Astro Bot wins Game of the Year, sparking debate

The PlayStation 5 video game Astro Bot was crowned Game of the Year at The Game Awards ceremony on Friday, beating out five other nominees, including Black Myth: Wukong, the first Chinese game to be nominated in the top category.

Developed by Sony's Team ASOBI and released on September 6, 2024, Astro Bot follows a robot character on an adventurous space journey. The game was created by a relatively small team of about 65 people over three and a half years.

The win sparked mixed reactions among gamers. Some expressed surprise, arguing that the game lacks standout creativity and has lower sales compared to Black Myth: Wukong. Other players acknowledged Astro Bot's quality as a casual game but were stunned by its Game of the Year victory.

While missing the top prize, Black Myth: Wukong did win two significant awards: Best Action Game and the Players' Voice Award.

According to Video Game Insights, Black Myth: Wukong has impressive sales figures, with 22.5 million copies sold on Steam and total revenues exceeding $1.1 billion.

"A studio makes a game because they want to make a game they want to play themselves ... They didn't make it to increase market share," said Swen Vincke before announcing Astro Bot as the winner of Game of the Year, the biggest award of all during the ceremony.

Established in 2014, The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, honoring achievements in the video game industry.

(Cover: People take photos of the Astro Bot mascot during ChinaJoy, Shanghai, China, July 26, 2024. /CFP)