Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been out for less than a week, and the internet is already ablaze with furor and discourse about the game, its bugs, and more. (I find it pretty dang fun, at least.) It’s enough to make one forget the other Pokémon game that released this year to – perhaps shockingly – nigh-universal acclaim. But the voters of the Golden Joystick Awards haven’t forgotten, awarding Nintendo Game of the Year to Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pika pika! The winner of Nintendo Game of the Year is the glorious Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Congratulations to @Pokemon on this epic win! #GoldenJoystickAwards pic.twitter.com/YlBrdSSkkD
— Golden Joysticks (@GoldenJoysticks) November 22, 2022
PLA beat out Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, Live A Live, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Nintendo Switch Sports for the honor. Note that the GJAs are voted on by the public, so it’s essentially a popularity contest – making it perhaps less of a surprise that a Pokémon game won. Legends: Arceus wasn’t even up for Ultimate Game of the Year like Xenoblade 3, Bayonetta 3, and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope were. (It’s unclear why the latter two didn’t make it to the Nintendo category. Game awards be strange sometimes.)
Other Nintendo-adjacent winners: Cuphead’s the Delicious Last Course won Best Expansion, Cult of the Lamb went home with Best Indie, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walked away with Most Anticipated Game. Make sure to also check out the full list of Golden Joystick Awards winners!
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
