Mark your calendars, because the annual Golden Joystick Awards (GJAs) will return for its 42nd incarnation this year. The awards ceremony, which will now feature four new award categories, is set to take place on November 21, 2024.
The full shortlist for this year’s awards will be announced on October 4, with public voting set to go live on the same day. If you’re unfamiliar with the Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the “People’s Gaming Awards”, categories are decided by either public voting or a panel of judges.
This year’s show will include four new categories: Best Soundtrack, Still Playing Award (Mobile), Best Indie Game (Small Studio), and Best Game Adaptation. Best Soundtrack is intended as an evolution of the Best Audio category, which has now been split into Best Soundtrack and Best Audio Design. The Still Playing Award (Mobile) recognizes the most successful long-running mobile titles.
Best Indie Game (Small Team) is a new alternative to the Best Indie Game category which will highlight games from especially small development teams. Finally, Best Game Adaptation will cover the best movies, TV shows, comic books, and other media-inspired by video games.
Regarding the introduction of the new categories, Daniel Dawkins, Content Director of Games Video & Events at Future, said that “as we enter our 42nd year, the GJAs is proud to adapt to the changing landscape of video games. To that end, we’ve reintroduced the Best Early Access Game award, split the Best Audio category into Best Soundtrack and Best Audio Design, and launched the Best Game Adaptation award, which celebrates the best movies, TV, comics and more inspired by our industry. Oh, and we’ve redefined the Still Playing award into Still Playing (Mobile) and Still Playing (Console and PC).”
“We’ve also reviewed our Best Indie Game category. Defining an indie game is hard,” he explained. “Wherever you draw the line, 2024 forged a new path between indie titles and AAA games. Balatro, the poker-inspired deck builder from a solo developer, sold over a million copies. Helldivers 2 hit a AA, mid-price, sweet spot that outperformed a number of blockbuster ‘sure bets’. However you define indie games, the Golden Joystick Awards needed to adapt. The new Best Indie Game - Small Team award recognizes developers with less than 10 people, while Best Indie Game covers titles from larger independent teams, operating with more flexible budgets.”
A full list of this year’s publicly chosen categories has also been released, which you can browse below.
- Best Soundtrack
- Best Audio Design
- Best Game Trailer
- Best Game Expansion
- Best Early Access Game
- Still Playing Award - Mobile
- Still Playing Award - Console & PC
- Best Indie Game
- Best Indie Game - Small Team
- Best Multiplayer Game
- Best Lead Performer
- Best Supporting Performer
- Best Storytelling
- Best Visual Design
- Breakthrough Award
- Most Wanted Game
- Best Gaming Hardware
- Studio of the Year
- Ultimate Game of the Year
Some of the categories chosen by judges will also include:
- Streamers' Choice
- Best Game Adaptation
- Critics’ Choice Award
The ceremony will take place in London and will be live-streamed globally on all major streaming platforms.
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