Voice actor Erika Ishii appeared in no fewer than four videogames in 2025, including Ghost of Yotei, which was in the running for Ultimate Game of the Year at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards. Ghost of Yotei also earned Ishii a personal Golden Joystick nom, for Best Performance. And when they were asked on the red carpet which game they thought deserved the top crown, Ishii left absolutely no doubt: Not Ghost of Yotei.
"Blue Prince!" Ishii shouted, grabbing the microphone like Vice President Joe Biden effusing about his favorite Wu Tang album. "Game of the year, baby, hands down. All the other games, I'm so sorry but it's Blue Prince, all day, every day! 300 days in, and I'm still discovering secrets. Blue Prince!"
Ishii isn't the only one still unravelling Blue Prince's secrets: Tonda Ros of developer Dogubomb said earlier this month that "there are certainly mysteries still in the game" more than six months after it came out.
Ishii was gracious when asked about the number-one GOTY contender, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. "That one's great. Clair Obscur's great. It's a great game," they said with exaggerated awkwardness.
Hey, you really can't blame someone for having opinions that maybe aren't perfectly in line with what you'd expect, especially when the enthusiasm is so obvious, as is the case here. Me, I didn't care for Blue Prince, although I didn't get very deep into it before I ran out of patience. I also occasionally think that I should give it another shot, entirely by fans like Ishii: People who like it, like it a lot.
Lest there be any doubt, having had an entire weekend to consider the matter, Ishii made it very clear on Bluesky that their position on the matter is unchanged: "I said what I said."
Blue Prince, for the record, did not win Ultimate Game of the Year at the 2025 Golden Joysticks, nor did Ghost of Yotei: The honor went to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which claimed seven wins at the show, tying the record set in 2023 by Baldur's Gate 3. Ishii's fave, and the game they starred in, didn't go home empty handed, though: Blue Prince won the Best Indie Game title while Ghost of Yotei took two, for Best Audio Design and Console Game of the Year.
1. Best gaming laptop: Razer Blade 16
2. Best gaming PC: HP Omen 35L
3. Best handheld gaming PC: Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ed.
4. Best mini PC: Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT
5. Best VR headset: Meta Quest 3
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