Megabonk, the successful indie game that has sold over a million copies in just two weeks, has achieved a nomination for Best Debut Indie Game at the 2025 Game Awards. However, the developer known as vedinad has decided to withdraw from this category, claiming that Megabonk is not his first game. “It is an honor and a dream to receive a nomination, but unfortunately I do not believe it qualifies for the ‘Debut Indie Game’ category,” vedinad stated in a message via Twitter.
You can’t be rewarded for debuting if you’re not debuting
The developer’s decision has sparked a debate about what is truly considered an indie game and what ‘debut’ means. Although vedinad has created games previously under different studio names, other nominees have also had prior trajectories in the industry. For example, the studio Adhoc, creator of the game Dispatch, was founded by veterans of Telltale, and Sandfall Interactive, responsible for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is led by former Ubisoft employees.
Additionally, this case has highlighted the complexity behind the indie category. A recent example is the game Dave the Diver, which was nominated for Best Indie Game in 2023 but whose classification as indie has been questioned due to its development by Mintrocket, a division of the Korean giant Nexon. The game’s director, Jaeho Hwang, has stated that he does not consider his game to be an indie title, which adds more confusion to the term.
For the moment, Megabonk is still listed as a nominee in the Game Awards, and it is still unclear whether this nomination will be canceled or if it will remain in the competition. I have contacted the event organizers for more information and will update this story if I receive a response.
