With his blue jumpsuit, red cap and trademark mustache, Mario is an instantly recognizable character around the world.
But despite his fame, it turns out that Mario is not the most iconic video game character of all time.
Instead, that’s a title that goes to Lara Croft, according to a BAFTA survey.
To celebrate the 20th annual BAFTA Games Awards, the BAFTAs asked over 4,000 gamers from around the world who they thought was the most iconic character.
So is your favorite character on the list?
To celebrate the 20th BAFTA Games Awards, BAFTA asked more than 4,000 gamers from around the world who they thought was the most iconic character.
With his blue jumpsuit, red cap and trademark mustache, Mario is an instantly recognizable character around the world. But despite his fame, it turns out that Mario is not the most iconic video game character of all time.
“Video games have produced some of the most memorable characters of any medium,” BAFTA explained.
“So, in celebration of the 20th BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday, April 11, 2024, we asked for the public’s help to resolve the issue, and more than 4,000 gamers around the world participated in the official BAFTA survey.”
Lara Croft takes the number one spot, having first appeared in Tomb Raider for the Sega Saturn in 1996.
Since then, the character has appeared in an incredible variety of media, including television, film, video games, and even his own immersive live experience in London.
“Lara Croft has appeared in over 15 games, three films, multiple novels and comic book adaptations, and an upcoming Netflix animated series,” BAFTA said.
Mario is next on the list, having been the face of Nintendo for over 40 years.
Created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981, Mario was not originally the star of his own series, but was simply a player character in the Donkey Kong series.
“Since his humble beginnings, Mario has appeared in more than 200 video games, two films and many other multimedia adaptations, including this year’s BAFTA-nominated game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” BAFTA said.
Hitman’s Agent 47 is third on the list, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog and LittleBitPlanet’s Sackboy.
And what list would be complete without Pac-Man?
Lara Croft takes the number one spot, having first appeared in Tomb Raider for the Sega Saturn in 1996.
What list would be complete without Pac-Man? “This little yellow hockey puck has appeared in over 50 games and has been featured in countless other transmedia properties,” BAFTA said.
The Last of Us’s Ellie Williams comes in at number 19, having recently appeared in a television adaptation of the game.
“This little yellow hockey puck has appeared in over 50 games and has been featured in countless other transmedia properties,” BAFTA said.
Other legendary characters featured on the list include Pickahu and Crash Bandicoot, as well as Steve from the Minecraft franchise.
Meanwhile, The Last of Us’ Ellie Williams comes in at number 19, having recently appeared in a TV adaptation of the game.
“The foul-mouthed teenager’s first global introduction was in The Last of Us: American Dreams, a four-issue comic book series that served as a prequel to the game,” BAFTA added.
“Since then, he has starred in sequels and DLC to The Last of Us franchise, as well as the game’s television adaptation in 2023.”