According to the Spiel Des Jahres website, they will be giving out a new Game of the Year award. This one is for the best game for experienced gamers, one that challenges the novice players in different ways than they are used to. The new award has been added due to the change in climate in the gaming market where there is now an increasing demand for more challenging games. The main award will remain just that, the Game of the Year for "all".
This change comes after a few years of special recognition for "gamer's" games that made a splash during the year but didn't have the accessability to be a SDJ winner. Gamers have been increasingly frustrated with the award which is designed to grow the hobby in Germany by getting the winner into as many homes as possible. Will this change be enough to restore the awards to their former luster? Time will tell, but I, for one, am glad to see a more formal recognition of the kinds of games I play.