Another dry year for Microsoft & Xbox as Sony dominates The Game Awards 2024

The Game Awards 2024 is finally here. And with that, Microsoft and Xbox rival Sony swept the majority of “Best of” awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year.

Sony’s Astro Bot won the Game of the Year despite a strong showing from Bandai Namco’s Elden Ring, Black Myth: Wukong, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Sega’s Metaphor: ReFantazio. No game from Microsoft or any Xbox-owned studio in sight, even as nominees.

The green console’s camp, on the other hand, only “managed” to take home one “Best of” win, and that is for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for Best Audio Design, as well as Best Performance. The hotly-hyped Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which Microsoft owns its publisher Activision, did not even win the Best Multiplayer Game or the Best Action Game. Ouch.

Folks are saying it’s a snub, and well, a quick Google or Reddit search will show you that.

Not only was Black Ops 6 the most commercially successful Call of Duty title of all time (if we measure it by the metrics for most players, most hours played, and most matches in the first 30 days), but it also put Microsoft back in the gaming map after the disappointment of last year’s Starfield. It had four nominations with zero wins.

Looking back, Xbox (or a Microsoft-owned studio) has not had a GOTY win for their first-party games at The Game Awards for years. Last year was the 10th consecutive streak, and it seems like the trend would continue. Xbox’s games have struggled to gain recognition, with only one nomination for Psychonauts 2 back in 2021.

Sony, on the other hand, is sending a message with its Astro Bot win. Folks want games that are fun and playable, and Astro Bot was that. It’s fun and innovative, which is a big plus over high-cost, blockbuster ambitions.

And on top of that, Sony also won the Best Ongoing Game and Best Multiplayer for Helldivers II. Astro Bot was also everywhere in the nominations for Best Family Game and Best Game Direction (win), Best Action Adventure Game, Best Audio Design, and Best Score and Music.

The Japanese gaming giant sure did suffer a lot after making Concord for hundreds of millions, only for the game to be shelved two weeks after its release. But, for now, things seem to be going well for Sony, especially with its ambition to make a dramatic comeback to the gaming handheld with the rumored PlayStation 5 Portable.