The first open-world title featuring the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Frontiers was released earlier this year to lukewarm reviews by many players and critics. Although the game was praised for introducing new gameplay elements while successfully translating the franchise’s trademark fast-paced gameplay into an open-world setting, technical issues and a sometimes-lifeless open world led to mixed reviews on Metacritic for Sonic Frontiers. After failing to receive nominations in other categories at The Game Awards, Sonic Frontiers fans have been pinning their hopes on the game’s excellent voice acting earning it the hotly contested Player’s Voice award.
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In multiple posts on Reddit and Twitter, fans of HoYoVerse’s action RPG Genshin Impact have accused fans of Sonic Frontiers of using bots to boost the game’s vote count for the Player’s Voice award after Sonic Team’s latest title racked up thousands of votes in the span of just a few minutes. Linking to charts from the tracking page for the contest, Genshin Impact fans cited the sudden spike in votes as “proof” of botting, though none offered definitive proof of those claims. Attempting to defuse tensions over the alleged botting, one Reddit post shared a tweet stating that the spike in votes had been the result of an exploit test and that the votes were added accidentally.
In the run-up to The Game Awards, Genshin Impact has been unexpectedly surpassing heavyweight contenders like Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok in the vote count for the Player’s Voice award. The only game that has managed to stay competitive with HoYoVerse’s hit title is Sonic Frontiers, which trailed behind Genshin Impact in second place after the third round of voting. Some fans of both games have thrown unfounded accusations at the other’s fanbase as the competition has intensified, with Genshin Impact players making claims of vote rigging while Sonic Frontiers fans accuse HoYoVerse of bribing players with in-game items.
Whether it’s over console wars or game awards, passionate players can sometimes take their love of a title a bit too far and begin to lash out unfairly at others. While only one game can ultimately win the Player’s Voice award, it’s clear that the performances in both titles have brought immense joy to their respective fans. And as Genshin Impact fans enjoy the game’s latest update and Sonic fans await the free Sonic Frontiers DLC, both titles look set to keep that joy coming.
Sonic Frontiers is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: How a Sonic Frontiers Sequel Could Improve Upon the First Game
Source: PC Gamer, Reddit
