Non-player characters, especially in first-person games, can often be more interesting than the protagonist, and certain games thrive because of the big cast of colorful companions you meet along the way. Xbox and 20th Century Studios are recognizing those characters--sort of--with the first Xbox Game Pass Non-Player Character Awards, hosted by Ryan Reynolds, who also just happens to be nominated. That seems fair.
Ryan Reynolds won't actually get to decide who wins the award, however--that comes down to the fans. Alongside Reynold's character Guy in Free Guy, the other nominees are Samuel Hayden from the two recent Doom games, Parvati Holcomb from The Outer Worlds, and Chief Trader Mollie from Sea of Thieves. Yes, all of those games are from Xbox first-party studios, so we are calling shenanigans.
Oddly, some major Xbox characters aren't included in the poll, like Cortana from Halo, Captain Keyes from Halo, Sergeant Avery Johnson from Halo, 343 Guilty Spark from Halo, Dr. Halsey from Halo, or Thomas Lasky from Halo.
It’s time to show NPCs the appreciation they deserve. There's even a whole, movie about it, @FreeGuyMovie.
— Xbox (@Xbox) July 28, 2021
THE @XboxGamePass #NPCAWARDS ARE OFFICIALLY HERE!!
Cast your vote below. #FreeGuy hits theaters Aug 13: https://t.co/fSdt8UT5wt
You have until August 3 to cast your vote, and we'll presumably hear Ryan Reynolds reveal that he won the contest after that point. Free Guy will then release in theaters on August 13 (yes, the movie isn't even out yet) after a long delay caused by the COVID pandemic. In the film, Reynolds' character Guy realizes he's an NPC in a video game similar to Grand Theft Auto, and he decides to no longer stay passive. Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, and Get Out star Lil Rel Howery are also in the film.