Blue Prince’s English-Only Puzzle Risks Being Locked Out of The Game Awards — Localization May Cost It GOTY Shot

The Game Awards voting process gives a clear advantage to games that are localized for many languages, and that affects small, text-heavy indie titles. In particular, Blue Prince — a first-person puzzle adventure by Dogubomb and published by Raw Fury — is only playable in English, which limits how many international jury members can evaluate it.

1. Why localization matters
2. How Blue Prince is affected
3. Jury composition and impact
4. Category paths and likely outcomes
5. Accessibility and developer response

Why localization matters

The Game Awards uses a voting jury of more than 100 outlets that represent many countries. Therefore, games that are localized into several languages can be played and judged by a larger portion of that jury. As a result, titles with wide localization are more likely to get enough votes to reach final nominee lists. Moreover, the show’s categories tend to favor mainstream genres and large productions, which often have the budget for broad localization.

How Blue Prince is affected

Blue Prince is a first-person puzzle adventure that relies on dense, language-based wordplay as a core mechanic. Consequently, the game is currently only playable in English. Because of that design choice, a portion of the international jury will be unable to play the game in a meaningful way, which reduces the pool of potential votes it can receive at The Game Awards.

Jury composition and impact

The voting jury includes outlets from many regions, including publications in China, Mexico, and Brazil, among others. This international composition is intended to keep nominations globally representative. However, it also means that games that aren’t easily translated into many languages face a practical barrier: fewer jury members can evaluate them directly. For smaller studios, that barrier can be significant because they may not have the budget to produce bespoke localizations for multiple languages.

Category paths and likely outcomes

Blue Prince could still receive recognition in categories that require less cross-jury consensus. For example, the game remains eligible for categories such as Best Debut Indie Game, where fewer votes or a more specialized panel can make a difference. Meanwhile, larger or heavily localized titles that gained traction after September — including Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades 2, Ghost of Yōtei, and Silent Hill f — expanded the pool of potential contenders for Game of the Year.

Accessibility and developer response

Blue Prince is also currently inaccessible to some colorblind players. The developer, Dogubomb, has stated plans to address colorblind accessibility in a patch. Therefore, while localization and accessibility both limit the game’s immediate reach, the developer is working on at least one of those issues.