The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is set to award a number of games and developers with its famed trophies in early April, so a month ahead of the show, we’ve been given our firstlook at the nominations. While indies dominate many of the categories, a few big AAA games have made the cut, too, withUncharted 4being nominated for a number of awards.
The BAFTAs have been celebrating some of the most exciting and innovative games for a number of years now, though often particular standouts each year can receive the nod in more than one category. There’s certainly the potential for that to happen this year, too, as although 50 games have been nominated across 15 categories, some, likeBuy Now,Buy Now,Buy NowandBuy Now, appear in more than one.
Playdead’sInsidehas the chance to take home the most awards, as it has been nominated for Narrative, Original Property, Music, Game Design, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement and the coveted Best Game category. However, it will have to beatUncharted 4in five of those to take home gold. That PS4 exclusive has three nominations for best performance from several of its leading actors.
Frantic indie cooking titleOvercookedhas also been tipped for a few potential wins. It is competing in the British Game, Debut Game, Family and Multiplayer categories, and is facing off against big names likeFirewatch, No Man’s SkyandBattlefield 1across those awards.
While many of the nominations for the big categories aren’t too surprising considering they are all for new and current games, one of the more interesting categories is the AMD Esports Audience Award, which is voted on entirely by the public. It features much older but popular titles likeCounter Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends,andDotA 2. There are some newer games in there, too though, likeOverwatchandStreet Fighter V, as well as freemium mobile titleClash Royale.
The British Academy Games Awards themselves will take place on April 6 in London’s Tobacco Dock, presented by writer and filmmaker Danny Wallace.Tickets can be purchased now for 60 pounds ($73)a piece, or if you’d rather attend virtually, the whole event will be live-streamed onthe official Twitch channel.
