British Academy Games Award for Game Design

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
British Academy Video Games Award for Game Design
Awarded forThe best game design that captivates and engages the player
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBAFTA
First awarded2012
Currently held byVampire Survivors
Websitewww.bafta.org/games

The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Design is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best game design that captivates and engages the player", including recognition of elements such as game mechanics, use of controls, level and world structure, and pacing.[1]

The award was first given at the

Nintendo EPD and Ubisoft Montreal hold the record for most nominations among developers, with four each, though the former won in 2017, leaving the latter as the developer with most nominations without a win. Sony Interactive Entertainment lead the publishing nominees, with fifteen nominations and two wins, while Ubisoft
are the publisher with the most nominations without a win, with five.

The current holder of the award is Vampire Survivors by Poncle, which won at the 19th British Academy Games Awards in 2023.

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years are listed as per BAFTA convention, and generally correspond to the year of game release in the United Kingdom.

Table key
Indicates the winner
Year Game Developer(s) Publisher(s) Ref.
(8th)
Portal 2 Valve Valve [2]
Batman: Arkham City Rocksteady Studios
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
L.A. Noire Team Bondi Rockstar Games
LittleBigPlanet 2 Media Molecule
Sony Computer Entertainment
Super Mario 3D Land Nintendo EAD Nintendo
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Bethesda Game Studios Bethesda Softworks
(9th)
Journey Thatgamecompany
Sony Computer Entertainment
[3]
Borderlands 2 Gearbox Software
2K Games
Dishonored Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 3 Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
The Walking Dead Telltale Games Telltale Games
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Firaxis Games
2K Games
(10th)
Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar North Rockstar Games [4]
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
The Last of Us Naughty Dog
Sony Computer Entertainment
Papers, Please 3909 3909
Tearaway Media Molecule Sony Computer Entertainment
Tomb Raider Crystal Dynamics Square Enix
(11th)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Monolith Productions
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
[5]
Alien: Isolation
The Creative Assembly
Sega
Destiny Bungie Activision
Far Cry 4 Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment
Threes!
Sirvo Sirvo
(12th)
Bloodborne FromSoftware
Sony Computer Entertainment
[6]
Grow Home Ubisoft Reflections Ubisoft
Her Story
Sam Barlow
Sam Barlow
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime Asteroid Base Asteroid Base
Rocket League Psyonix Psyonix
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red
CD Projekt
2016

(13th)

Inside
Playdead
Playdead [7]
Battlefield 1
EA DICE
Electronic Arts
Dishonored 2 Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks
Overwatch Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment
Titanfall 2 Respawn Entertainment Electronic Arts
The Witness
Thekla, Inc.
Thekla, Inc.
2017

(14th)

Super Mario Odyssey
Nintendo EPD
Nintendo [8]
Assassin's Creed Origins Ubisoft Montreal Ubisoft
Horizon Zero Dawn Guerrilla Games Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo EPD
Nintendo
NieR: Automata
PlatinumGames Square Enix
What Remains of Edith Finch Giant Sparrow Annapurna Interactive
2018

(15th)

Return of the Obra Dinn Lucas Pope 3909 [9]
Astro Bot Rescue Mission Japan Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
God of War Santa Monica Studio
Celeste Matt Makes Games Inc. Matt Makes Games Inc.
Into the Breach
Subset Games
Subset Games
Minit
JW, Kitty, Jukio, and Dom Devolver Digital
2019

(16th)

Outer Wilds Mobius Digital Annapurna Interactive [10]
Baba Is You Arvi Teikari Hempuli Oy
Control Remedy Entertainment 505 Games
Disco Elysium ZA/UM ZA/UM
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice FromSoftware Activision
Wattam
Funomena
Annapurna Interactive
2020

(17th)

Hades Supergiant Games [11]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Nintendo EPD
Nintendo
Astro's Playroom Japan Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment
Ghost of Tsushima Sucker Punch Productions
The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog
Half-Life: Alyx Valve Corporation
2021

(18th)

Inscryption Daniel Mullins Games Devolver Digital [12]
Deathloop Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks
Forza Horizon 5 Playground Games Xbox Game Studios
It Takes Two Hazelight Studios Electronic Arts
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
Returnal
Housemarque
2022

(19th)

Vampire Survivors Poncle [13]
Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco
God of War Ragnarök Santa Monica Sony Interactive Entertainment
Horizon Forbidden West Guerrilla
Tunic
Finji
Cult of the Lamb Massive Monster Devolver Digital

Multiple nominations and wins

Developers

Developer Nominations Wins
Nintendo EPD/EAD
4 1
Ubisoft Montreal 4 0
Arkane Studios 3 0
FromSoftware 3 0
Blizzard Entertainment 2 0
Guerrilla Games 2 0
Japan Studio 2 0
Media Molecule 2 0
Naughty Dog 2 0
Santa Monica Studio 2 0
Valve 2 1

Publishers

Developer Nominations Wins
Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment 15 2
Ubisoft 5 0
Bethesda Softworks 4 0
Nintendo 4 1
Annapurna Interactive 3 1
Devolver Digital 3 1
Electronic Arts 3 0
2k Games
2 0
3909 2 1
Activision 2 0
Blizzard Entertainment 2 0
Rockstar Games 2 1
Square Enix 2 0
Valve 2 1
Warner Bros Interactive
2 1

References

  1. ^ "British Academy Games Awards Rules and Guidelines 2015" (PDF). British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Games in 2012". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Games in 2013". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Games in 2014". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Games in 2015". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  6. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (7 April 2016). "Fallout 4 wins Best Game at 2016 BAFTA Game Awards". VG247. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Games in 2017 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  8. ^ "What Remains of Edith Finch wins Bafta's top games award". BBC. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. ^ Fox, Chris; Kleinman, Zoe (4 April 2019). "God of War wins best game at Bafta Awards". BBC. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  10. BAFTA
    . 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  11. ^ "2021 Games Game Design". BAFTA Awards. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  12. ^ "2022 BAFTA Games Awards Winners". 3 March 2022.
  13. ^ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners". BAFTA Games Awards. 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.

External links