The Hollow Knight Silksong GOTY Snub That Shook the Indie Gaming Scene

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, The DICE Awards 2026, has finally revealed the nominees for various categories. It is the 29th edition of the annual award show. All expected games, starting from Expedition 33 to PS5 exclusive Ghost of Yotei, are nominated in the Game of the Year category.

It's clear that Expedition 33's success in the previous award show had a ripple effect, which earned eight nominations in the DICE awards. Titles such as Dispatch, Blue Prince, and ARC Raiders, on the other hand, have claimed their rightful place in the list. Amidst this, the most surprising thing is the Hollow Knight Silksong GOTY snub.

Hollow Knight Silksong GOTY Snub: A Masterpiece Misses The List

Believe it or not, Team Cherry has definitely made a genre-defining masterpiece in 2017. They created another sequel, which eventually got more praise. It sold over seven million copies as of mid-December 2025. Apparently, the DICE Awards clearly overlooked this masterpiece.

It seems the jury couldn’t appropriately justify Silksong's impact. Did they actually forget, or did they intentionally overlook it? Before getting into the details, let's take a look at the DICE Awards Nominees:

• ARC Raiders
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Dispatch
• Ghost of Yotei

There's no proper explanation for this Hollow Knight Silksong GOTY snub. The decision not to add them to the final nominees is heartbreaking for several fans like me, especially since it was a top contender at The Game Awards 2025.

How Expedition 33 Made the GOTY List While Hollow Knight Silksong Was Snubbed?

Sandfall Interactive has faced backlash due to the heavy usage of Gen-AI, one of the most trending topics of this decade. The title got disqualified from the Indie Game Awards for using this trending technology. Let’s be honest, if an indie studio can rake in awards after leaning on Gen-AI content, a genre-defining masterpiece surely deserves at least the courtesy of a GOTY nomination.

Forget the never-ending GOTY battle between Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Think of it like this: how can a genre-defining Metroidvania title, which received very minor backlash (due to oversimplified Chinese translation), not even be on the nominee list?

Speaking of other nominations, despite using heavy AI in the voices, ARC Raiders has been nominated in the Audio Design category.

Meanwhile, Ghost of Yotei earns genuine respect, as Sony Interactive has spectacularly projected 16th-century Japan in a polished manner. Even though the gaming community has remained silent since it has no options for public voting. It will still be another interesting year for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

This was our entire coverage of the Hollow Knight Silksong GOTY snub. This masterpiece is also set to receive a DLC, adding to the game's immersiveness. You can visit our official website to learn more about the Hollow Knight: Silksong Sea of Sorrow DLC.