Expedition 33’s GOTY retraction signals a messy AI debate in 2026

Despite the fact that the Indie Game Awards is a tiny production compared to The Game Awards, the controversial decision has drawn major attention. It represents a breaking point in what has been the most heated debate in gaming throughout 2025. As more studios have adopted generative AI into their development workflows, backlash against the tech has only risen too. Now, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the resistance isn’t going away. That sets the stage for a messy war in 2026, one that highlights a brewing education crisis that threatens to muddy some already murky waters.