BAFTA Games Awards in 2023 programme

EE FULL FIBRE MINIMUM LAG FOR MAXIMUM FUN

EE Full Fibre lets you fully focus on the game, instead of getting caught up in a glitch-fest. It means you can experience every checkpoint, map and battle without any worries about lag.

As President of BAFTA, I’d like to welcome you to this evening’s Awards, celebrating the best in creative and technical excellence in the screen arts over the past year.

As well as celebrating today’s success, BAFTA is uniquely placed to inspire creativity and provide opportunities for the next generation to tell their own stories, and

I am proud that supporting talented people from all backgrounds to unlock their potential remains central to the organisation’s mission. Whether through its career development initiatives such as BAFTA Elevate, which is currently focussed on discovering and supporting aspiring producers from under-represented backgrounds, or through its ongoing bursary and scholarship programmes, which provide financial support to those starting out on their creative journey.

I share BAFTA’s belief that great storytelling can be lifechanging and I fully support its ongoing commitment to secure a more representative, inclusive and innovative future for the film, games and television industries.

HRH The Prince of Wales, kg kt President of BAFTA

Welcome to the 2023 BAFTA Games Awards...

...celebrating an incredible year in storytelling, craft and performance. The 45 nominated games demonstrate the tremendous array of creative ingenuity in this industry. From complex emotional narratives to gripping action-packed blockbusters and everything in between, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. As a British academy within a global industry, it’s also inspiring to see so much bright UK talent given the spotlight on the world stage.

Recognising excellence in games is central to BAFTA’s mission as an arts charity. We seek to inspire current and future creatives and ensure they are given every opportunity to thrive in the film, games and television industries, regardless of their background and life experience.

In all activity, from the Awards to our yearround talent development programme, including Young Game Designers and Breakthrough, we strive to level the playing field. With the support and expertise of our members, we promote best practice in all areas of representation, sustainability and professionalism. We all believe in the power of film, games and television to entertain, inform, engage and transform. Whether celebrating those at the top of their form or nurturing the talent of the future, BAFTA’s support can make a difference.

Huge congratulations to our brilliant nominees. We hope you all enjoy this night of celebration.

Krishnendu Majumdar Chief Executive Chair of BAFTA Officer of BAFTA

Jane Millichip

Frankie Ward is one of esport’s most popular presenters and hosts, offering an engaging mix of expert knowledge, charming wit and clear enthusiasm for games. Over the last few years, she’s become a familiar face on the global esports circuit, having presented and reported from countless Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), League of Legends, PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds), Overwatch, Call of Duty (COD), Dota (Defense of the Ancients), and mobile games events.

Ward started out in the industry at the BBC as a digital producer. A chance to cover a League of Legends World Championships online show in 2015 introduced her to esports and its appeal proved infectious. She moved to Twitch in 2016, producing shows at the likes of Gamescom, occasionally

standing in for hosts who needed a break from the long broadcast hours. She was also freelancing as a co-host on Ginx TV’s The Bridge, covering various different games weekly and earning valuable live presenting experience.

Redundancy from Twitch in 2018 would have been a setback for some, but Ward took it as an opportunity to jump head first into presenting full-time, notably winning the UK Esports Awards’ Presenter of the Year in 2018 and 2019. Now, she can add hosting the BAFTA Games Awards to her growing resumé.

“I can’t believe I get the honour of being part of the Awards this year,” Ward says. “Games are entertainment’s best medium for connection, and I’m so excited to celebrate the people who bring the world together with their creative and technical achievements.”

Interviewing Young Game Designers competition winner Jasmine Guan at the BAFTA YGD 2022 Showcase

TAKING Centre

STAGE

frankie ward takes a break from esports to be this year’s bafta games awards ceremony host.

PORTRAIT: BAFTA/Matt Lacey; IMAGE: BAFTA/Quetzal Maucci

the

Boundaries

THE FELLOWSHIP: SHUHEI YOSHIDA

WORDS: Aoife Wilson | PORTRAIT: Supplied by recipient | IMAGES: M Bowles/Getty Images, Anthony Harvey/BAFTA/Shutterstock, BAFTA, BAFTA/Hannah Taylor

“We had no idea PlayStation would become such a longstanding global business.”

sony executive and passionate gamer shuhei yoshida adds bafta’s highest honour to his remarkable list of gamechanging achievements.

How would Shuhei Yoshida like to be remembered? “A passionate and infectious gamer executive with some humour,” he says, with a measure of his trademark humility. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of meeting Yoshida, affectionately dubbed Shu by his many fans, has only positive things to say about the renowned games executive, developer and producer. A Sony veteran of 37 years, Yoshida is recognised as one of the driving forces behind the success of PlayStation. This evening he receives the BAFTA Fellowship for his outstanding services to the industry.

Yoshida began working for Sony in April 1986, and eventually joined Ken Kutaragi’s team as they were developing the original PlayStation in February 1993. As lead account manager, Yoshida headed up the platform’s third party licensing programme, signing studios up to have their games published on the console. “We were a small venture company within Sony,” he recalls. “Though we were a new entrant to the games industry, we believed in the

Top: Talking at UK games expo EGX in 2015; Middle: The PlayStation crew, including Herman Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, and Greg Rice, head of PlayStation Creators, attend the Awards in 2022; Bottom: Sending a message to the Young Game Designers during lockdown for the YGD Awards in 2020

innovation we were bringing. Our initial goal was ‘To sell through 1m units in Japan’, and when we achieved that within a few months, we still had no idea PlayStation would become such a long-standing global business.”

He then moved from account management into production, working on such PlayStation classics as Crash Bandicoot (1996), Ape Escape, The Legend of Dragoon (both 1999) and Ico (2001), among others. In 2008, Yoshida was appointed president of SIE’s Worldwide Studios, and under his leadership the division went from strength to strength, publishing world-class blockbusters and BAFTA winners, including God of War (2005-), Uncharted (2007-2017), The Last of Us (2013), Bloodborne (2015), Horizon Zero Dawn (2017), Marvel’s SpiderMan (2018), Ghost of Tsushima (2020) and Journey (2012) – one of Yoshida’s personal favourites.

In late 2019, Yoshida stepped down as president to become head of PlayStation’s new Global Indies initiative. A project close to his heart, it seeks to spotlight and support the best of the best indie games on the platform as well as the indie community as a whole.

Below and Opposite: At the Nominees’ Party and Awards in 2022

Although he has left an indelible mark on the industry as a developer and producer, Yoshida is perhaps best known and loved by the players as a top executive who genuinely loves and celebrates games. Go to any Twitter thread or video comments section where Yoshida is the subject, and you’re guaranteed to find nothing but respect and admiration for the man who players see as an ambassador for the industry. Yet for all his achievements and decades of experience, Yoshida remains resolutely modest. “BAFTA’s other Fellows are incredibly talented people. I hope I did something worthy for the industry to be included in such an amazing group.”

Read the full interview: bafta.org/about/awards-brochures

“BAFTA’s other Fellows are incredibly talented people.”

Content Content BONUS BONUS BONUS

bafta has teamed up with a squad of influential streamers for some very special events.

BAFTA has joined forces with a diverse selection of streamers for this year’s Awards. Eight key content creators have been selected to help BAFTA reach players through their own ardent Twitch communities. Some are up-and-coming, some are more established, but with a combined following of more than 10 million worldwide, they will all help champion the nominated games and our story to their diverse communities.

If you watched the nominations livestream on 2 March, you will have already met Tubbo, CaptainPuffy, Leahviathan and Sharese, who offered their immediate thoughts on the

games to host Julia Hardy. Ebonix, Lomadiah, ReadySetBen and SinowBeats (dubbed the BAFTA Games Squad) also reacted live via their own channels, and will be doing the same for the Awards, too. The Squad members also took part in the BAFTA Games Challenge on their own channels, providing an opportunity for their communities to discover the nominated games in an engaging and fun way. Our influencers were all given accreditation to the W.A.S.D. games festival and were invited to our Nominees’ Party, too.

“We want to take the message of what BAFTA is all about to games audiences in an authentic way,” says BAFTA’s head of games, Luke Hebblethwaite.

“Reaching games communities through people they trust, and

Clockwise from top left: CaptainPuffy, Leahviathan, Tubbo and Sharese

through a format they know well, means we can help bring our Awards and the BAFTA mission to new audiences in a meaningful way. It’s crucial we reflect the diversity of the games audience, so we are delighted to host such a vibrant and distinct group of streamers, each with their own active and energised communities.”

The Challenge streams were part of a packed schedule of events in the week leading up to the Awards. These included the Games Sessions Open Day, where BAFTA 195 opened its doors to industry practitioners and the public for a day full of activities: inspiring panel talks from the nominees; an audio-visual exhibition of the nominees in the Music category, hosted by The Console Show’s

Luci Holland from Scala Radio; and an expo of nominated games. BAFTA also hosted two online Q&As with nominated talent for BAFTA members.

“As an arts charity, we host our Awards to create that singular moment where the industry and audience come together to celebrate the best games of the year, recognise the impact they have on our lives and culture and champion the many creative talents that go into making them,” concludes Hebblethwaite. “Ultimately, we wanted this campaign to help spread that message, build momentum and open up new ways for players, fans and the wider world to join us in celebrating our outstanding nominees in a fun and accessible way.”

“We want to take the message of what BAFTA is all about to games audiences in an authentic way.”

“We want to take the message of what BAFTA is all about to games audiences in an authentic way.”

The BAFTA Games Squad (clockwise from top left): Ebonix, Lomadiah, SinowBeats and ReadySetBen

COVER STORY: EVERY ONE IS

Unique

this awards programme is a one of a kind. here’s why...

You may not have realised it but this programme is unique. No two covers are the same. Created by an innovative new software called HP Spark, it features elements randomly selected from our Awards key artwork to create something new. The artwork (above) captures the array of crafts recognised at these Awards, as well as the iconic architecture of London’s Southbank.

The singular elements of the cover combine to form the full artwork, which represents the originality and creativity of individuals combining to invigorate the wider industry. With a more diverse pool of talent, the more varied, provocative and engaging that creativity will be, cultivating greater representation and inspiring more unheard voices to make great works.

Improving inclusivity and diversity is a priority for BAFTA and, as a leading advisor on important social impact causes, we can help level the playing field for talented people to succeed in the screen industries, regardless of their background. As an arts academy representing film, games and television, we are also in a unique position to share resources and learnings across sectors and positively impact the future of our industries. As our Awards illustrate each year, the

landscape is ever-evolving, and BAFTA’s work must be too, taking stock of the progress we’ve made and where we need to do more.

Film, games and television expand our understanding of the world, while sharing stories, making connections and learning from others is a fundamental part of the human equation.

Tonight is about recognising the great storytellers of our time and inspiring the voices of the future. Let’s celebrate them all.

Art by Abigail Bills

FOR

CLIMATE Change

when it comes to the environment, we all have a part to play, bafta included.

We are in the midst of an environmental crisis, and we all have a responsibility to act fast to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

The innovators and creative pathfinders BAFTA celebrates tonight are on the cutting edge of creating a new and better way of making and distributing big and small screen content. Sustainability isn’t just about change, it’s about improvement – it’s about excellence.

BAFTA’s Awards ceremonies are also striving to match this standard of excellence. From food to branding materials, we want to ensure all our ceremonies are as sustainable as possible. Not only does the new venue, The Royal Festival Hall,

Sustainability isn’t just about change, it’s about improvementit’s about excellence.

PHOTOS: BAFTA/Carlo Paloni; BAFTA/Scott Garfitt

allow us to hold both ceremony and dinner in one place, it also means we can reuse a lot of the unseen (but essential) materials that support the stage, sets and other event areas.

We have also committed to: reusing the set at future Awards; using greener Stage V generators to reduce air pollution; investing in local suppliers and crew to limit emissions from travel; switching to LED lighting; and crafting the dinner from seasonal and locally-sourced produce, with any food waste re-used in agriculture.

There’s a long way to go, but standing still isn’t an option.

The BAFTA albert consortium was created to help the film and TV industry lead the way in tackling the most important issue of our time. Launched as a carbon calculator in 2011, albert has become a hub for the screen industries worldwide to make their content pipelines sustainable and to inspire and educate audiences. Together, with albert, we can create a better industry and build a brighter future.

Find out how to play your part at: wearealbert.org

who ’ s albert ? we are

WIN Playing to

a mix of images from last year’s bafta games awards, from the red carpet to behind the scenes.

– Tim Schafer, Original Property citation reader in 2022 and BAFTA Fellowship recipient (2018)

“Our future [is bright] as long as we follow our inspiration and create at the speed of our imaginations.”

PHOTOS: BAFTA/Carlo Paloni; BAFTA/Scott Garfitt; BAFTA/Hannah Taylor

Opposite: Tim Schafer prepares to present the Original Property award to It Takes Two; This page, top left: Citation reader Jay-Ann Lopez presented Game Beyond Entertainment to Before Your Eyes’ Graham Parkes and Oliver Lewin (pictured left); Above: Citation reader Anjali Bhimani with Performer in a Supporting Role winner, Kimberly Brooks, for Psychonauts 2; Below: Deathloop voice actors Jason Kelley and Ozioma Akagha were co-nominees for Performer in a Leading Role

From top: Games Committee member Anisa Sanusi with Melanin Games’ Annabel

Ashalley-Anthony and games journalist Shay Thompson; Returnal’s Jane Perry wins Performer in a Leading Role; Lucas Gullbo and Niklas

Mikkelsen, with the rest of the Something We Made team, win Debut Game for TOEM

From top: The Housemarque team celebrate winning Audio Achievement, Music, Performer in a Leading Role and Best Game for Returnal; Unpacking’s Wren Brier and Tim Dawson win EE Game of the Year, they also won Narrative; Jennifer Hale and son joke with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s Adam Noonchester and Patrick Michalak after the game’s wins for Animation and Technical Achievement

Role LEADING l

in october 2022, bafta welcomed its first new ceo in more than 20 years. jane millichip reflects on the past, the present and the promise for the uk’s world-renowned academy and arts charity.

PORTRAITS: BAFTA/Sophia Spring; IMAGES: BAFTA/Carlo Paloni; Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA; BAFTA/Scott Garfitt; Lia Toby/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA

“If we can use the oxygen of awards publicity to encourage the public to go to the cinema, engage in gaming or watch TV, that’s a job well done.”

Over its 76 year history, BAFTA has grown from a bespoke arts organisation to a world-leading academy and awards body, a charity with a remit to support, develop and promote the screen arts, and a membership organisation for practitioners in film, games and television. It also has sustainability, technology and hospitality businesses under its roof.

This is a legacy that new CEO, Jane Millichip, holds in high regard: “I am keenly aware that I stand on the shoulders of the brilliant staff and non-exec advisers, past and present, who have poured their hearts and souls into BAFTA. And it’s a real honour to lead BAFTA on this next stage of the journey.”

Millichip started her career in magazine journalism, and, after writing about everything from

cars to football to media, she transitioned into television in the late 90s. Since then she has worked in production, distribution and commissioning, in the UK and New Zealand, and last year exited Sky after nine years, during which she built Sky’s production company portfolio and distribution business, later becoming chief content officer for Sky Studios. “Ultimately, storytelling is the thread that weaves through my career, as a journalist, producer and here at BAFTA,” says Millichip. “We all hope to eke out the truth about the human condition whether through news or narrative form.”

Acknowledging great storytellers through the peer recognition of the BAFTA awards system is key to its mission. “Acknowledgment of excellence

Enjoying the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2022

is a significant part of our purpose, and our awards also serve to inspire future filmmakers, game designers and TV creators,” says Millichip. “And if we can also use the oxygen of publicity from our awards to encourage the public to go to the cinema, engage in a progressive gaming community or watch watercooler, game-changing TV, that’s a job well done.”

Connecting the Awards to BAFTA’s charitable remit is vital for Millichip. “Core to our work as a charity is that we create programmes that provide access, development, connections, mentoring and funding for those in society who might otherwise face barriers to entry and progression, either through systemic biases or socioeconomic challenges.”

She continues: “It’s important that this work feeds into our awards system, which, following a significant review in 2020, aims to level the playing

“It’s essential we remain relevant and representative for all.”

field for all films and creators, regardless of marketing budget, background or life experience. It’s essential we remain relevant and representative for all.”

As for the future of BAFTA, can Millichip offer any thoughts on what awaits on the horizon?

“Where to begin? There’s so much to do. We will continue to rally, advocate and cheerlead for our creative community in film, games and television, both within the industry and with the wider public. We will continue to provide opportunity for the underrepresented, to provide guidance on best practice in our industries and to acknowledge great work through our Awards. We will push for carbon reduction through our sustainability arm, albert, with a progressive carbon calculation and certification programme. Oh yes, and we are working on our editorial greening initiative, Planet Placement, to encourage storytellers to adopt environmentally positive narratives.

“As I said, there’s a lot to do.”

Opposite from top: With Baz

Luhrmann for his A Life In Pictures; Introducing the BAFTA Academy Circle with Joanna Scanlan; With BAFTA Young

Presenter Maryam Drammeh at the BAFTA Children & Young People Awards

Over the past few years, BAFTA has been re-evaluating and rationalising its children’s activity. We know from their participation in our existing programme – which includes Young Game Designers (YGD), Young Presenters and our UK-wide schools and festival roadshows – that there is an incredible appetite for the screen arts among children and young people. Learning about the crafts that go into making their favourite films, games and TV can be inspiring, and we hope will eventually translate into future industry careers.

Helping young people develop the life skills they might need for any career is crucial for their

own personal growth, which will also benefit society.

“We want to open their eyes to opportunity and potential,” says Lisa Prime, BAFTA’s head of children and young people. “Although we can’t expect every child to want to work in the screen industries, those who do will be at a significant disadvantage without a strong foundation in creativity. It’s an important skill: it’s good for developing transferable skills and thought processes, mental wellbeing and self-expression. Inspiring future career opportunities in the screen industries is at the heart of what we do, but we’d be failing a lot of children if it wasn’t about more than that.”

bafta’s children & young people programme is about more than inspiring the talent of the future...

IMAGES: BAFTA/Scott Garfitt; BAFTA/Amy Muir; BAFTA/Trevaughn Omari; BAFTA/Quetzal Maucci

BAFTA has now split its YGD and Young Presenters competitions into two age groups, allowing older teens a better opportunity to ask the experts for advice. We’ve introduced a full weekend of activities around YGD and the Children & Young People’s Awards, providing unique opportunities to interact with BAFTAnominated talent. Our regional school visits have involved local screen talent, demonstrating that you don’t have to live in London

to work in film, games or television. We’re also developing a new initiative for the 10-18 age group called Young Creators. “There was a gap in our programme for teens,” states Prime, “so we’ve tried to be better at joining up the dots... Being imaginative, telling our own stories, that’s all part of being human, isn’t it? Giving children and young people the tools to do that is a big part of what we do now.”

Clockwise from top left: Young Presenter Samaira Iqbal with Ben Shires at the Young Creators Day; Forth Valley College students take part in a BAFTA Scotland Key Skills Session; The YGD Showcase; The Children & Young People Festival; Opposite: Young Presenters 2022

THE OF

Future GAMES

meet the winners of the bafta young game designers competition in 2022, potentially the game changers of the future...

BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) is a year-round initiative of public events, workshops and a competition to inspire and support young people to create, develop and present their new game ideas to the world.

Last year, BAFTA underscored its commitment to nurture the next generation of creative games talent by joining forces with education organisation NextGen Skills Academy (NextGen). The collaboration will deliver YGD masterclasses to 650 Further Education

students, with YGD embedded into the NextGen Games, Animation and VFX Skills courses at more than 15 colleges across England.

These courses will encourage greater involvement in the YGD competition, which culminates each year with the BAFTA YGD Awards. The Awards have two categories – Game Concept and Game Design –which are divided into two age groups: 10 to 14-year-olds and 15 to 18-year-olds.

So, if you want an idea of who might be the future of the games industry then look no further than the incredible 2022 YGD winners, selected from 54 amazing finalists by an expert industry jury:

Game Concept (10-14 years old)

Jasmine Guan, aged 13

Tiled in Twilight

Game Making (10-14)

Alfie Wilkinson, 14

Egglien

Game Concept (15-18)

Jaime Williams, 18

Carrier Pigeon: World Tour

Game Making (15-18)

Andrew Ah-Weng, 15

Space Boids

The winning games are all featured in the prestigious Power UP exhibition at the Science Museum in London and the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, attracting more than 199,000 visitors annually. The winners and all the finalists also have access to masterclasses and mentorship from games industry professionals, as part of BAFTA’s commitment to accessible pathways into games.

Find out more: ygd.bafta.org

Above: The winning games, from top: Tiled in Twilight; Egglien, Carrier Pigeon: World Tour and Space Boids; Below: YGD 2022 host Inel Tomlinson

THE BREAKTHROUGH CLUB

this year marks the 10th anniversary of one of bafta’s leading initiatives, breakthrough, supporting emerging talent to take the next rung up the ladder.

Above: The current 2022 UK cohort; Below: the original 2013 cohort

Creating something original that resonates with others is hard enough. But doing that again and again is even harder. It was to help overcome barriers that impact progression that BAFTA’s Breakthrough initiative was launched.

Over the course of a year, successful applicants receive bespoke support and advice, as well as mentorship and BAFTA membership, with all the unique perks that this provides. The initiative covers all three screen arts (film, games and television)

“They are all creatively talented people who deserve further attention.”

PHOTOS: BAFTA/Sophia Spring; BAFTA/Jessie Craig; BAFTA/Jessica Chou; BAFTA/Ian Derry; BAFTA

and actively encourages applications from talented practitioners from different backgrounds and experience. This year Breakthrough celebrates 10 years of activity, having supported more than 240 incredibly talented individuals over the course of the past decade.

“Breakthrough has always been about recognising that people sometimes struggle to translate their breakthrough moment into a long career,” says Tim Hunter, BAFTA’s executive director of learning, inclusion policy and membership. “It can be tricky – you get all this attention around being a new voice, but then how do you translate that into other opportunities? We wanted to support those people to do that, as well as make sure they are diverse and from different backgrounds... They are all creatively talented people who deserve further attention.”

The initiative has evolved over the years, and having originally launched in the UK in 2013 is now active in the US and India, too. The crafts represented have also expanded. In the early years, applications were dominated by performers and producers, perhaps because they are more experienced at pitching their abilities to others.

As the initiative has grown within the screen industries’ consciousness, so too have the recommendations, with represented crafts now including editors, writers, quality analysts, cinematographers, hair and make-up artists, programmers, technical artists and more.

“Breakthrough was more about making introductions at the start,” explains Hunter. “Now we offer more pastoral care, with support for such things as networking skills, resilience,

confidence building. We realised not everybody is as equally able to take the opportunities that Breakthrough presents. They may have imposter syndrome or be a naturally shy person who finds networking difficult.

“Our offer is very bespoke: we sit down with each of them individually at the beginning and ask them what their particular

barriers to progression are. It’s about more than just being in the right room with the right people. We want them to think of BAFTA as their mentor, who can offer a supportive hand as well as open our contacts book to help propel their careers to the next level.”

bafta breakthrough is supported by netflix

Top: Four of the stars from 2015; Above: The 2022 India cohort; Opposite: The 2022 US cohort

NOT JUST

Awards!

bafta’s all-year round work goes far beyond its globally recognised awards. here is just a small snapshot of the incredible events and vital initiatives we ran in 2022, supporting film, games and television.

Top: Composers Hildur Guðnadóttir and Sam Slater Q&A with host Siddh Bhatnagar for a Music of Games online event; Below left: Hyper Luminal Games’ Katy Wood (3D artist) and Phoebe Anderson (game designer) present at a BAFTA Scotland Key Skills Session in Stirling; Below right: Experiencing VR at BAFTA Cymru’s His Dark Materials S3 Preview and Q&A

IMAGES: BAFTA; BAFTA/Amy Muir; BAFTA Cymru; BAFTA/Charlie Clift; BAFTA/Christina Ebenezer; BAFTA/Gabriel Bush; BAFTA/Jordan Anderson; BAFTA/Rachell Smith; BAFTA/Alecsandra Dragoi; BAFTA/Scott Garfitt; BAFTA/Sophia Spring; BAFTA/Vivek Vadoliya; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for BAFTA

Returnal masterclass with director Harry Kreuger and performer Jane Perry

Julia Hardy hosts a YGD Into Film Northern Ireland event in Belfast

Writer-director Ryan Coogler portrait for his David Lean Lecture

A costume design masterclass with PC Williams

Jess Mabel Jones and 2022 Breakthrough Leon Harrop on stage at the BAFTA Masterclass: Inclusive Storytelling and Production

Kate Hudson portrait at her A Life in Pictures event

Actors David Proud and Julia Fernandez discuss Accessible Productions at Guru Live

Margot Robbie portrait for her A Life in Pictures

Networking opportunities at BAFTA North America’s Garden Party

Big Zuu at the Big Zuu’s Big Eats television masterclass

Lena Dunham portrait for this year’s Screenwriters Lecture Series

In 1865, The Langham, London first opened its doors. Recognised as Europe’s first ‘Grand Hotel’, it sought to revolutionise the luxury hotel experience.

157 years later, many things have changed, but the hotel remains one of the world’s most iconic hotels — famed for its legendary hospitality. Along with an innovative spirit and playful heritage, The Langham, London continues to captivate and delight its guests with personalised, attentive service.

1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London W1B 1JA

T (44) 020 7636 1000

F (44) 020 7323 2340

langhamhotels.com/london

call of duty : modern warfare ii

Mark Grigsby, Bruce Ferris, Khoa Le Infinity Ward/ Activision Publishing, Inc

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Bruno Velazquez, Erica Pinto, Mehdi Yssef

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon forbidden west

Development Team

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

lego star wars : the skywalker saga

Development Team

TT Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

sifu

Development Team

Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive

stray

Jophray Mikolajczyk, Jean-Marie Vouillon, Simon Jacquart

BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Raf Grassetti, Dan McKim, Eric Valdes

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortality

Doug Potts, Stephanie Reese, Kerry Hennessy

Half Mermaid Productions/

Half Mermaid Productions

pentiment

Hannah Kennedy, Soojin Paek

Obsidian Entertainment/

Xbox Game Studios

a plague tale :

requiem

Development Team

Asobo Studio/

Focus Entertainment

tunic

Development Team

TUNIC Team/FINJI

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Jodie Kupsco, Michael Kent, Sean LaValle

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon

forbidden west

Development Team

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive

Entertainment

metal : hellsinger

Elvira Björkman, Nicklas Hjertberg

The Outsiders/ Funcom Oslo AS

a plague tale : requiem

Development Team

Asobo Studio/

Focus Entertainment

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

tunic

Development Team

TUNIC Team/FINJI

AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT

cult of the lamb

Development Team

Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

Eric Williams, Chad Cox, Yumi Yang

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

marvel snap

Development Team

Second Dinner Studios/ Nuverse

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

vampire survivors

Development Team

poncle/poncle

BEST GAME

citizen sleeper

Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy

Jump Over the Age/ Fellow Traveller

olliolli world

Development Team

Roll7/Private Division

rollerdrome

Development Team

Roll7/Private Division

total war : warhammer iii

Development Team

Creative Assembly/SEGA

two point campus

Development Team

Two Point Studios/SEGA

vampire survivors

Development Team

poncle/poncle

BRITISH GAME

as dusk falls

Caroline Marchal, Charu Desodt

INTERIOR/NIGHT/ Xbox Game Studios

the case of the golden idol

Andrejs Klavinš, Ernests Klavinš

. . . .

Color Gray Games/Playstack

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

trombone champ

Development Team

Holy Wow Studios/ Holy Wow Studios

tunic

Development Team

TUNIC Team/FINJI

vampire survivors

Development Team poncle/poncle

DEBUT GAME

apex legends

Development Team

Respawn/Electronic Arts

dreams

Development Team

Media Molecule/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

the elder scrolls online

Development Team

ZeniMax Online Studios/ Bethesda Softworks

final fantasy xiv online

Development Team

Creative Business Unit III/ Square Enix

forza horizon 5

Development Team

Playground Games/ Xbox Game Studios

no man ’ s sky

Development Team

Hello Games/Hello Games

EVOLVING GAME

WARNER BROS. GAMES & TT GAMES ARE PROUD TO BE NOMINATED AT THE 2023 BAFTA GAMES AWARDS

disney dreamlight valley

Development Team

Gameloft/Gameloft

lego star wars : the skywalker saga

Development Team

TT Games/Warner Bros.

Interactive Entertainment

nintendo switch sports

Development Team

Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

kirby and the forgotten land

Development Team

HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

mario + rabbids sparks of hope

Development Team Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris/Ubisoft

teenage mutant ninja turtles : shredder ’ s revenge

Development Team

Tribute Games/Dotemu

citizen sleeper

Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy Jump Over the Age/ Fellow Traveller

endling - extinction is forever

Development Team Herobeat Studios/ HandyGames

gibbon : beyond the trees

Development Team Broken Rules/Broken Rules

i was a teenage exocolonist

Development Team Northway Games/FINJI

not for broadcast

Development Team

NotGames/tinyBuild

we ’ ll always have paris

Marina Sciberras, Duncan Steele Cowleyfornia Studios/ Cowleyfornia Studios

GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT

cult of the lamb

Development Team

Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Jason McDonald, Andrew Chrysafidis, Luis Sanchez

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon

forbidden west

Development Team

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

tunic

Development Team

TUNIC Team/FINJI

vampire survivors

Development Team

poncle/poncle

GAME DESIGN

call of duty : modern warfare ii

Development Team

Infinity Ward/ Activision Publishing, Inc

ea sports fifa 23

Development Team

EA Vancouver, EA Romania/ EA SPORTS

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

overwatch 2

Development Team

Blizzard Entertainment/ Blizzard Entertainment

splatoon 3

Development Team

Nintendo/Nintendo

teenage mutant ninja turtles : shredder ’ s revenge

Development Team

Tribute Games/Dotemu

cupheadthe delicious last course

Kristofer Maddigan Studio MDHR/ Studio MDHR

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Bear McCreary, Keith Leary, Peter Scaturro

Santa Monica Studio/

Sony Interactive Entertainment

a plague tale : requiem

Olivier Derivière

Asobo Studio/

Focus Entertainment

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

tunic

Lifeformed, Janice Kwan

TUNIC Team/FINJI

MUSIC

citizen sleeper

Gareth Damian Martin, Jump Over the Age/ Fellow Traveller immortality

Sam Barlow, Amelia Gray, Allan Scott

Half Mermaid Productions/

Half Mermaid Productions

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Matt Sophos, Richard Gaubert

Santa Monica Studio/

Sony Interactive Entertainment

pentiment

Josh Sawyer, Kate Dollarhyde, Zoe Franznick

Obsidian Entertainment/ Xbox Game Studios

a plague tale : requiem

Writing Team

Asobo Studio/

Focus Entertainment

stray

Writing Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

citizen sleeper

Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy

Jump Over the Age/ Fellow Traveller

cult of the lamb

Development Team

Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/

BANDAI NAMCO Europe

sifu

Development Team

Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

vampire survivors

Development Team

poncle/poncle

alain mesa

Alejandro Vargas

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

charlotte mcburney

Amicia de Rune A Plague Tale: Requiem

christopher judge

Kratos

God of War Ragnarök

siobhan williams

Laura

The Quarry

manon gage

Marissa

Marcel

Immortality

sunny suljic

Atreus

God of War Ragnarök

PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE

adam j harrington

Sindri

God of War Ragnarök

alison jaye

Alva

Horizon Forbidden West

charlotta mohlin

The One IMMORTALITY

laya deleon hayes

Angrboða

God of War Ragnarök

danielle bisutti

Freya

God of War Ragnarök

ryan hurst

Thor

God of War Ragnarök

elden ring

Development Team

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war

ragnar Ö k

Josh Hobson, Jon Burke

Santa Monica Studio/

Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon forbidden west

Development Team

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortality

Connor Carson, Lizi Attwood, Dylan Nelkin

Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

the last of us part i

Development Team

Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment

stray

Development Team

BlueTwelve Studio/

Annapurna Interactive

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

MEET THE SPONSOR

As the UK’s unbeatable network for gaming, we are continually working hard to create an experience our customers can count on. So it’s with great pride that we are partnering with BAFTA for the EE Game of the Year Award for a third year.

As the only category voted for by the public, it gives the gaming community a platform to celebrate the titles that mean the most to them. Our jury of experts has given us an awesome shortlist of six games that have resonated most with players around the world before handing over control – never an easy thing to do when it comes to gaming.

So, congratulations on being nominated to the brilliant minds behind Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, Immortality, Marvel Snap and Stray. I can’t wait to see which of you the public picks as EE Game of the Year.

Marc Allera CEO, EE

Nominations correct at time of press.

elden ring

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon

forbidden west

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortality

Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

marvel snap

Second Dinner Studios/ Nuverse

stray BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

As voted for by the public

EE GAME OF THE YEAR

THE JURIES

animation

Tara Saunders (Chair)

Friska Bako

Chris Goodall

Stephanie Kardjian

Daniel Lim

Alex Moon

Danny Murdock

Sarah Onheiber

Raveen Rajadorai

Ville Ruusutie

Almudena Soria Sancho

artistic achievement

Liz Mercuri (Chair)

Zakia Abdullah

Zahra Amirabadi

Joseph Bamber

Marigold Bartlett

Dominic Kendrick

Naomi Kotler

Sean McNulty

Elizabeth Orji-Smith

audio achievement

Catherine Woolley (Chair)

Mark Choi

Ed Hargrave

Adam Hay

Sam Hughes

Gina Loughlin

James Magee

Sarah McRuvie

Dan Wishman

Hannah Louise Watts

best game

Nick Button-Brown (Chair)

Jonty Barnes

Daniel Gray

Joanna Haslam

Ilari Kuittinen

Li Ma

Gavin Moore

Tara Mustapha

Sophie Vo

Aoife Wilson

british game

Max Everingham (Chair)

Elizabeth Beer

Vikki Blake

Charles Cecil

Danwen Huang

Marina Mello

James Stone

David Wilson

debut game

Jodie Azhar (Chair)

Neil Dejyothin

Joy Dey

Kristrun Fridriksdottir

Anna Hollinrake

Lauren Kaye

Pavle Mihajlovic

Andrew Roper

Morag Taylor

Reese Wright

evolving game

Georg Backer (Chair)

Katie Better

Sam D’Elia

Lucy James

Teddy Keefe

Imogen Mellor

Lauren Moses

Stefano Petrullo

Sarah Tilley family

Jim Jagger (Chair)

Wren Brier

Claire Bromley

Emma Kent

Jing Li

Siobhan Reddy

Zoë Sams

Naoko Takamoto

Inel Tomlinson

Martijn van der Meulen

game beyond entertainment

Anisa Sanusi (Chair)

Sam Butin

Katie Golden

Wan Hazmer

Tamoor Hussain

Bahiyya Khan

Elle Lydia

Fawzi Mesmar

Cinzia Musio

Cristina Nava

Chad Toprak

game design

Simon Smith (Chair)

Sydney Adams

Christine Brownell

Laure De Mey

Joshua Garrity

Wasim Khan

Ben Mills

Daniel Mullins

Carl Swanick

Midas Whittaker multiplayer

Harvey Elliott (Chair)

Annabel Ashalley-Anthony

Gabrielle de la Puente

Will Freeman

Helen Kaur

Michael Lojko

Will Lowther

Elly Marshall

Maximilian Rea

Jamie Smith music

Rosemary Buahin (Chair)

Benjamin Aboagye

Alan Ashalley-Anthony

Louise Blain

Pedro Macedo Camacho

Jessica Kelly

Simon Landry

Jade Leamcharaskul

Dan Pugsley

Joe Thwaites

Ross Tregenza

narrative

Jonathon Wilson (Chair)

Corey Brotherson

Mags Donaldson

HaZ Dulull

Rebs Fisher-Jackson

Gregory Louden

Zaire Lanier

Sam Maggs

Rhianne Murphy

Danny Salfield Wadeson

Rowan Williams

original property

James Brooksby (Chair)

Dinga Bakaba

Yannick Boucher

Shana Bryant

Piers Duplock

Anna Lecue

David Millard

Sean Murray

Raj Patel

performer in a leading role

Des Gayle (Chair)

Pete Bottomley

Mike Brown

Danielle Cheah

Kris Cho

Dani Lalonders

Hannah Nicklin

Jane Perry

Jörg Tittel

Suzanne Wallace

performer in a supporting role

Anisa Sanusi (Chair)

Alejandro Arque Gallardo

Anjali Bhimani

Julia Bianco Schoeffling

Marcus Bronzy

Doug Cockle

Joseph Cunningham

Neil McPhillips

David Menkin

Robert Darryl Purdy

Adam Ritchie

technical achievement

Miles Jacobson (Chair)

Simon Beigi-Cooper

Naman Budhwar

Anna Caulcott-Cooper

Daniel Collins

Jess Hider

Caryn Krakauer

Jonathan Murphy

Dave Springer

Pawel Wojs

ee game of the year

Tara Saunders (Chair)

James Batchelor

Ryan Brown

Mark Carter

Julia Hardy

Sam Loveridge

Elle Osili-Wood

Richie Shoemaker

Jake Tucker

Danielle Udogaranya

For details of the voting process, including any key changes made for 2023, please visit: awards.bafta.org/entry

OFFICERS OF THE ACADEMY

officers

hrh the prince of wales kg kt President of BAFTA

barbara broccoli cbe Vice-President, Film

david gardner obe Vice-President, Games

dame pippa harris dbe Vice-President, Television

tara saunders Chair, Games Committee

bal samra

Co-optee and Chair, Commercial Committee and Chair, Governance and Appointments Committee

paul taiano obe Co-optee and Chair, Finance, Audit and Risk Committee

co - optees

Kathryn Busby

Sir Lloyd Dorfman cbe

Patrick Keegan

board of trustees

krishnendu majumdar Chair of BAFTA

sara putt Deputy Chair of BAFTA and Chair, Television Committee

anna higgs Chair, Film Committee

ade rawcliffe Chair, Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee

Elliot Knight

Andrew Miller mbe

Siobhan Reddy honorary advisors

Medwyn Jones

Marc Samuelson executive

jane millichip Chief Executive Officer

committees

elected members of the games committee

Tara Saunders Chair

Des Gayle Deputy Chair

Jodie Azhar

Nick Button-Brown*

Elizabeth Mercuri

Anisa Sanusi

Catherine Woolley

elected members of the film committee

Anna Higgs Chair

Alexandra Derbyshire* Deputy Chair

Geraldine Atlee

Nainita Desai

Alexa Jago

Julie La’Bassiere

Jason Solomons

Clare Stewart

Emily Stillman

Yu-Fai Suen

elected members of the television committee

Sara Putt Chair

Nicky Sargent Deputy Chair

Emma Butt

Becky Cadman

Christine Healy

Dan Isaacs

Ade Rawcliffe

Beryl Richards*

Hilary Rosen

Claire Zolkwer

* Children’s Representatives

GAMES AWARDS PARTNERS

with enduring thanks to our audience award sponsor and official partners to the bafta games awards in 2023.

AUDIENCE AWARD SPONSOR

OFFICIAL GAMES PARTNERS OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Tara Saunders, Des Gayle and all members of the Games Committee

Krishnendu Majumdar Chair of BAFTA

Sara Putt Deputy Chair of BAFTA

Games voting juries and members

All staff at BAFTA

The games companies and publishers for their invaluable assistance

Frankie Ward Ceremony Host

Julia Hardy, Inel Tomlinson Livestream Show Hosts

James Farmer Script

Gareth Blaney Video Graphics

The Story Mob PR

Multitude Media PR

Champagne Taittinger reception and post-Awards dinner soundtracked by Scala Radio’s

The Console Show – the UK’s only weekly games music show on national radio

the games committee

Tara Saunders (Chair)

Des Gayle (Deputy Chair)

Jodie Azhar

James Brooksby

Rosemary Buahin

Nick Button-Brown

Max Everingham

Jim Jagger

Elizabeth Mercuri

Anisa Sanusi

Simon Smith

Jonathon Wilson

Catherine Woolley

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

bafta wishes to thank ...

AT BAFTA

executive director of awards & content

Emma Baehr

head of awards

Kelly Smith

head of games

Luke Hebblethwaite

games officer

Lewis Peet

games coordinator

Tia Wedderburn

executive producer

Cassandra Hybel

executive producer of games

Rebecca Hardy producer

Georgia Maskery

head of events

Lucy Waller

event producer

Natalie Stone

awards

Daljit Billen, Nick Boocock, Chloe Fraser, Natalie Gurney, Deirdre Hopkins, Edward Hubbard, Katie Warren

productions

Harry Balmforth, Hattie Barker,  Katie Cleary, Ella Coveney, Daniel Dalton, Kristen Helmick, Rachel Lucas, Joe Okell, Jamie Rowland, Petra von Schalien, Victoria Walker

events

Penney Chu, Olivia Comer, Sophie Griffiths, Phil Harrison. Holly Haycock, Elena Shortland

executive director of partnerships & fundraising

Louise Robertson

head of partnerships

Natalie Moss partnerships

Amy Elton, Emma Tarcy, Olivia Young, Shaya Kathirgamanathan

executive director of pr & communications

Donna Mathews

pr & communications

Mya Bailey, David Dougherty, Caoimhe Foran, Lorna Gibson, Dingile Kasote, Luka Kenyon, Paul MacMahon, Daisy Margolis, Natalie Paszkowski, Catie Poust, Lisa Wehrstedt, Nick Williams

accounts

Louis Lyle

HOST YOUR

NEXT EVENT

AT THE SPECTACULAR BAFTA 195 PICCADILLY, THE PRESTIGIOUS HEADQUARTERS OF BAFTA

Housed in a historic Grade II Listed building in the heart of London’s West End, BAFTA

195 Piccadilly is a world-class venue, providing five floors of innovative stateof-the-art facilities for special events.

baftapiccadilly@bafta.org

+44 207 734 0022

@bafta195

BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN

PROGRAMME CREDITS

editor

Toby Weidmann

design & cover art

Abigail Bills

ad sales

Emma Tarcy

photography director

Claire Rees

junior producer , photography

Jordan Anderson

photography coordinator

Jeska Hayter

cover design

Created by Oswin Tickler

Generated by HP Spark oswintickler.com

Best Game nominee imagery used with kind permission from the publisher.

Executive portraits: BAFTA/ Scott Garfitt (HRH The Prince of Wales); BAFTA/Sophia Spring (Jane Millichip), Harry Richards Photography (Krishnendu Majumdar)

Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the Publishers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of BAFTA.

printer

FE Burman Ltd

London

feburman.co.uk

BAFTA chooses Arena Smooth by Fedrigoni Paper, supporting excellence in print. Printed on Arena Smooth Extra White 350gsm (cover) and Arena Smooth Extra White 140gsm (text). Supplied by FE Burman Ltd.

The carbon impact of this paper has been measured and balanced through the World Land Trust, an ecological charity.

Certificate

The papers used for this year’s tickets and programme are Forest Stewardship Council® certified, and are 100% recyclable.

no.: CBP017730

Proud to be Official Wine Partner

BAFTA's albert is the top sustainability organisation for the screen industries. We help entertainment create a future we all want to live in.