Vast Majority of Gamers Say Elden Ring DLC Should Never Have Been Nominated for Game of the Year

Update [Tue 19th Nov 2024, 1pm]: Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree being nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024 has really rubbed people the wrong way. Yesterday, we reported on the backlash across social media — with most of the criticism aimed squarely at The Game Awards host and organiser Geoff Keighley.

We thought the whole thing would die down overnight, but negativity’s still out in full force. Case in point: Kinda Funny Games’ Greg Miller dared to speak out on the nomination, arguing that DLC is a game, and “if it’s that good, it should be honoured”.

The obvious counterargument here — that many onlookers have made — is that it should probably be honoured in its own DLC category, instead of taking up a spot on the big Game of the Year list.

Indeed, the poll we’ve been hosting at the bottom of this very article has received over 1,000 votes at the time of writing. We ask if DLC should ever be nominated for Game of the Year, and the vast majority of readers — a whopping 83% — have replied with “no, of course not”.

Add that to the aforementioned social media backlash, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that most gamers don’t agree with the nomination on a fundamental level. Granted, we’re not expecting Shadow of the Erdtree to actually win the ultimate award at Geoff’s December shindig, but it’s still going to go down as one of the most controversial picks in the event’s history.

Original Story: In case you missed it, Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree has been officially nominated for Game of the Year at next month’s The Game Awards 2024. And guess what? The DLC’s inclusion has sparked a substantial backlash across social media, Reddit, and even the comments sections of sites just like Push Square.

The Game Awards host and organiser Geoff Keighley is taking the criticism face-on via X, where he’s asking people for their thoughts on the nominees and what the “biggest surprise” is. The replies are exactly what you’d expect, with some of the more popular posts garnering just as much engagement as Geoff’s own conversation starter.

The overwhelming argument is that DLC simply shouldn’t be up for an award like Game of the Year — with an emphasis on Game.

But it gets worse. Suspicions were raised over the weekend, when an update to The Game Awards’ official website revealed that DLC can indeed be nominated for Game of the Year. The timing of this update immediately led to concerns regarding the whole process.

Lo and behold, just days after the update, Shadow of the Erdree is nominated for the ultimate prize — as if Geoff and the gang had anticipated the potential backlash.

Now, it should be noted that this particular Game of the Year award is decided by critics. And, according to The Game Awards’ website, DLC has always been eligible for Game of the Year — if it garners enough support from said critics.

So, it’s assumed that Shadow of the Erdtree is simply that well-regarded by gaming publications; its quality apparently warrants a place alongside the likes of Astro Bot, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Balatro.

To be fair, the expansion commands a thoroughly impressive score of 94 on Metacritic — but many would argue that’s not the point (ourselves included, for what it’s worth).