Predicting the Best Ongoing Game Winner

Predicting the Best Ongoing Game Winner



Thanks to a solid year for new releases and ongoing games alike, The Game Awards 2024 has plenty of competition to go around. Game of the Year will inevitably remain the main event for The Game Awards 2024, especially given the event will officially celebrate its tenth anniversary. However, Best Ongoing Game may very well be the most stacked category of all this year.




Best Ongoing Game is largely intended to reward live service games for frequent or expansive updates. Of course, this has occasionally been subverted, such as when Cyberpunk 2077 claimed victory last year thanks to a game-fixing update and DLC. In this regard, this year will be a return to form, with the category again being dominated by multiplayer live service games. Even with that being the case, one can’t understate how tough of a competition this really is.

2024 Best Ongoing Game Nominees

  • Destiny 2 (Bungie/SIE)
  • Diablo 4 (Blizzard/Xbox)
  • Final Fantasy 14 (Square Enix)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/SIE)

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The Game Awards 2024: Predicting the Game of the Year Winner

The Game Awards is almost upon us, and six new games find themselves duking it out in the Game of the Year category, but there can only be one winner.

Destiny 2


It may not be an exaggeration to say that 2024 was the biggest year for Destiny 2 since its launch. On the other hand, the game’s biggest strength this year may also be its biggest weakness. The Final Shape was an extremely well-received expansion, and has helped to bring Destiny 2 to a close. However, this has naturally led to a decline in the frequency of updates, which may dampen its chances of winning in this category.

Diablo 4

When it comes to this year’s award for Best Ongoing, Diablo 4 has as good of a story as anybody. Diablo 4 released its first expansion pack, called Vessel of Hatred, in October. Not only did Vessel of Hatred enrich the game’s narrative, it also introduced the impressive Spiritborn class. With a solid mix of improvement lent towards Diablo 4‘s gameplay and story, there isn’t much more a fan could have asked from an inaugural expansion.


Final Fantasy 14

To anyone who has a passing familiarity with the game, it may seem like Final Fantasy 14 is having a great year every year. Although this is true to an extent, 2024 really was an outstanding step forward for the game’s future. Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail was released to wide acclaim, with the expansion taking the game’s story in a whole new direction. Dawntrail isn’t without its faults, but criticisms of the game’s story have rarely grown louder than the positive reception to its many other additions.

Fortnite


Fortnite has been one of the biggest games in the world since it first entered early access back in 2017, which has made it almost impossible to imagine the game growing any further. Fortnite‘s 2024 seasons have been chock-full of chaos, which has seemed to invite more fun than frustration. Fortnite‘s Absolute Doom season followed in the footsteps of the game’s other ambitious collabs, and saw a number of popular Marvel characters join the fray. Fortnite OG is now set to return as a permanent game mode on December 6, and this may just be the cherry on top for an all-around great year.

Helldivers 2


Helldivers 2 is the only game nominated in this category to have made its debut in 2024, and this could turn out for better or worse regarding its chances. Seeing a new release rise to the top is always satisfying, and there’s no denying that Helldivers 2 made an impact this year. Unfortunately, the game was somewhat bogged down by a few controversies that arose directly from its own fans. Helldivers 2 has since made up for many of these with recent updates and announcements, but it’s difficult to call which force will prove more powerful.

Final Prediction

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Each nominee for The Game Awards typically has their own unique list of pros and cons. Considering live service games naturally have a vocal audience, and receive plenty of game-changing updates, they are especially prone to controversy. However, the nominees for Best Ongoing Game of 2024 appear to have completely flipped this idea on its head.


In this case, it would be incredibly easy to make a case for any of these games to win. If anything, the true task is sifting through each game and selecting which doesn’t have a chance of winning the day. Although it seems like a pure toss-up, one game does feel ready to pull ahead. When all the chips are down, it seems like Fortnite might be gearing up to pull out on top. Perhaps this is the safe bet, but that certainly doesn’t make it the wrong call.

Fortnite has won this award before, and its major updates in 2024 have helped to breathe new life into a game that was already massive. Of course, there are nominees that have run in this category before. In fact, Final Fantasy 14 has won this exact award in years past. This only speaks to the challenge for everyone, but it’s a challenge that Fortnite may just be ready to tackle.

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