The nominees for The Game Awards were announced on November 18th, and in addition to some gimme nominations such as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Astro Bot, and Metaphor: Refantazio, there was also Elden Ring’s chunky DLC experience, Shadow of the Erdtree. 

Prior to the nominations, it had been noticed that The Game Awards added a question to their website FAQ, clarifying that expansions and DLC can qualify for the top spot. While this rule had always been in place, the sudden clarification made it clear that a Shadow of the Erdtree nomination was inbound.

This has prompted a fierce debate over the justification of nominating an expansion for Game of the Year.

Many believe it would be unfair for Elden Ring to essentially win twice. The quality of Shadow of the Erdtree isn’t in dispute, but it is functionally more Elden Ring. Allowing expansions to be nominated offers heavy hitters a means to throw money to double dip, and doubly enjoy the very tangible benefits to winning at The Game Awards.

Others simply think it is unfair to the competition. Looking at contenders that narrowly missed the cut, such as Stellar Blade, Tekken 8, and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, I can imagine the frustration that comes with being passionate fans of these games and seeing their place taken by an extension of a previous winner. That is not to mention the possibility of that spot being filled by another excellent indie, such as Animal Well. The argument against Shadow of the Erdtree’s nomination is compelling.

On the other hand, there are also some compelling arguments in support of Shadow of the Erdtree. It is still a new gaming experience released in 2024. If it happens to be better than the competition, that deserves to be acknowledged. Shadow of the Erdtree is a sizable offering, and is bigger than most of the games suggested to take its place. A beeline runthrough of the DLC takes an average of 25 hours, which is longer than the average time for Stellar Blade or Echoes of Wisdom.

If a DLC by itself rivals the quality and length of a standalone game, is that not worth considering? Our own David Lasby cites Shadow of Erdtree as his personal game of the year, and argues that in his experience with the expansion, it is clear that FromSoftware is “playing on a different level than other developers.” If developers knock an expansion out of the park so thoroughly that it parallels standard releases, that deserves serious accolades.

I think both sides make a strong argument, but I ultimately fall in the camp against the nomination. Shadow of the Erdtree really is that good, but the slope is too slippery. What about a long-running MMO such as Final Fantasy XIV that routinely puts out high quality expansions? Seeing its latest expansion steal a nomination every year or two would get exhausting quickly, but there is no reason to disallow MMO expansions while allowing something like Shadow of the Erdtree.

I am firmly in the camp that The Game Awards needs to take a page from The Golden Joystick awards and introduce a “Best Expansion” category, which would be highly competitive and still highly esteemed. If Shadow of the Erdtree wins, it will set a bad precedent going forward.

What do you think? Does Shadow of the Erdtree deserve a place alongside the other game of the year contenders? Or should it be kept off the list? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: FromSoftware, The Game Awards

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