The smash hit indie roguelike Megabonk caused a stir earlier this month when the game's creator (an individual named Vedinad) declined to receive a nomination for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards, saying he had already made other games under various studio names and excluded it from the debut category.
The 'Best Debut Indie Game' category will now be contested by Blue Prince, Claire Observer: Expedition 33 (Despelote), and Dispatch.
Geoff Keighley agreed to Vedinad's request, removing Megabonk from the category. But the saga did not end there. Megabonk returned to awards contention through the fan-voted Player's Voice category.
Return of the Skateboard Skeleton
“We’re back,” Vedinad exclaimed in a social media post. “Megabonk has been nominated for The Game Awards – Player's Voice!! I withdrew Megabonk's other nominations because they didn't fit the category, but with this new nomination we're back and better than ever. Go vote!”
Megabonk's competition in the Best Debut Indie category was fierce. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won every award it was nominated for at The Golden Joysticks earlier this month.
The Game Awards nominations have been revealed and you can see them all here.
You can find all of this year's The Game Awards nominees here.
But Megabonk faces much tougher odds in the Player's Voice category, with 30 games nominated. What's worse is that there are powerful games on the list like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Once More), Arc Raiders, Hades 2, and Fortnite.
Ark Raiders – Embark Studios
Battlefield 6 – Battlefield Studios
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Sandfall Interactive
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima Productions
Donkey Kong Bananza – Nintendo EPD
Doom: The Dark Ages – id Software
Elden Ring Nightreign – FromSoftware
Genshin Impact – HoYoverse
Ghost of Yotei – Sucker Punch Productions
Hades 2 – Supergiant Games
Helldivers 2 – Arrowhead Game Studios
Hollow Knight: Silksong – Cherry Team
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – MachineGames
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – Warhorse Studios
Mario Kart World – Nintendo EPD
Marvel Rivals – NetEase Games
Ninja Gaiden 4 – PlatinumGames
No Man's Sky – Hello Games
Peak – Aggro Crab/Landfall
REPO – Semiwork Studio
Silent Hill f – NeoBards Entertainment
Sonic Racing: Crossworlds – Sonic Team/Sega
Split Fiction – Hazelight Studios
Warframe – Digital Extreme
Storm Waves – Kuro Games
Unlike other categories, Player's Voice is decided entirely by public vote. The game will be eliminated after three rounds of voting until the public decides on the final winner. Democracy has emerged.
Previous winners include Black Myth: Wukong, Baldur's Gate 3, Genshin Impact, Halo Infinite, Ghost of Tsushima, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Mega Bonk

- released
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September 18, 2025
- developer
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Bedinard
- publisher
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Bedinard
- number of players
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single player
