The Indie Game Awards has withdrawn its Indie Vanguard honor from Gortyn Code's Chantey shortly after the 2025 ceremony. The decision stems from the game's exclusive physical distribution through ModRetro, a company owned by Palmer Luckey, who also leads the military contractor Anduril Industries. Organizers cited ModRetro's recent announcement of an Anduril-branded handheld as conflicting with their values.
The rescission occurred just days after the Indie Game Awards ceremony on Thursday, where Gortyn Code's Chantey was initially recognized as an Indie Vanguard for its impressive use of GB Studio and as a modern throwback to the Game Boy era.
Chantey's physical cartridge is available solely through ModRetro, founded by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR. Luckey also owns Anduril Industries, an American military contractor. Recently, ModRetro revealed an Anduril-branded version of its Chromatic handheld console, a Game Boy clone constructed from the same metal used in Anduril's attack drones.
In a statement on its FAQ page, the Indie Game Awards explained: "The IGAs nomination committee were unfortunately made aware of ModRetro’s vile nature the day after the 2025 premiere with the news of their horrid and disgusting handheld console. As the company strictly goes against the values of the IGAs, and due to the ties with ModRetro, the Indie Vanguard recognition has also been retracted."
The awards body emphasized that the decision targets ModRetro exclusively and does not reflect on Gortyn Code. It praised Chantey as a "wonderful throwback to the Game Boy era" and encouraged supporters to follow the developer's work on Itch.io. No replacement recipient was named for the honor.
The remaining 2025 Indie Vanguard honorees include Neon Knives, published by Cookiecrayon; Seasonala Cemetery, published by Gabby DaRienzo; HYPERBEAT, published by Dreamware Media; and Wildwood Down, published by Crashable Studios.
