The nominations for the Golden Joystick 2015 are here – and there are hardly any MMOs among them.
Anyone who strolls through the gaming world with open eyes knows that MMORPGs in the mainstream have long been in a crisis. Since 2014, when The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar were released, no major game has been planned. Everquest Next might still be in the works, but there’s little news about it.
The nominations for the Golden Joystick, perhaps the most important gaming award, present a particularly dismal picture this year. There are only a few games nominated that could at least broadly be described as MMOs.
Titles like Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, or Dragon Age: Inquisition dominate.
Categories like “Best MMO” or “Best Online Game” have completely vanished from the nomination process. “Best Multiplayer Game” still exists, but even here, football games like FIFA 14, party games like Splatoon, or once again Bloodborne are represented. Games in this category that we cover include Blizzard’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm and Destiny “House of Wolves.” Admittedly, mentioning MMO for Destiny raises eyebrows. And considering MOBAs part of the MMO genre is also a rather adventurous idea.
These are the only games we’ve covered that still somehow appear in the subcategories. The Companion app for Destiny gets a nomination for “best innovation,” Bungie and Blizzard are both nominated as best studio, Destiny is running under “Game of the Year,” and HotS is nominated for “PC Game of the Year.”
Two Hearthstone players, Forsen and Reynad, receive nominations for eSport Personality of the Year, but that’s about it.
Particularly discouraging: On the list of the 15 most anticipated games, there isn’t a single MMO title. Only Star Wars Battlefront can earn a nomination among the games we cover. However, one couldn’t keep their eyes open enough for it to be considered an MMO.
This year’s Golden Joystick Awards are no longer awarded by “CVG,” Computer and Video Games. The British gaming site, which emerged from a long-discontinued print magazine, closed its doors in February. At that time, it was the oldest “gaming media brand” in the world. It didn’t help.
Gamesradar+ is taking over now. On their site, you can cast your votes for the Golden Joysticks 2015.
