Megabonk is no longer nominated at The Game Awards 2025.
Vedinad, the developer behind roguelike survival game Megabonk, has officially withdrawn his game from The Game Awards 2025. Megabonk had previously been nominated in the Best Debut Indie Game category, but the developer has argued that it doesn’t qualify for the award.
The game has now been removed from The Game Awards 2025, and will no longer appear as a nominee.
Megabonk developer withdraws game from The Game Awards 2025
This week, vedinad, AKA “John Megabonk,” announced his withdrawal from The Game Awards. On Twitter/X, the developer posted:
“I'm withdrawing from The Game Awards. It's an honor and a dream for Megabonk to be nominated for TGA, but unfortunately i don't think it qualifies for the category "Debut Indie Game." I've made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game.”
The developer continued: “i really appreciate the nomination, support and votes, but it doesn't feel right in this category. you should vote for another one of the amazing debut titles, they are all amazing games! thanks again! new megabonk update coming soon.”
Following the developer’s statement, The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley confirmed that Megabonk would be removed from the Best Debut Indie Game category. On Twitter/X, Keighley wrote:
“@MegabonkGame, a nominee for Best Debut Indie Game, reached out to clarify that he is an established solo developer who had been presenting himself as a new creator under the name Vedinad. We’re grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk will be removed from the category […] He’ll share more about his story when he’s ready, but we respect that he didn’t want to take recognition away from other debut teams–even though the game itself is outstanding.”
The Best Debut Indie Game nominees are now:
- Blue Prince
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Despelote
- Dispatch
Interestingly, Megabonk is still available for player voting on The Game Awards’ website in this category, even though votes for the title will no longer be counted. Vedinad has not clarified what other games he has worked on, with his new moniker meant to allow the developer some level of online anonymity.
The Game Awards 2025 will be livestreamed on 11 December, 2025.
