The official BAFTA Games Awards 2024 nomination are finally here, and what a spectacular line-up it is. Not that we should be all that surprised considering 2023 was one of the best years for gaming in decades; there were so many exceptional titles vying for our attention.
This year’s awards are especially monumental because it’s the 20th anniversary of the BAFTA Games Awards. Over the years, BAFTA has been at the forefront of showcasing the excellence of video games creatives in the UK and internationally.
Over 40 games were nominated, across 17 different categories. Arguably, the highlight for many will be seeing Baldur’s Gate 3 nominated for 10 awards. Also in the running for a significant number of awards is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with nine nominations, and Alan Wake 2 with eight.
Advert
A few pleasant surprises are among the nominees as well, like Dave the Diver in the running for best game. This indie darling was a hit with players last year because of its colourful design, unique gameplay, and intriguing story. Not ignoring Dave’s loveable personality.
Baldur's Gate 3 is up for several awards, and for good reason
It won’t be an easy battle to win going up against the might of BG3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and other such greats. Nonetheless, it’s amazing to see this beloved title welcomed into this category with open arms.
Advert
When our very own Kate Harrold spoke with Chair of BAFTA Games Committee, Tara Saunders, it was eveident that it wasn't just us gamers who felt the “magic” of 2023. How or why this magic was so potent, even Sauders cannot say.
“Even as a developer myself, I find it really hard to answer,” Saunders admits. “There's just a little bit of magic in the air somehow that led to all of these great games coming out at once. It is the 20th year of BAFTA Game Awards this year [...] so it's really great that we can kind of celebrate this [year] and a big milestone for BAFTA.
“It's likely 2023 will go down in history as one of the best years of new video game releases,” she concluded, and we’re unanimously in agreement.
Here's a full list of the nominees:
Advert
ANIMATION
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertawinment Plc./Epic Games
HI-FI RUSH Development Team - Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
HOGWARTS LEGACY Development Team - Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Games
Advert
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Nathan Dunlap, David Nam, Thomas Cannell - Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Advert
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team - Larian Studio/Larian Studio
COCOON Development Team - Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
DIABLO IV Development Team - Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
FINAL FANTASY XVI Hiroshi Minagawa, Kazuya Takahashi, Naoki Kurihara - SQUARE ENIX - Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
HI-FI RUSH Development Team - Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE III Matt Grimm, Eric Wedemeyer, Robbie Elias - Sledgehammer Games/Activision
HI-FI RUSH Development Team - Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Development Team - Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
BEST GAME
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team - Larian Studio/Larian Studio
DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
BRITISH GAME
CASSETTE BEASTS Development Team - Bytten Studio/Raw Fury
DEAD ISLAND 2 Development Team - Dambuster Studios/PLAION
DISNEY ILLUSION ISLAND Development Team - Dlala Studios/Disney
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2024 Development Team - Sports Interactive/SEGA Europe
VIEWFINDER Development Team - Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing
WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: REALMS OF RUIN Development Team - Frontier Developments/Frontier Developments
DEBUT GAME
COCOON Development Team - Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
DREDGE Development Team - Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
STRAY GODS: THE ROLEPLAYING MUSICAL Development Team - Summerfall Studios/Humble Games
VENBA Abhijeeth Swaminathan, Sam Elkana, Shahrin Khan - Visai Games/Visai Games
VIEWFINDER Development Team - Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing
EVOLVING GAME
CYBERPUNK 2077 Development Team - CD PROJEKT RED/CD PROJEKT RED
FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE Development Team - Creative Business Unit III/Square Enix
FORTNITE Development Team - Epic Games/Epic Games
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team - Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
GENSHIN IMPACT Development Team – HoYoverse/HoYoverse
NO MAN’S SKY Development Team - Hello Games/Hello Games
FAMILY
COCOON Development Team - Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
DISNEY ILLUSION ISLAND Development Team - Dlala Studios/Disney
HI-FI RUSH Development Team - Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
HOGWARTS LEGACY Development Team - Avalanche Software/Warner Bros. Games
SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
CHANTS OF SENNAAR Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel – Rundisc/Focus Entertainment
GOODBYE VOLCANO HIGH Development Team - KO_OP/KO_OP
TCHIA Phil Crifo, Marilou Lopez-Aguilera, Thoanë Thomadra – Awaceb/Kepler Interactive
TERRA NIL Development Team - Free Lives/Devolver Digital
THIRSTY SUITORS Development Team - Outerloop Games/Annapurna Interactive
VENBA Abhijeeth Swaminathan, Sam Elkana, Shahrin Khan - Visai Games/Visai Games
GAME DESIGN
COCOON Development Team - Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive
DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
DREDGE Joel Mason, Alex Ritchie, Nadia Thorn - Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
VIEWFINDER Development Team - Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing
MULTIPLAYER
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team - Larian Studio/Larian Studio
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE III Development Team - Sledgehammer Games/Activision
DIABLO IV Development Team - Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
FORZA MOTORSPORT Development Team - Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios
PARTY ANIMALS Development Team - Recreate Games/Source Technology
SUPER MARIO BROS. WONDER Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MUSIC
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE Development Team – Ubisoft/Ubisoft
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Borislav Slavov - Larian Studio/Larian Studio
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Keith Leary - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Gordy Haab, Stephen Barton - Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
NARRATIVE
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Development Team - Larian Studio/Larian Studio
DREDGE Joel Mason, Alex Ritchie, Nadia Thorne - Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
FINAL FANTASY XVI Kazutoyo Maehiro, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox - SQUARE ENIX - Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR Stig Asmussen, Aaron Contreras, Dori Arazi - Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
NEW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
CHANTS OF SENNAAR Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel – Rundisc/Focus Entertainment
DAVE THE DIVER Development Team – MINTROCKET/MINTROCKET
DREDGE Development Team - Black Salt Games/Team17 Digital
HI-FI RUSH Development Team - Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks
JUSANT Development Team - DON'T NOD/DON'T NOD
VIEWFINDER Development Team - Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing
PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE
AMELIA TYLER as Narrator in Baldur’s Gate 3
CAMERON MONAGHAN as Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
NADJI JETER as Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
NEIL NEWBON as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3
SAMANTHA BÉART as Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3
YURI LOWENTHAL as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
ANDREW WINCOTT as Raphael in Baldur’s Gate 3
DEBRA WILSON as Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
RALPH INESON as Cidolfus “Cid” Telamon in Final Fantasy XVI
SAM LAKE as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2
TONY TODD as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
TRACY WILES as Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
ALAN WAKE 2 Development Team - Remedy Entertainment Plc./Epic Games
FINAL FANTASY XVI Ryota Suzuki, Yasuhiro Yanamoto, Kei Honda - SQUARE ENIX - Creative Business Unit III/SQUARE ENIX
HORIZON CALL OF THE MOUNTAIN Development Team - Guerrilla and Firesprite/Sony Interactive Entertainment
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Development Team - Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Development Team - Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
STARFIELD Development Team - Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks
EE PLAYERS’ CHOICE (voted for by the public)
BALDUR’S GATE 3 Larian Studio/Larian Studio
CYBERPUNK 2077 CD PROJEKT RED/CD PROJEKT RED
FORTNITE Epic Games/Epic Games
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
LETHAL COMPANY Zeekerss/Zeekerss
MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2 Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
At the time of writing, all nominations are correct. BAFTA reserves the right to make changes to the names listed at any time up until 11 April 2024
Featured Image Credit: BAFTA Games AwardsTopics: Baldur's Gate 3, Marvels Spider Man, The Legend Of Zelda, Real Life