A Day In The Life Of A TGA Game Of The Year Nominee

Every year, the jury behind The Game Awards nominates only six games, from the thousands released that year, for its highest honor: Game of the Year. The 2025 TGAs saw Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Donkey Kong Bananza, Hades II, Hollow Knight Silksong, Death Stranding II: On The Beach, and eventual winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, fill out the category.

We see the emotions of the winners as they hit the stage to accept the award, but what of the hours leading up to the awards? Furthermore, the delight of victory is only felt by one of the six nominees; how do the other five nominees react?

At TGA 2025, I met with key members of Warhorse Studios, developers of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, multiple times throughout the day of the ceremony. I shared a meal with them, saw them just before they walked the red carpet, and met up with them after the official after-party.

Confidence and reasoned optimism early in the day morphed to an anxious excitement just before the event, which gave way to resigned disappointment and, ultimately, humble acceptance.

This is a day in the life of a Game of the Year nominee at The Game Awards.