YouTuber and streamer PrestigeIsKey, also known as Ryan B., is a big fan of The Game Awards and watches the ceremony every year. He thought it would be great to have a copy of the Game Award, something he could put on the Gamer Tat shelf that all streamers are legally required to have in their videos. So he looked at several sites, including eBay, and was surprised to find not an exact copy, but a real $500 Game Award.
The seller’s other listings included car parts and trinkets, so Ryan was admittedly a little suspicious. They said the bounty “came from one of our liquidation sources other than we have no other information about the item’s provenance.” Ryan ended up taking the risk by paying $375 plus shipping. When the award arrived, it turned out to be legit: it was the Best Independent Game of 2018 award, which was won by Celeste.
Ryan contacted the Celeste developers via Operations Manager Heidi Motta to ask, “Was the trophy itself given away or lost?” And that’s how he knew the developers never got it. Presumably after passed on stage to Ninja during the ceremony, was taken back to be mailed to them, and then somehow disappeared? It’s a secret.
Finally, four years later, developers from Celeste Extremely OK Games receive their award. Ryan offered to mail the trophy to them, and the developers generously promised to refund him the cost, as well as send him some signed copies of Celeste. I think he will have something to put on the shelf in the end.
