The Game Awards is a big celebration for video games that are put on at the end of every single year. Thousands of viewers watch it every year and so video game developers love to have their own games showcased on it. What's even better is if your own game wins an award. Celeste was among the games that won big in 2018, but apparently never received an actual trophy... at least until it was recovered by a Youtuber who happened to be visiting eBay.
PrestigeIsKey, or Ryan B., is a Youtuber and streamer. He always wanted a replica of the Game Award trophy, so he scoured eBay for the past five years to see if there were any. He ended up coming across a listing for $500 that contained one. After putting in an offer for $375, the seller accepted it and shipped it to Ryan. The seller didn't even deal in video games and its other listings included car parts, mufflers, and engine components. Even on the listing, the seller admitted it had no idea what the trophy's origins were.
When Ryan received the package, the trophy wasn't a replica. It turned out to be the actual trophy that Extremely Ok Games won at the 2018 Game Award for Best Independent Game with Celeste. He then reached out to Heidy Motta, Operations Manager at Extremely Ok Games, and confirmed with her that Celeste's developers never received the trophy.
Ryan decided to ship the trophy back to its rightful owners, but not before doing an unboxing video for it, which Motta agreed to let him do. The box itself has The Game Awards logo, and the inside of the box is covered in smooth black silk. Ryan also mentions that the trophy is heavier than it looks, with most of the weight centered at the base so it could hold up the rest of the award. Additionally, he mentions that the trophy's wingtips were shaper than anticipated, as they are wrapped in foam in order to protect people from its edges.
For his generosity, Ryan says that Extremely Ok Games will offer him signed copies of Celeste, as well as reimburse him for the amount he paid for the eBay listing.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey