The Game Awards played out more like a coronation this year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 walked away with Game of the Year and a string of other top prizes, and the developers behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 decided to lean into the disappointment with a pair of cheeky posts on X.
It started lightheartedly. Warhorse’s communications director shared a quick “We have officially been robbed!” alongside a photo of the ceremony trophy, and the official Kingdom Come account followed with the now-familiar “this is fine” dog-in-flames meme. Fans noticed immediately — some laughed, some bristled, and a few accused the studio of being unprofessional for poking fun at another team’s success.
Not a feud — just a bad joke that landed badly
Context matters. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 arrived this year with massive ambitions: dense systems, emergent medieval simulation and a sprawling campaign that many players and critics praised. It was nominated in several heavyweight categories but lost them all to Sandfall Interactive’s turn-based, highly stylized Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — a game that critics declared a masterpiece and that dominated the evening.
That sting of coming up empty is understandable. But Warhorse didn’t stop at a frustrated tweet: earlier they’d even prepared “memes if we win GOTY” and “memes if we don’t win GOTY” folders, evidence they expected to have some fun either way. Still, not everyone found the punchline funny. Replies called the posts “immature” and “disrespectful,” arguing devs should show more class when peers are being celebrated.
An awkward moment — then a handshake
What might have become a real kerfuffle never escalated. A few hours after the social posts, photos surfaced of Warhorse devs laughing and trading selfies with Sandfall’s team — complete with berets and smiles. The images suggest the barbs were mostly in jest among people who’d rubbed shoulders in LA, and that any online heat came from bystanders rather than industry feuds.
Industry outlets and commentators parsed the loss differently. Some felt Clair Obscur’s sweeping wins were deserved — the game’s story, art and blend of turn-based and action mechanics impressed many — while others pointed out specific categories where KCD2 arguably had the edge. One widely read piece argued that Kingdom Come’s deep, systems-first RPG design made it more deserving of Best RPG than Expedition 33, even if the latter was the show’s overall favorite.
What this says about awards night
Award shows are theatre as much as they’re adjudication: timing, momentum and the zeitgeist tilt results as much as technical merit. A standout narrative or cultural moment can push one title into the spotlight and leave other strong contenders in the wings. That explains why Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction — praised by some outlets as an outstanding co-op follow-up to It Takes Two — ended the night without trophies, while Expedition 33 swept.
For developers and fans alike, social media now multiplies every reaction. A flippant tweet can be read as gallows humor by some and disrespect by others. Warhorse’s team showed both sides of that dynamic: a snarky post that triggered heat online, and then public handshakes proving professional respect remained intact.
A moment of perspective
At the end of the day, both games will live beyond a single ceremony. Clair Obscur’s GOTY haul bolsters Sandfall’s studio profile and brings the game to more players; Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s ambitions and systems continue to earn a dedicated audience and critical conversation. The memes and the selfies are now part of the story — a reminder that the business of celebrating creative work is messy, human and occasionally hilarious.
If anything, the episode is a small case study in how modern game awards play out in public: the wins are decisive, the losses are immediate, and the instant reaction loop rarely allows for nuance. Devs can joke, fans can vent, and everyone eventually returns to what matters most — making and playing great games.