Mixtape might be too toxic to be a GOTY contender at the Game Awards

That ought to make things much easier for a game like Mixtape to break through. On paper — and indeed, when you play it — Beethoven & Dinosaur’s game seems like a solid candidate, if not exactly a lock, for a nomination. It’s true that not many short, pure narrative games have made the cut before. But it does have the handsome production values and cinematic style that the jury loves. It has a focus on story and performance. It’s got a memorable gimmick (the mixtape itself, a carefully curated licensed soundtrack). Yet it still feels bespoke and handmade, so jury members can feel good about rooting for it. Perhaps the game Mixtape has most in common with is the lush cat adventure Stray, also published by Annapurna Interactive, which was nominated for GOTY in 2022.