– The Game of the Year contenders include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong Bananza, Death Stranding 2, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
– Winners will be revealed on December 11 at 4:30 pm PT.
Whether you’re team Expedition 33 or team Arc Raiders, this year’s race has already delivered the kind of debates that keep the community buzzing—and that’s before the envelopes even open.
