Previewing Nintendo’s Night at The Game Awards 2024

It’s going to be a quiet night for Nintendo at the 2024 edition of The Game Awards compared to years past, but most fans are probably prepared for this knowing that the Switch era is winding down. As Nintendo has readied the launch of their next console, their release schedule was a bit thin for most of 2024. Last year, Nintendo entered the The Game Awards with 15 nominations, which lead the way among all publishers, and was the second most nominations they ever received.

For 2024, Nintendo has just six nominations to their name, and half of them are in a single category (Best Family Game).

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is one of those titles up for Best Family Game, which feels a bit like the judges infantilizing the game for having a bright color palette and a toy-like aesthetic. Being recognized as a “family game” is traditionally associated with a gaming experience that is undemanding and accessible to anyone regardless of familiarity with the medium. Your preschool nieces and nephews aren’t solving all of the tricky puzzles in dungeons like Faron Temple or Lanayru Temple. Neither are your grandparents, or anyone in your family who has never held a controller.

The other award that Echoes of Wisdom is in the running for is Best Action/Adventure. A win here would mark consecutive years that The Legend of Zelda took home the prize, following Tears of the Kingdom’s win in 2023. It would also mark three out of the last four Game Awards where Nintendo won in the category (Metroid Dread won it in 2021).

There’s just one problem for Echoes of Wisdom, and that problem is Astro Bot.

The surprise PlayStation 5 hit is one of the year’s very best titles, which is exactly why it’s nominated for seven different awards: Best Action/Adventure, Best Game Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design. Best Family Game, and the biggest of them all, Game of the Year. There’s an argument to be made that labeling Astro Bot as an Action/Adventure title is a bit of a stretch. It is categorized as a Platformer first and foremost just about anywhere you look beyond The Game Awards, but fair or not, The Game Awards has no such honor dedicated solely to the Platforming genre (hence why Super Mario Odyssey was nominated for Best Action/Adventure in 2017).

With that criteria in mind, Astro Bot is deserving of every last nomination it has received. It’s an outstanding game bursting with as much charm and personality as it is ingenious level design. There’s a very good reason why it’s sitting with a 94 Metacritic score, the highest of any game featured at this year’s Game Awards.

When a game is so lauded that it’s nominated for both Game of the Year and Best Game Direction — the two most prestigious categories at the show — it holds a massive advantage over the competition in secondary categories like Best Action/Adventure or Best Family Game. Despite the weight that The Legend of Zelda name alone carries, Echoes of Wisdom is going to have a difficult time toppling Astro Bot in either category that it’s nominated for. If Zelda’s solo adventure is going to pull off an upset, Zelda fans are going to need to come out in full force with their votes. Even if that’s not still not enough to swing momentum in Zelda’s favor, it may boost Echoes of Wisdoms’ odds to win the Players Voice award, which is entirely decided by the fan vote.

Nintendo’s other two candidates for Best Family Game, Super Mario Party Jamboree and Princess Peach: Showtime! unfortunately stand even less of a chance at claiming the award. Super Mario Party Jamboree at least has an outside shot at winning Best Multiplayer, as it’s the highest rated Mario Party title ever with a solid 82 Metacritic score. At the same time, it’s going against Helldivers II, which attracted a gigantic userbase and earned widespread recognition for its multiplayer experience. Mario and pals are going to have to hope that the PSN controversy with Helldivers II had lasting impact on its reputation if the latest Mario Party is to come out on top.

It’s a true sign of Nintendo’s relaxed output in 2024 that their best opportunity to nab an award is for a game that didn’t even release this year. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is up for Most Anticipated Game after its big comeback during the June Nintendo Direct. The stunning, first true look at Samus Aran’s next mission made waves over the summer, ending a near seven-year drought on any info about the game aside from the announcement that its development was restarted from scratch partway through back in 2019. The years of radio silence, culminating in a surprise reintroduction may have been dramatic enough to earn the win here.

Of course, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is also up against juggernauts like Grand Theft Auto VI and Monster Hunter Wilds, so all of that drama may just as well end up being for naught. Nintendo fans need to be ready for the very real possibility that Nintendo gets shut out at this year’s Game Awards.

Even should that be the outcome, there is still good reason for Nintendo fans to tune in to the event. As expected, several games that found a very loving home with Switch owners are up for awards. Four of the five nominees for Best Indie Game were Switch releases: Neva, Balatro, Animal Well, and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. In Neva’s case, it’s also in the running for Best Art Direction and Games For Impact, and it has a real shot at both. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown would have impressed any Metroidvania fan who played it, and while it may not have great odds to win Best Action/Adventure, it could always come away with the award for Innovation in Accessibility.

Unicorn Overlord is arguably the favorite to secure Best Sim/Strategy game. The phenomenal Tactical RPG was met with critical acclaim by both media and audiences on its way to becoming Vanillaware’s highest selling title in their illustrious history. Unicorn Overlord drew its greatest audience on the Switch, no doubt by channeling support from both longtime Fire Emblem fans and Ogre Battle fans.

Then there is always the possibility of new trailers and announcements. Asking for The Game Awards to feature the debut of the next Switch console is probably out of the question, but why not a new look at one of the final noteworthy Switch releases like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Professor Layton & the New World of Steam, or Pokemon Legends: Z-A? Who knows, maybe a currently unannounced title from Nintendo makes its world premier during the show.

The Game Awards 2024 airs live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California next Thursday, December 12th. The show begins at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, and will stream on YouTube, Twitch, and several other channels. For a complete list of distribution partners, or to cast your votes, visit The Game Awards official website.