<\/p>\n
Both games have been received with acclaim by critics, especially the innovative Galactic Racer<\/em>. Their releases have been well-timed to stand out for consideration at The Game Awards in December, too. But Star Wars has a checkered history at TGA \u2014 and gaming awards in general. And while Zero Company<\/em> and Galactic Racer<\/em> are better placed for success at the awards than almost any other Star Wars games of the last two decades, they might still struggle for recognition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Part of this story is the general sniffiness of gaming awards bodies around licensed games. This prejudice doesn’t exist without reason; for the majority of video game history, the majority of licensed games have been trash. But there also seems to be general resistance to games based on outside properties, perhaps born of the young medium’s protectiveness of its originality.<\/p>\n In the early days of gaming awards, these instincts led to licensed games being condescendingly cordoned off in their own play area. If you look back on the history of the Spike Video Game Awards \u2014 The Game Awards’ predecessor \u2014 you most often find Star Wars games restricted to the Best Game Based on a Movie category. (Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy<\/em> won that award in 2006.)<\/p>\n That category no longer exists at The Game Awards. But licensed games often find themselves siloed in other ways. With the exception of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games and not a whole lot else, licensed games are more likely to be nominated in the genre categories than put up for craft awards, never mind Game of the Year. This has been the fate of Star Wars games during The Game Awards era. In 2019, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order<\/em> had to make do with a Player’s Voice nomination from fans. 2023’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor<\/em> managed one nomination in Action\/Adventure and one in performance (in an admittedly very competitive year). It was the same story for Star Wars Outlaws<\/em> the following year.<\/p>\n We are a long way from the halcyon days of 2003, when, at the inaugural Spike VGAs, both Star Wars Galaxies<\/em> and Knights of the Old Republic<\/em> were nominated for Game of the Year, and Rogue Squadron 3<\/em> got some love too. Between them, Zero Company<\/em> and Galactic Racer<\/em> constitute the best field of Star Wars games since that year. They have the critical support, and it’s a slightly soft year, increasing their chances of breaking through in the top categories.<\/p>\n Will they, though? Probably not, although for once, I don’t think this would be down to snobbery about the license. These two games expose a different kind of prejudice shared by TGA’s jury. They both belong to genres that, historically, never break through in Game of the Year, and seldom outside of their genre-specific categories: strategy and racing. For whatever reason, the jury tends not to consider these genres as existing on the same creative plane as role-playing games or action-adventures.<\/p>\n Zero Company<\/em> and Galactic Racer<\/em> are sure to be nominated in their respective genre categories, Best Sim\/Strategy Game and Best Sports\/Racing Game. They both face strong competition, in the form of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave<\/em> and Forza Horizon 6<\/em> respectively. But I think Galactic Racer <\/em>might win \u2014 Forza Horizon 6<\/em> is excellent but formulaic, whereas the Star Wars game has novelty value and is genuinely innovative.<\/p>\n A weekly cheat sheet to what you\u2019ll eventually love to play. No buying, no \t\t\tSign up free![\"Star](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/griffin-screenshot-1-no-logo.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\"){kind=logo}
\n <\/picture>Image: Lucasfilm\/Fuse Games<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nGet Polygon\u2019s Wishlister newsletter<\/h3>\n
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