Megabonk Developer Voluntarily “Withdraws” from The Game Awards Debut Indie Category

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Megabonk, the breakout roguelike indie hit that became a huge success this fall, has voluntarily pulled its nomination from The Game Awards 2025 in the “Best Debut Indie Game” category. The announcement came as a surprise from the game’s solo developer, who said he didn’t feel the game met his own ethical standards for the award because he had released games before under different studio names.

Megabonk launched in September 2025 on PC via Steam and quickly blew up in popularity thanks to its Vampire Survivors-style gameplay mixed with 3D low-poly graphics and silly characters. It reached over 117,000 concurrent players, sold more than one million copies in a short time, and earned a “Very Positive” rating as a genuine 10 dollar hit.

The withdrawal was announced on November 18, 2025 just one day after The Game Awards 2025 nominees were revealed. The developer, who goes by “vedinad” on Steam and signs posts as “John Megabonk”, posted the decision on the official Megabonk X account.

“I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards,” the main post read. “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.”

Debate Over Debut Status

In a follow-up post that received thousands of likes, the developer emphasized appreciation for the nomination and votes but stated: “it doesn’t feel right in this category. You should vote for another one of the amazing debut titles, they are all amazing games!”

The voluntary withdrawal has started new discussion in the gaming community about the unclear rules around what counts as a “debut” at The Game Awards. While the developer is clearly trying to be fair, some people question whether earlier games released under different names should really disqualify someone, especially after past debates over nominees in the same category, such as Dave the Diver.

So far, The Game Awards team, including Geoff Keighley, has not commented on whether Megabonk will be removed from the ballot or if another game will take its place. For now, the game is still available to vote for online, though the developer’s stance has already earned a lot of praise. They ended their announcement by saying a new Megabonk update is on the way.

UPDATE: Just a few hours later, Geoff Keighley announced on social media: “We’re grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk will be removed from the category.” This confirms that MegaBonk is being removed from the “Debut Indie Game” category. The replacement nominee has not yet been announced.