The biggest celebration in the mainstream videogame industry is getting ready to announce the winner of the greatest game of 2022. The titles of the games that will take center stage at the ninth annual Game Awards have been revealed.

Each of the three candidates that will compete for the coveted prize of the mainstream videogame industry was unveiled in a video by the event’s producer and emcee, Geoff Keighley.

With ten nominations, “God of War: Ragnarök” from SONY + Free Alert is in the lead for the majority of categories. “Elden Ring,” which received seven nominations, is in second place with “Horizon Forbidden West.”

These albums are anticipated to be the highlight of the gala, which will be broadcast live on YouTube and Twitch on December 8 at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.

More than 100 prominent media figures from around the world make up the jury that selects the winners. In 31 categories with more than 50 video games, they must evaluate and choose their favorites.

The inclusion of “Stray” among the GOTY 2022 candidates sparked the first major debate after the nominees were revealed.

Why the controversy?

One of the most resistant games on social networks was the one created by Blue Twelve Studio. In fact, a lot of people expressed concern on social media about how they would feel if the game took home the top prize.

Despite the criticism, Annapurna Interactive, the studio that created the game, and its publisher, received a total of six nominations for the upcoming The Game Awards.

Inching Closer

Given that “God of War: Ragnarök” has earned a very unique spot in the new edition of The Game Awards, PlayStation may win the prize for the year’s finest video game. The primary star of the sales charts in this release, which has been sweeping the PS4 and PS5, and has brought Sony millions of dollars in income.

On the other hand, “Elden Ring” profited from “Game of Thrones” success on television and its FromSoftware predecessors. The fantasy game, which includes a partnership with “Game of Thrones” author George R. R. Martin, stands a solid chance of taking home the top prize.

For its efforts as a publishing firm, Sony was nominated for 20 awards in total. Similar to Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY), Annapurna Interactive has 11 nominations. Third-placed Bandai Namco NCBDY has eight nominations. Finally, Riot Games from Tencent TCEHY earned six nominations.

Remember that “It Takes Two” won “Best Videogame of the Year” in the previous competition?