Last night in London, the 20th Bafta Games Awards celebrated a year full of critically acclaimed games. Against the backdrop of an unprecedented year of layoffs and studio closures in the gaming industry, as Bafta President Sara Putt acknowledged in her speech at the start of the evening, it was a much-needed night of recognition for the creative efforts of the video game development community.
The sprawling Dungeons & Dragons-inspired role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 won five awards, including the public-voted EE Players’ Choice Award and Best Gameplay, along with Music, Narrative, and Best Performer in a Role. supporting (won by Andrew Wincott for his role). to the diabolical Raphael). Nintendo picked up the family and multiplayer awards for the exuberant Super Mario Bros Wonder, and the technical achievements for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Alan Wake 2, the fascinating and idiosyncratic horror game from Finnish studio Remedy, scored artistic and audio achievements.
Any of the big winners could have won in any other year, but as the nominations showed, 2023 was such a high-quality year for games that the competition in each category was fierce. Dave the Diver, a gorgeous game about a sushi restaurant owner who hunts for his own seafood beneath the waves, won the game design award, and the charming New Caledonia-inspired Tchia won the game beyond entertainment. Venba, an autobiographical cooking game about a family’s experience as immigrants in Canada, won the debut game, beating Dredge, the excellent and disturbing fishing game. Venba designer Abhi used the winner’s speech to call for “a complete ceasefire and an end to the horrible genocide that is still occurring in Palestine.”
The biggest indie winner of the night was Sad Owl Studios’ clever photo puzzler Viewfinder, winner of the British Game and New IP award, which also gave us some of the funniest speeches of the night from its delighted and somewhat overwhelmed team developmental. ending with: “We’d love to make Viewfinder 2, so please give us money.”
Nadji Jeter, who plays Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, won the prestigious award for performer in a leading role, while Cyberpunk 2077 cemented its return from a shaky start to late 2020 by winning the award for best evolving game , and Hi-Fi Rush won best. animation. This year’s special award was presented to special effect, a charity working to create custom settings to open gaming worlds to people with physical disabilities. Its chief executive, Dr Mick Donegan, received the award to a standing ovation.
The complete list of Bafta Games award winners
Animation Hifi fever
artistic achievement Alan Wake 2
Audio achievement Alan Wake 2
The best game Baldur’s Gate 3
british game Viewfinder
debut game Venba
USA players choice Baldur’s Gate 3
Evolving game Cyberpunk 2077
Family Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Game beyond entertainment Tchia
after newsletter promotion
game design Dave the diver
Multiplayer Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Music Baldur’s Gate 3
Narrative Baldur’s Gate 3
New intellectual property Viewfinder
Artist in a leading role. Nadji Jeter and Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Artist in a supporting role. Andrew Wincott as Raphael in Baldur’s Gate 3
special award special effect
technical achievement The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom