Canadian game Balatro in the running for Game of the Year at The Game Awards

The developer will measure himself against Astro Bot and to Final Fantasy VII Rebirthwho dominate the selection with seven nominations each. Black Myth :Wukong, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree et Metaphor : ReFantasia will also try to win the most important reward of the ceremony.

Balatrowhich has sold more than 2 million copies, is also a finalist for Best Direction, Best Mobile Game, Best Debut Indie Game and Best Indie Game. It is in this last category that the Sabotage studio from Quebec distinguished itself in 2023, with its video game Sea of Stars. (new window)

Contacted by -, LocalThunk can hardly believe what is happening to him. Since the unveiling of the finalists of the Game Awards at noon Monday, he claims to have received numerous messages of support from those close to him, but also from people in the industry.

This day is surreal. I’m so proud to represent Canadian games at The Game Awards. I find it hard to believe it.

The game from developer LocalThunk is inspired by the rules of poker, with bonuses and jokers that allow you to change the characteristics of the cards and improve your deck. The title enjoyed critical and public success, with a score of 90 on the review aggregation site Metacritic.

A slower year for Canada

The year 2024, however, promises to be less prolific for Canadian studios, which triumphed at the Game Awards last year. (new window)

The EA Vancouver studio is in the running in the category of best sports or racing game with its title EA Sports FC 25. On the side of BioWare in Edmonton, video games Dragon Age : The Veilguard could be crowned for its innovation in accessibility.

Canadian actress Humberly González was selected in the best performance category for her role in the video game Star Wars Outlawsdeveloped in particular by Ubisoft Toronto.

Otherwise, the shooting video game Call of Duty : Black Ops 6the PC version of which is designed in part by Beenox in Montreal and Quebec, could win honors in four categories, namely best audio design, best innovation in accessibility, best action game and best multiplayer game.

Fortnitedeveloped notably in Montreal, is in the running for the best service game and the best support for the community. It is also this category that the Larian studio, which has an office in Quebec, could win with the game Baldur’s Gate 3big winner of Game Awards in 2023.

The 10th ceremony of Game Awards will be held on December 12 at 7:30 p.m. Peacock Theater from Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on around thirty platforms, including Twitch and YouTube.

The session, hosted every year by Canadian Geoff Keighley, attracted some 118 million Internet users in 2023, an increase of 15% compared to the 2022 ceremony according to data from the organization.

Video game fans have until December 11 to vote for their favorite title on the video game website. Game Awards.