Shroud, a well-known streamer, has caused a late-year stir with regard to The Game Awards and has asked his large fanbase to vote for ARC Raiders against Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is a darling of reviewers. This contemporary famous content creator known for competition para shooters was talking on air recently that the ceremony conducted annually by the industry was skewed towards single-player experience, even going so far to say that the whole process of voting was “rigged.” It shines thus into the multicultural audience, which he fell to call “the minority,” to “band together” not to let the Expedition game take the highest prize.
Shroud’s comments come as Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based RPG continues its phenomenal success. Clair Obscur has been one of the most commercially and critically successful titles this year, often lauded by critics for its innovative combat system and compelling narrative structure, with many citing it as “revolutionizing” the classic genre. Its impressive sales figures underscore its wider appeal, as it crossed the five-million mark just months after launch-an undeniable lead contender for the highly coveted Game of the Year award.
The streamer is campaigning passionately for ARC Raiders as a result of his recent dipping into the Embark Studios title. The game is, in fact, the heavy-shooter that is multiplayer focused and made a very good launch at the end of October, with more than 250,000 starting players on release day and praise from a very loyal community. For Shroud, this push is not so much about this particular game against something like Clair Obscur, as it much more relates to the multiplayer segment of the industry getting its validation in an arena that he feels is very historically unkind to it. His demand shall serve as a direct challenge to the supposed narrative of the awards cycle in 2025.
The Game Awards has yet to formally announce nominees for this year, but the one-man-backbed drama Shroud has created brings to the fore the perennial debates in regard to genre representation. Historically, the top prize of this ceremony has been tilted towards story-driven, single-player campaigns; thus, Shroud’s call is a direct, aggressive effort to change the spotlight of the industry. The eventual winner is expected to emerge from a tightly fought contest, with other big contenders such as Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2.
