Get ready for some serious drama in the gaming world! Popular streamer Shroud has thrown down the gauntlet, accusing The Game Awards of being "rigged" after his favorite, Arc Raiders, got snubbed in the Game of the Year nominations. Is he just being a sore loser, or does he have a point?
This week, The Game Awards unveiled its nominees for 2025, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is leading the pack with a whopping 12 nominations—a record-breaking number! But Embark Studios' Arc Raiders only managed to snag one nomination, for Best Multiplayer, putting it in competition with heavy hitters like Battlefield 6, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Peak, and Split Fiction.
Here's the full list of Game of the Year contenders:
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Donkey Kong Bananza
- Hades 2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Before the nominations were even announced, Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, a Canadian streaming superstar known for his love of competitive multiplayer first-person shooters, urged his massive fanbase to rally behind Arc Raiders for Game of the Year. He argued that multiplayer gamers are often a “minority” when it comes to these awards, implying that single-player experiences tend to dominate the voting.
Shroud's got some serious clout, too. As a former professional Counter-Strike player, he's built a massive online empire, boasting 6.8 million YouTube subscribers and a staggering 11.3 million Twitch followers. He dove headfirst into Arc Raiders when it launched, and he's clearly passionate about the game.
In a recent Twitch stream, Shroud reacted to the nominations, and he didn't hold back. He believes Arc Raiders' controversial use of AI-generated voice work might be the reason it missed out on the top prize. This is where it gets controversial... the use of AI in games is a hot-button issue right now, with some praising its efficiency and others fearing its impact on human artists.
"The world is just not ready for AI in video games, not yet,” Shroud declared. “They're just not ready. But, hey, at least they nominated it for something. I genuinely thought they wouldn't nominate it for anything because they were scared to get backlash. But at least they nominated it for something, so that's good.”
But Shroud didn't stop there. He doubled down, saying, “Once again, another year, another rigged year. That's crazy.” He believes the whole system is flawed.
With 2025 drawing to a close, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a single-player role-playing game, is the clear favorite for Game of the Year. And this is the part most people miss... the GOTY award often goes to narrative-heavy single-player games, which some argue unfairly overshadows equally innovative and engaging multiplayer experiences.
Shroud also took aim at another Game of the Year nominee: the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Donkey Kong Bananza. “Imagine Donkey Kong, too… if Donkey Kong would win, this award show is just chalked,” Shroud exclaimed. “Who the f*** is playing Donkey Kong Bananza? Nobody’s playing Donkey Kong Bananza. Nobody. That is insane.”
While he concedes that Expedition 33 will likely take home the top award, Shroud is rooting for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. He predicts Arc Raiders will win Best Multiplayer and Battlefield 6 will win Best Action. He was also baffled that Arc Raiders wasn't nominated for Best Audio Design, especially given all the praise it's received in that department.
Interestingly, Shroud has previously expressed skepticism about the Game Awards in general. “All the f***ing awards are rigged anyway, who cares?” he said in the past. “When have you ever seen an award that’s actually legit?”
Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards uses a combination of votes from gaming journalists, influencers, and the public. In the past, the jury of media and influencers held more sway over the outcome. Keighley has considered shifting to a purely public voting system, but he's worried about the possibility of “social engineering,” where organized groups could manipulate the results.
The Game Awards ceremony is scheduled for December 11, 2025, at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
So, what do you think? Is Shroud right to call out The Game Awards? Are the awards truly rigged, or is he just passionate about his favorite game? Does the use of AI in Arc Raiders deserve more recognition, or is it a barrier to its success? And is there a bias towards single-player games in these awards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Do you think the current system is fair, or should The Game Awards switch to a purely public voting system, even with the risk of manipulation? Let's discuss!
