Seventy-five years ago, the first BAFTA awards ceremony was held in England to recognize the most impressive digital media produced in the previous year. While the BAFTA awards have been going since 1947, the Game Awards only had its first ceremony in 2003. Since then, renowned titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Portal 2 have taken Best Game.
On March 3, BAFTA announced its nominations for the Game Awards ceremony, coming on April 7. As of writing, there have been 16 game nominations with the promise of Performer in a Leading Role and Performer in a Supporting Role nominations coming in a few weeks. Like most award ceremonies, the games are split into multiple categories that recognize different aspects.
These games are voted on by members of the Academy, except for the EE Game of the Year award.
The first category is Animation, which will be recognizing:
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- It Takes Two
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Life is Strange: True Colors
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Next up is Artistic Achievement, which recognizes significant styles like those in:
- The Artful Escape
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Audio Achievement recognizes good soundtracks and outstanding examples of game audio such as:
- The Artful Escape
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Halo Infinite
- Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy
- Returnal
The contenders for Best Game of the year are:
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
The home of BAFTA has its category with British Game:
- Alba: A wWildlife Adventure
- Death’s Door
- Fights in Tight Spaces
- Forza Horizon 5
- Overboard!
- Sable
Next up is the Debut Game category, recognizing first-time creators:
- The Artful Escape
- Eastward
- The Forgotten City
- Genesis Noir
- Maquette
- TOEM
The Evolving Game category is awarded to games that have become more special since their release., and tThe nominees are:
- Among Us
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Apex Legends
- Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
Family games are those that can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter the age:
- Alba: A Wwildlife Adventure
- Chicory: A cColorful Tale
- Forza Horizon 5
- Mario Party Superstars
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Unpacking
Games Beyond Entertainment recognizes games that do more than just entertain players, like:
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Before Your Eyes
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Game Builder Garage
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
Game Design pays respect to exciting and innovative concepts, like in:
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
The best Multiplayer title goes to the game that best brings players together:
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hell Let Loose
- It Takes Two
The Music category recognizes games that emphasize the music in their games:
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Halo Infinite
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
The best Narrative is the award that’s presented to games that tell the best story, like:
- It Takes Two
- Life Is Strange: True Colors
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Psychonauts 2
- Returnal
- Unpacking
The awards for Best Original Property recognize games that come up with ideas in-house, such as:
- Deathloop
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Returnal
- Unpacking
The best Technical Achievement goes to games that can pull off the best innovations in their games:
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hitman 3
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Lastly, the EE Game of the Year is voted for by the public, and the nominees are:
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Deathloop
- The Forgotten City
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread
- Unpacking
According to the press release, It Takes Two leads the awards is first with eight nominations. In a close second with seven is Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. In a tied third with six each areis Psychonauts 2 and Forza Horizon 5.
The ceremony will be held on April 7 and will be once again hosted by Elle Osili-Wood. Elle is ready to deliver a night of fun and video game appreciation as a previous host for brands like Xbox, PlayStation, and Epic Games.
While players eagerly wait for the results to come in, they should vote for EE Game of the Year and make their voices heard — at least in one award category.
