Palworld wasn't 'snubbed' by The Game Awards, says community manager: 'Stop being so over dramatic gamers'

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"Not everything is a conspiracy," he says.

Three Lamballs man mounted machineguns in Palworld.
(Image credit: Pocketpair)

It's that wonderful time of year when Big Geoff's Trailer Extravaganza starts gearing up to dole out awards to the year's biggest games—which also means that it's time for a lot of people with no dog in the race to get extremely upset about certain games not getting a nod.

This year, Palworld—which launched in January—is among the notable omissions from the list of nominees, and yeah, that is quite surprising. For a significant chunk of the year, it was a vast, all-consuming game that generated plenty of discourse and many, many hours played. But The Game Awards is not based on player numbers or articles written. It's all vibes, folks. Just a bunch of folks saying "I like this game". And this year, there weren't enough of them to secure Palworld a nomination.

But this hasn't stopped claims that it's been "snubbed" from doing the rounds—an accusation which community manager John Buckley addressed on Twitter.

Yep, Twitter sure is the worst.

Of course, it's natural for fans to want their tastes to be vindicated by large corporate award shows. Is a game truly good if Geoff Keighley doesn't give it a wee pat on the back? Snideness aside, I do get it. I also want the teams behind the games I like to get recognition for their skill and hard work. But when that doesn't happen, it's not a snub.

We've all got games we'd like to see get nominations. In Buckley's case, it's Satisfactory. In mine, it's literally any strategy game. Like... just pop at least one up there. There are so many! A strategy category is way overdue. But see? It's so easy to get wrapped up in this nonsense. We are all just dancing to Big Geoff's tune.

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.