Developer of Megabonk Withdraws From The Game Awards

Megabonk rose to prominence in 2025 as one of the year’s most talked-about indie releases and was nominated for Best Debut Indie at The Game Awards. The game’s sole developer, however, has announced that he is withdrawing the title from that category.

In a social media post, developer Vedinad clarified that he has previously released games under different studio names. Because of that prior work, he determined Megabonk does not meet the eligibility requirements for a “debut” nomination and elected to pull the entry.

I am withdrawing Megabonk from The Game Awards. While I’m honored the game was nominated, Megabonk is not my debut — I’ve released games before under other studio names, so it shouldn’t compete in the Debut Indie category.

Game Awards host Geoff Keighley acknowledged Vedinad’s clarification, and organizers removed Megabonk from the ballot. No replacement nominee was added; the Best Debut Indie field is now a four-way contest between Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Despelote, and Dispatch.

Released for PC on September 18, 2025, Megabonk is a 3D action roguelike that draws heavy inspiration from Vampire Survivors. The game quickly gained traction online, earning positive critical reception and a “Very Positive” rating from Steam users.

For the updated list of nominees and more coverage of The Game Awards 2025, consult the full nominees page or the original social posts announcing Vedinad’s withdrawal and Geoff Keighley’s confirmation.

Full nominees list ·
Vedinad’s post ·
Geoff Keighley’s confirmation