Game Awards 2024 Reactions: Baldur’s Gate 3, Astro Bot, and the Internet’s Take
The Game Awards 2024 crowned Astro Bot as Game of the Year. Not everyone agreed with the decision, and some fans took to social channels to vent their displeasure in sharp terms.
Traditionally, the GOTY trophy is presented by the winner from the previous year. This time Swen Vincke, the head of Larian Studios, appeared on stage as a nod to Baldur’s Gate 3’s crossover success in 2023, when it earned multiple statuettes at major ceremonies including The Game Awards and the Golden Joystick Awards. Vincke was the one who opened the envelope, which prompted a wave of Baldur’s Gate 3 reviews on Steam, signaling how online sentiment can pivot around a single moment on stage.
Within a day, Baldur’s Gate 3 drew hundreds of negative Steam reviews, with comments suggesting Astro Bot’s GOTY win inflated expectations or skewed perception. Among the discussions, one post proposed that Vincke’s remarks had been misunderstood before the winner was announced, reframing the situation as a manager’s critique of industry practices rather than a blanket endorsement of any one game.
The quote circulated in discussions claimed that the Oracle warned of a 2025 title created by a studio that embraces a simple formula: make a project that it personally wants to play. It suggested that such a team would avoid powerful marketing pressures, wouldn’t bend to profit-driven features, and wouldn’t treat developers as numbers on a spreadsheet. The message, attributed to Vincke, aimed to call out greed in publishing but was interpreted by some as praise for Astro Bot’s creators on Sony’s side. This misreading underscores how easily context can be lost in online threads, especially after a high-profile awards show.
The part of Vincke’s commentary that circulated online targeted practices by publishers and the leverage they hold over game design. Yet, some readers drew a different conclusion, assuming that the Larian chief was praising a rival project. The ensuing chatter illustrates how quickly nuance can blur when remarks are condensed into social posts and headlines.
Further coverage of The Game Awards 2024 and its official announcements is available in a separate article. For those curious about practical tech, there is also guidance aimed at beginners looking to set up a PC.
— This editorial synthesis presents the events and reactions in a way that reflects the broader conversation around GOTY selections and industry pressures, with contextual notes to help readers understand why opinions split and what the implications might be for future game development.