Palworld dev addresses backlash over 2024 Game Awards “snub”

Palworld’s Community Manager has warned fans not to be “overdramatic” after some claimed the game was snubbed at the 2024 Game Awards.

It’s not a stretch to call Palworld a phenomenon as far as 2024 video game releases go. The little indie that could smashed through the Steam charts and even held the title of second-most played game of all time before the advent of Black Myth: Wukong.

Despite some legal hiccups with the famously litigious Nintendo, the game is still topping charts in Japan following a successful launch on PlayStation 5. With all these accolades under its belt, the knee-jerk reaction would be to give the game some dues at The Game Awards 2024.

Its absence in any category – but especially Game of the Year – has led fans of the title to claim that Palworld has been snubbed. Palworld’s trusty Community Manager Bucky has taken to X in an attempt to calm them down

“No, I don’t think Palworld was snubbed,” Bucky clarified following the backlash. The proclaimer for Pocketpair warned players not to be “overdramatic” and qualified that “not everything is a conspiracy”.

This wasn’t enough for certain fans of the game. “It was 100%. It was the biggest game of the year,” one claimed. “Why is Palworld not in any categories?” asked another, confused at the game’s lack of representation at the awards.

The answer to this is relatively simple and it explains the “snub” of Palworld that some players are still hung up on. Palworld is still in early access. Don’t worry, we almost failed to recall this as well. Given the amount of content available, it’s easy to forget that we don’t have Palworld 1.0 yet.

Of course, The Game Awards has specific rules that prohibit early access titles from nomination which easily explains Palworld’s absence this year. This isn’t the only ruling that has grated on gamers, however. The nomination of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Game of the Year has also stirred controversy.