.png?disable=upscale&width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&ssl=1 "Megabonk dev withdraws from The Game Awards")
Vedinad is both the name of the studio and the pseudonym of the main developer of the breakthrough indie industry. Megabonkwithdrew a nomination for The Game Awards in the category “Best Debut Indie Game”.
The recall was announced via Megabonk account on X. “It is an honor and a dream for Megabonk nominated for a TGA, but unfortunately I don't think it qualifies for the Debut Indie Game category. I've made games under different studio names before, so Megabonk this is not my debut game,” the developer wrote.
In a follow-up message, Vedinad said he appreciated the nomination, support and votes, but ultimately the nomination “doesn't feel right in this category.” He then encouraged people to vote for another game in this awards category, which includes Blue Prince, Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33, DespeloteAnd Send.
Geoff Keighley, organizer of The Game Awards, wrote about the review on his personal account a few hours later, acknowledging Vedinad's decision. “[Vedinad]”Best Indie Debut Game nominee has contacted us to clarify that he is an established solo developer who has introduced himself as a new creator under the name Vedinad,” Keighley wrote. “We are grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk will be removed from the category.”
Keighley then said that Wedinad would “tell his story more when he's ready,” adding that The Game Awards respects his decision not to deprive other debut teams of recognition. Megabonk launched on September 18 and released on sell over a million copies in the next two weeks.
Once again, the term “indie” is vague at The Game Awards.
While rejections from The Game Awards don't happen often, the gaming industry has been in contention over some of the nominees in the indie categories over the past few years.
A striking example is The Game Awards 2023, where Dave Diver was nominated for Best Indie Game. The term “indie” was vague at best, given that the game's developer, Mintrocket, is a subsidiary of the South Korean conglomerate Nexon, which owns many studios and has published major series such as Maple story.
At the time, Keighley weighed in on the debate, saying independence was “kind of a broad term” that could mean different things to different people (via VGK).
“You can argue, does independence mean game budget, does independence mean funding source, does it mean team size? Is it a kind of independent spirit of the game, meaning a smaller game that's a little different? I think everyone has an opinion on this, and we really rely on our jury of 120 global media outlets who vote for these awards to decide whether it's 'an independent thing' or not,” Keighley said during an interview on Twitch.
In July this year Dave Diver Director Hwang Jae Ho told 4gamer that there is “nothing indie” about the game (translation: Machine).
“I wonder if people mistook us for an indie studio just because we develop games with a small team, or just because our art styles and game systems tend to be unique,” the director said. “For some reason, we were also nominated for Best Indie Game, which made some people say, 'Hey, isn't that a Nexon game?', but that doesn't mean we applied for that award ourselves.”
Coming into 2025, the definition of “indie” was so vague that almost every nominee could be criticized for not being truly indie. Returning to this year's Best Indie Debut Game category, both Blue Prince And Despelote have a clear indie reputation, but were published by larger studios (Raw Fury and Panic respectively). Meanwhile, Chiaroscuro: Expedition 33 was publicly announced as the work of about 30 people, and this story is like PC Gamer dives intoexcludes all external partners and outsourced work that contributed to the creation of the game, despite the necessary funding to support the game's own development.
Ironically, self-publishing by a small team Megabonk may have the greatest claim to the “indie” title of all. But Vedinad made it clear that this was definitely not a debut game.
