PlayStation has made known the results of its Game of the Year 2025 poll and the internet’s reaction is a mix of fun and not so much fun. The official Twitter account even suggested that gamers cast their votes for Atsu as the Best New Character along with a link to all the winning categories. Nothing too unusual about that, just a little celebration. However, the replies were quite shocking, they were like opening a beehive full of extremely angry bees. Among the bees, there were some so confused that they didn’t even know who Atsu was.
Now, let’s break it down. The tweet is extremely clear: “You voted Atsu the Best New Character of 2025.” The tone implies that it is a fact, a decision made. However, a huge number of the comments simply express disbelief. The pushback is immediate. One user states, “No, we really didn’t.” Another one expresses it even more clearly: “No we didn’t.” It is that classic internet dynamic in which a company says “you were all in this” and then a million voices immediately scream back “WE WERE NOT”.
With one of the top replies, things get even more passionate when one user accuses PlayStation of having a secret agenda: “@PlayStation I know you were seething at game awards but you don’t have to go this far.” Ouch! That is a very blunt accusation insinuating that this whole voting contest is a means of releasing PlayStation’s anger over the awards, given to other studios or even their own developers not being strong enough to overpower their marketing hype in the case of a new title. Thus, the story is changed from a triumph to a corporate weakness. Not only is the original message turned, but so is the mood because it is the most vocal anti-PlayStation crowd that conveys this particular feeling.
Then, another user named Maki, drops a different type of bomb that goes: “@PlayStation noone voted for this lol you just dont have have any first party games to show.” This one hits a different spot—the thought that perhaps the exclusives launched by PlayStation this year weren’t strong and this poll is nothing but a fool’s paradise giving us the illusion that there was more hype than actually was. It is an entirely camouflaged criticism of their whole line-up for 2025 supported by the devaluation of the poll’s credibility.
When we discuss the game Atsu is supposedly from, we enter a world of chaos as to its title; one option is “Expedition 33” or maybe “Yotei”? The responses to the initial tweet are completely chaotic as they are trying to figure it out. One user, HunterSoles1, declares, “@PlayStation I think this is fake because there’s no way anyone voted for dogshit expedition 33 for best story.” So, we have a game title in the mix and strong opinions about its quality too. But then in another post, the same user states, “@PlayStation Best game on playstation this year by far. No other good games to play this year.” Hold on, what? Is that sarcasm? Is it honest? Talk about confusion. It sounds like someone is saying, “This is the best food I have ever eaten… because the fridge is empty.” It is a disguised compliment that simply highlights the alleged scarcity of releases.
Then we have the saga of a certain thread. An especially long username—lilllilllllilii (good luck typing that five times fast)—is attacking another game, likely “Yotei,” calling it a “flopped woke fest slop” and ridiculing it for getting “7 nominations 0 wins” at some other awards. They are throwing around memes and images and really going for the jugular. Another user, Squids_R, is supporting it, arguing about what “woke” even means and saying the game didn’t flop. All the typical insults are there, and no resolution; it’s a classic, messy Twitter fight about game quality, “wokeness,” and exclusivity. It’s clear that Atsu’s win has somehow interwoven with a much bigger, more heated dispute over a particular game’s reception.
There is even a random, kinda wild accusation from GhostPeppaMon: “@PlayStation Why would you nominate someone who’s a lesbian who supports domestic terrorism and hates the modern family?” The accusation seems… very specific and probably based on some in-game lore or a misunderstanding of it. Nevertheless, it shows that the promotion of characters can easily get mixed up with global culture war stuff, whether it’s right or not.
In the midst of all chaos, a single voice rises to ask the real questions. User coinedCharms speaks out: “@PlayStation Atsu? The people have spoken, but I have questions. Mainly, did the voting machines malfunction?” This captures the mood perfectly.
