Megabonk, a roguelike survival game, was nominated for Best Debut Indie Game during The Game Awards nominees stream on November 17, 2025. However, Vedinad, the developer of Megabonk, announced in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is withdrawing from The Game Awards.

Vedinad writes, “I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards.

“It’s an honor and a dream for Megabonk to be nominated for TGA, but unfortunately i [sic] 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”.

I’m withdrawing from The Game Awards.

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

— Megabonk (@MegabonkGame) November 18, 2025

Roughly three hours later, Geoff Keighley, creator of The Game Awards, posted to X himself, saying, “.@MegabonkGame, a nominee for Best Debut Indie Game, reached out to clarify that he is an established solo developer who had been presenting himself as a new creator under the name Vedinad.

“We’re grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk [sic] will be removed from the category.” In a reply to his post, Keighley adds, “He’ll share more about his story when he’s ready, but we respect that he didn’t want to take recognition away from other debut teams — even though the game itself is outstanding.”

.@MegabonkGame, a nominee for Best Debut Indie Game, reached out to clarify that he is an established solo developer who had been presenting himself as a new creator under the name Vedinad.

We’re grateful for his honesty. As a result, MegaBonk will be removed from the category. pic.twitter.com/mTR5lmMubb

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 18, 2025

The indie part of indie game is short for independent, and they’re typically the result of a small team or solo developer without a large publisher’s intervention. However, the definition and standards necessary to be categorized as an indie game are contended, games often falling under the category so long as they don’t find themselves within the triple-A game label.

Vedinad’s game unmistakingly falls within the indie game category; in his honesty, however, he admitted that Megabonk was not his debut game given his past releases under different names, thus his withdrawal from The Game Awards.

The Game Awards will air on December 11, 2025. Those interested can view and vote for nominees here on the official The Game Awards website.