Starry Studio has officially issued a call to arms for all Metas: they are asking the community to nominate Once Human for the "Labor of Love" category in the 2025 Steam Awards. This specific award highlights games that have been out for a while but continue to receive nurturing content updates rather than being abandoned after launch.
A Year of Surviving the Stardust
The "Labor of Love" award is arguably one of the most significant categories for a live-service survival game. Since its release in July 2024, Once Human has navigated a complex post-launch landscape. From stabilizing the servers during the initial rush to expanding the map and refining the territory building mechanics, the game has changed significantly over the last year and a half.
The developers are framing this nomination not just as a studio win, but as a shared victory with the player base. For those of us in the Mayfly faction, the metaphor holds up. Just as we work to establish a new order in a world broken by Starfall, the development team has been working to stabilize the game's ecosystem against bugs, exploits, and content droughts.
Why Does This Nomination Matter?
Steam Awards are entirely community-driven, meaning a nomination is a direct reflection of active player engagement. For a survival MMO, winning or even being nominated for "Labor of Love" signals to potential new players that the game is healthy, supported, and worth the time investment. It validates the grind.
If you feel that the updates throughout 2025—from the content drops to the exploit fixes—have kept the experience fresh, you can head over to the Steam store page to cast your nomination. The team emphasized that this recognition belongs to everyone who has stuck around to fight the Great Ones and survive the anomalies.