Twitch streamer Mike ‘shroud’ Grzesiek is pushing for two separate Game of the Year categories – one for single-player and one for multiplayer – arguing that single-player titles have an unfair advantage.
During a November 5 stream, shroud doubled down on his campaign to rally multiplayer fans behind Arc Raiders, saying that single-player games “always win Game of the Year” and calling that situation “bulls*it.” He suggested awards shows should split single-player, co-op, and multiplayer into clearer lanes so extraction shooters and live-service titles get their shot at top honors.
Shroud argued that co-op games like It Takes Two feel different from persistent multiplayer experiences because many co-op titles can still be played solo. He also pointed out that the last time a multiplayer game took a major Game of the Year crown was 2016, framing the split-category idea as a corrective for multiplayer visibility.
Shroud thinks single player and multiplayer Game of the Year should be separate categories pic.twitter.com/qI8xT8Cayy
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) November 9, 2025
The streamer has been an outspoken champion for multiplayer on stream and has repeatedly told viewers to back Arc Raiders. Fans who want to see that campaign in action can find shroud on his Twitch channel.
We previously covered developer commentary and long-term plans for Arc Raiders in our story on Embark’s ambitions for the game, which explains why the studio sees this as a multi-year project and why multiplayer exposure matters. Whether awards bodies will adjust categories is unclear. Still, the debate highlights how different design goals and audience expectations collide when a single trophy tries to represent everything the industry produced in a year.
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