Kinda Funny Games Daily: Game Awards Nominees 2025 Live Reaction

Date: November 17, 2025
Hosts: Tim Gettys, Blessing Adeoye Jr., SnowBikeMike, Greg Miller, Andy Cortez

Episode Overview

The Kinda Funny crew reacts live to the official announcement of The Game Awards 2025 nominees, diving category-by-category into initial reactions, hot takes, snubs, surprises, and predictions for the biggest night in gaming. The episode captures the unfiltered excitement, frustration, and insights from the hosts as they dissect each notable category, the evolving identity of "Game of the Year," and the continuing challenges around award show categories.

Main Segments and Notable Reactions

Pre-Show Vibes & Expectations

• Leaked Nominees: Speculation on Game Awards leaks, but all hosts avoid spoilers, aiming for genuine reactions ([01:51]).
• Betting Stakes: Andy and Mike mention a pizza bet on predicting the big six for Game of the Year, with much anticipation ([03:00]).
• Hype & Concerns:
  • Blessing: "Death Stranding 2 deserves Best Art Direction. At least a nomination. I would even go as far as a win." ([03:04] - Blessing Adeoye Jr.)
  • Mike is keen on Battlefield 6 for Audio Design and curious to see multiplayer picks.
  • Greg: Eager to see if Indiana Jones gets love beyond "crickets." ([04:00])
  • Andy: Jokes about fighting game drought and category overlaps.

Nominees Announcement: Live Reactions & Key Moments

Game of the Year: The Big Six ([16:22], [126:15])

Nominees:

• Claire Obscure: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
• Donkey Kong Bonanza
• Hades 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Immediate Take:

• Mike, who nailed his prediction, celebrates Kingdom Come making the cut ([17:01]).
• Tim: "I'm very happy with this list... It's exciting to see things really changing." ([126:15])
• Andy: "Expedition 33 just dominates all of the conversation... it's the story of the year." ([126:43])
• Blessing: "These are the right six. Maybe Split Fiction or Ghost of Yote was close, but these are it." ([32:43])

Best Game Direction ([43:01])

Nominees: Claire Obscure: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yote, Hades 2, Split Fiction

• Split Fiction being nominated is widely applauded, especially since it missed GOTY.
• Andy: "I generally hate this category. It just doubles as another Game of the Year, but I'd rather it reward genuine innovation." ([44:22])
• Split Fiction and The Altars called out for unique creative direction.

Best Art Direction ([117:25])

Nominees: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yote, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong

• Discussion: Near-unanimous awe at the quality of the nominees.
• Andy and Bless would swap out Ghost of Yote for Absolum or Kingdom Come 2 ([117:54]).
• Shoutouts for unsung art direction: South of Midnight, Sifu, Keeper, Sword of the Sea.
• Mike: "This could be the best example of this category we've ever seen." ([117:25])

Best Score & Music ([112:01])

Nominees: Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2, Expedition 33, Ghost of Yote, Death Stranding 2

• Tim's biggest snub: Mario Kart World. "One of the greatest soundtracks ever... not just old songs, but crazy new arrangements. You're an idiot if you think otherwise!" ([24:53])
• Panel in awe of Hades 2's dynamism and Silksong's atmospheric mastery ([113:11],[115:09]).
• Bless: Expedition 33's music is "powerful... the emotional core of the narrative is sung."

Best Performance ([123:02])

Nominees: Ben Starr, Charlie Cox, Jennifer English (all from Expedition 33), Erica Ishii (Ghost of Yote), Troy Baker (Indiana Jones), Konatsu Kato (Silent Hill F)

• Andy: "It's Jennifer English for me." Others agree Expedition 33 dominates the conversation.
• Discussion over Aaron Paul (Dispatch) and other strong performances omitted ([124:16]).

Best Independent Game (& Debut Indie) ([96:12], [90:24])

• Clear Obscure makes history with 12 nominations, "the most in Game Awards history" ([34:29]).
• Snubs discussed: Peak, Dispatch, Ball Pit found less deserving by some, while Mega Bonk and Rematch were contentiously overlooked ([97:00]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Category Frustrations, Snubs, and Hot Takes

• Blessing (on Best Art Direction): "Death Stranding 2, deserves best art direction. At least a nomination. I… would even go as far as a win." ([03:04])
• Tim (Mario Kart World Score): "You're an idiot. You're an absolute goddamn moron. Mario Kart World doesn't feature a single song that's just an old track. We're talking about brand new arrangements. This is like the apex of video game music." ([24:53])
• Andy (Split Fiction in Direction): "There are moments in that game… where I go, nobody's doing it like this." ([48:15])
• Mike (Best Esports Player Snub): "Faker's won six Worlds now… that's pretty wild. Give the flowers where those are due." ([31:01])
• Greg (Monster Hunter Wilds): "I don't think it's gonna be in my top five. Maybe in my top ten… the narrative's gotten away from it." ([21:47])
• Blessing (Debut Indie): "Blueprints is a masterpiece… but Clear Obscure is going to take it." ([92:01])
• Andy (Alters, Sim/Strategy): "Creating clones of yourself at different big moments of your life… such a cool game. The decisions are trippy and so creative." ([62:12])

Snub Discussion Highlights

• Mario Kart World (Score):
  • Tim and Andy repeatedly bemoan the lack of a nomination for Mario Kart World in Score/Music ([24:53], [112:01]).
• Sonic 3 (Adaptation):
  • Hosts annoyed it was left off the Best Adaptation category ([36:01], [109:44]).
• Family Game:
  • Lego Party a surprise hit. Mario Kart World "underperformed" versus expectations but is still a strong nominee ([65:33], [66:12]).

The Ongoing Challenges of The Game Awards Categories

Fighting Game Drought ([73:46])

• Bless/Andy: Remark how "there's only four fighting games this year," forcing collections and old games into the nominee list.

Sim vs. Strategy Muddle:

• Bless: "In 2025, should those be lumped? No. Sim is a completely different thing now." ([29:03])
• Andy: "I would… just fucking redo a bunch of shit. But I understand that ruins the prestige." ([29:03])

Best Indie Definition & Category Overlap

• Greg: "Every year we get here, we have this conversation. This is a category that officially needs to be re-done and be best small game team… Under 50 or less." ([93:20])
• Andy: Definition wrangling over what makes an indie, double A, independent studio, and debut.

Recency Bias & Awards Windows

• Frequent frustration about December releases being forgotten during voting windows; Andy and Bless volunteer to canvass with "December pamphlets" so no candidate gets lost ([19:19], [103:05], [36:01]).

Post-Reaction Deep Dives – Segment Timestamps

• GoTY Nominees Announced/Immediate Reactions: [16:22] – [17:06], [126:15]
• Art Direction & Score/Music Discussion: [24:53], [117:25], [112:01]
• Sim/Strategy and Indie Breakdown: [61:00] – [64:44], [90:24]
• Family Game Conversation: [64:55] – [68:13]
• Fighting Game Category Woes: [73:46] – [74:53]

Final Thoughts and Predictions

• On "Claire Obscure: Expedition 33" Dominance:

  • "It is the most nominated game in the history of the Game Awards" ([34:29]).
  • Most hosts expect it to "run away with it" for many categories, especially Game of the Year ([126:15]).

• On GotY Qualities:

  • Tim: "Expedition 33… how much I'm going to think about it for the rest of my life, it's part of my identity… more than just my nitpicks with the game." ([126:43])
  • Blessing: "Even though I'd personally pick Hades 2, Clear Obscure is going to run away because it's the one that stuck out this year." ([127:35])
  • Andy: "In 10 years, we'll talk about Expedition 33 as a top five ever for some people."

• Pizza Bet Update: Andy wins as his big six all make the list ([128:20]).

Notable Chat & Audience Callouts

• Multiple super chats highlight overlooked games (Dispatch, South of Midnight, Shinobi Art of Vengeance, The King is Watching) and celebrate unexpected nominations like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 ([129:48]–[134:28]).
• Clamor for Sonic Fox, Faker, and other esports icons to get their due.

The Kinda Funny Crew’s Takeaway

2025 is one of the most competitive years ever for The Game Awards, with indie games like Claire Obscure: Expedition 33 standing shoulder-to-shoulder alongside tentpole sequels and storied franchises. Category definitions and the eligibility window continue to challenge both voters and fans, sparking debates on how best to recognize the diversity of gaming achievement. The crew's passion, heated takes, and deep industry knowledge make this a must-listen for anyone invested in gaming’s end-of-year honors.

Key Quotes by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------| | 03:04 | "Death Stranding 2 deserves best art direction. At least a nomination. I would even go as far as a win." | Blessing Adeoye Jr. | | 24:53 | "If Mario Kart World doesn’t get nominated for score and music, I’m going to lose my shit!" | Tim Gettys | | 43:14 | "I'm happy Split Fiction got this nod since it's not in Game of the Year." | Blessing Adeoye Jr. | | 44:22 | "I generally hate this [Game Direction] category... I'd rather it reward weird innovation." | Andy Cortez | | 112:01 | "I always talk about musicals… you can understand the emotion and story of [Expedition 33] through just listening to the soundtrack." | Tim Gettys | | 126:15 | "I'm very happy with this list... The way people see GOTY is changing, and that’s exciting." | Tim Gettys | | 126:43 | "Expedition 33 just dominates all of the conversation... it's the story of the year." | Andy Cortez |

For category-by-category breakdowns, specific debates, and extra snub/appreciation lists, see detailed timestamps above. For full crew verdicts and more hilarious sidebants, check out the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.