It’s time once again for the big names of the gaming industry to gather for the Bafta Games Awards, which will be held in London later.
Comedian Phil Wang will host the twentieth anniversary of the awards from London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, which the will be covering from the red carpet at 17:00 BST.
Baldur’s Gate 3 and Spider-Man 2 lead the nominations, closely followed by Alan Wake 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
2023 was widely considered to be one of the best years ever in gaming – but who will walk away with a coveted golden mask?
Bafta – the British Academy of Film and Television – is an arts charity primarily known for its film and TV awards, but it has also been celebrating UK gaming talent since 2003.
Back then, Call of Duty – yes, the original one – won Best Game, with awards also going to titles like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Metroid Prime.
Gaming is a big deal in the UK – last year sales topped £4.7bn, external, more than double that of the music industry, according to the digital entertainment and retail association.
And though we will have to wait until this evening to find out this year’s big winners, Bafta has already announced the recipients of two of its awards.
The 2024 Bafta Games Special Award, given to those who have made outstanding contributions to games, has been given to UK charity SpecialEffect for its work since 2007 helping disabled people access gaming.
Meanwhile, as a result of a fan vote, Tomb Raider protagonist Lara Croft has been named the most iconic video game character of all time.
