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.

CONTENTS 2 WELCOME MESSAGES

4 MEET THE HOST 6 THE FELLOWSHIP

10 INSIDE THE AWARDS 20 BAF TA’S NEW CEO 24 BEYOND THE AWARDS

37 THE NOMINATIONS IN FULL 62 THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

#BAFTAGamesAwards | Follow BAFTA BAFTA.ORG

1

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 2

WELCOME

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.

Jane Millichip Chief Executive Officer of BAFTA

Krishnendu Majumdar Chair of BAFTA 3

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

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

4

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.”

Centre TA K I N G

S T A G E 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

5

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

Boundaries the

THE FELLOWSHIP: S H U H E I YO S H I DA WORDS: Aoife Wilson | PORTRAIT: Supplied by recipient | IMAGES: M Bowles/Getty Images, Anthony Harvey/BAFTA/Shutterstock, BAFTA, BAFTA/Hannah Taylor

6

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

7

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.

8

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.”

9

Content B BO ON NU US S

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

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 10

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

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.”

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

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

11

C OV E R S T O R Y:

EVERY ONE

Unique IS

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.

12

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.

Art by Abigail Bills

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.

13

Change FOR

CLIMATE

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

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

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, 14

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.

who’s albert? we are

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

15

Playing to

WIN

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

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

– Tim Schafer, Original Property citation reader in 2022 and BAFTA Fellowship recipient (2018) PHOTOS: BAFTA/Carlo Paloni; BAFTA/Scott Garfitt; BAFTA/Hannah Taylor

16

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

17

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

18

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

19

Role l

LEADING 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.

“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.”

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

20

Enjoying the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2022

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

21

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.”

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

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 22

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

23

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

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 24

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.”

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

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.”

Find out more: bafta.org/children-and-young-people

25

uture F GAMES

THE OF

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 26

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.

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

Find out more: ygd.bafta.org

27

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

T HE B R E A K T HR OUGH 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.

28

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

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)

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

29

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.”

30

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,

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

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

Find out more: bafta.org/supporting-talent/breakthrough

31

Awards!

NOT JUST

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

32

Returnal masterclass with director Harry Kreuger and performer Jane Perry

Writer-director Ryan Coogler portrait for his David Lean Lecture

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

A costume design masterclass with PC Williams

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

Kate Hudson portrait at her A Life in Pictures event

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

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

Margot Robbie portrait for her A Life in Pictures

Lena Dunham portrait for this year’s Screenwriters Lecture Series

Networking opportunities at BAFTA North America’s Garden Party

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

unrealengine.com

T H E N O M I N AT I O N S

Animation 3 9 Ar tistic Achievement 4 0 Audio Achievement 4 1 Best Game 4 2 British Game 4 4 Debut Game 4 5 Evolving Game 4 7 Family 49

Game

Beyond

Enter tainment

50

Game

Design 5 1 Multiplayer 5 3 Music 5 4 Narrative 5 5 Original Proper ty 5 6 Performer in a Leading Role 5 7 Performer in a Suppor ting Role 5 8 Technical Achievement 5 9 EE Game of the Year 6 0

37

Proud to support the BAFTA Games Awards PlayStation® wishes the best of luck to all fellow award nominees

“ “ and “PlayStation” are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. ©2023 Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. All titles, content, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

call of dut y : modern warfare ii

god of war ragnar Ö k

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

Bruno Velazquez, Erica Pinto, Mehdi Yssef Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon forbidden west

lego star wars : the skywalker saga

Development Team Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Development Team TT Games/Warner Bros.

Interactive Entertainment

sifu

stray

Development Team Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive

Jophray Mikolajczyk, Jean-Marie Vouillon, Simon Jacquart BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

A N I M AT I O N 39

elden ring

god of war ragnar Ö k

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

Raf Grassetti, Dan McKim, Eric Valdes Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortalit y

pentiment

Doug Potts, Stephanie Reese, Kerry Hennessy Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

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 40

god of war ragnar Ö k

horizon forbidden west

Jodie Kupsco, Michael Kent, Sean LaValle Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

Development Team Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

metal : hellsinger

a plague tale : requiem

Elvira Björkman, Nicklas Hjertberg The Outsiders/ Funcom Oslo AS

Development Team Asobo Studio/ Focus Entertainment

stray

tunic

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

Development Team TUNIC Team/FINJI

AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT 41

42

cult of the lamb

elden ring

Development Team Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

marvel snap

Eric Williams, Chad Cox, Yumi Yang Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

Development Team Second Dinner Studios/ Nuverse

stray

vampire survivors

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

Development Team poncle/poncle

BEST GAME 43

citizen sleeper

olliolli world

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

Development Team Roll7/Private Division

rollerdrome

total war : warhammer iii

Development Team Roll7/Private Division

Development Team Creative Assembly/SEGA

two point campus

vampire survivors

Development Team Two Point Studios/SEGA

Development Team poncle/poncle

BRITISH GAME 44

as dusk falls

the case of the golden idol

Caroline Marchal, Charu Desodt INTERIOR/NIGHT/ Xbox Game Studios

Andrejs Klavinš, . .

Ernests Klavinš . .

Color Gray Games/Playstack

stray

trombone champ

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

Development Team Holy Wow Studios/ Holy Wow Studios

tunic

vampire survivors

Development Team TUNIC Team/FINJI

Development Team poncle/poncle

DEBUT GAME 45

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NOMINEES

An Official Games Partner to the BAFTA Games Awards

apex legends

dreams

Development Team Respawn/Electronic Arts

Development Team Media Molecule/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

the elder scrolls online

final fantasy xiv online

Development Team ZeniMax Online Studios/ Bethesda Softworks

Development Team Creative Business Unit III/ Square Enix

forza horizon 5

no man ’ s sky

Development Team Playground Games/ Xbox Game Studios

Development Team Hello Games/Hello Games

E V O LV I N G G A M E 47

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

© WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT (S23)

disney dreamlight valley

kirby and the forgot ten land

Development Team Gameloft/Gameloft

Development Team HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

lego star wars : the skywalker saga

mario + rabbids sparks of hope

Development Team TT Games/Warner Bros.

Interactive Entertainment

Development Team Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris/Ubisoft

nintendo switch sports

teenage mutant ninja turtles : shredder ’ s revenge

Development Team Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

Development Team Tribute Games/Dotemu

FA M I LY 49

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

i was a teenage exocolonist

Development Team Broken Rules/Broken Rules

Development Team Northway Games/FINJI

not for broadcast

we ’ ll always have paris

Development Team NotGames/tinyBuild

Marina Sciberras, Duncan Steele Cowleyfornia Studios/ Cowleyfornia Studios

G A M E B E Y O N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T 50

cult of the lamb

elden ring

Development Team Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

horizon forbidden west

Jason McDonald, Andrew Chrysafidis, Luis Sanchez Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

Development Team Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

tunic

vampire survivors

Development Team TUNIC Team/FINJI

Development Team poncle/poncle

GAME DESIGN 51

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at the 2023 BAFTA Games Awards From everyone at

MAKING LONDON THE GAMES CAPITAL OF THE WORLD www.games.london

call of dut y : modern warfare ii

Development Team Infinity Ward/ Activision Publishing, Inc

ea sports fifa 23

Development Team EA Vancouver, EA Romania/ EA SPORTS

elden ring

overwatch 2

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

Development Team Blizzard Entertainment/ Blizzard Entertainment

splatoon 3

teenage mutant ninja turtles : shredder ’ s revenge

Development Team Nintendo/Nintendo

Development Team Tribute Games/Dotemu

M U LT I P L AY E R 53

cuphead the delicious last course

elden ring

Kristofer Maddigan Studio MDHR/ Studio MDHR

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

a plague tale : requiem

Bear McCreary, Keith Leary, Peter Scaturro Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

Olivier Derivière Asobo Studio/ Focus Entertainment

stray

tunic

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

Lifeformed, Janice Kwan TUNIC Team/FINJI

MUSIC 54

citizen sleeper

Gareth Damian Martin, Jump Over the Age/ Fellow Traveller

god of war ragnar Ö k

Matt Sophos, Richard Gaubert Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortalit y

pentiment

Sam Barlow, Amelia Gray, Allan Scott Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

Josh Sawyer, Kate Dollarhyde, Zoe Franznick Obsidian Entertainment/ Xbox Game Studios

a plague tale : requiem

stray

Writing Team Asobo Studio/ Focus Entertainment

Writing Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

N A R R AT I V E 55

citizen sleeper

cult of the lamb

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

Development Team Massive Monster/ Devolver Digital

elden ring

sifu

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

Development Team Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive

stray

vampire survivors

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

Development Team poncle/poncle

ORIGINAL PROPERT Y 56

alain mesa

charlot te mcburney

Alejandro Vargas Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

Amicia de Rune A Plague Tale: Requiem

christopher judge

manon gage

Kratos God of War Ragnarök

Marissa Marcel Immortality

siobhan williams

sunny suljic

Laura The Quarry

Atreus God of War Ragnarök

PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE 57

adam j harrington

alison jaye

Sindri God of War Ragnarök

Alva Horizon Forbidden West

charlot ta mohlin

danielle bisut ti

The One IMMORTALITY

Freya God of War Ragnarök

laya deleon hayes

ryan hurst

Angrboða God of War Ragnarök

Thor God of War Ragnarök

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 58

elden ring

Development Team FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

horizon forbidden west

god of war ragnar Ö k

Josh Hobson, Jon Burke Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

immortalit y

Development Team Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Connor Carson, Lizi Attwood, Dylan Nelkin Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

the last of us part i

stray

Development Team Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Development Team BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT 59

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.

60

elden ring

FromSoftware/ BANDAI NAMCO Europe

god of war ragnar Ö k

Santa Monica Studio/ Sony Interactive Entertainment

horizon forbidden west

immortalit y

Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Half Mermaid Productions/ Half Mermaid Productions

marvel snap

stray

Second Dinner Studios/ Nuverse

BlueTwelve Studio/ Annapurna Interactive

As voted for by the public

EE GAME OF THE YEAR 61

THE JURIES animation

best game

Tara Saunders (Chair) Friska Bako Chris Goodall Stephanie Kardjian Daniel Lim Alex Moon Danny Murdock Sarah Onheiber Raveen Rajadorai Ville Ruusutie Almudena Soria Sancho

Nick Button-Brown (Chair) Jonty Barnes Daniel Gray Joanna Haslam Ilari Kuittinen Li Ma Gavin Moore Tara Mustapha Sophie Vo Aoife Wilson

artistic achievement

Max Everingham (Chair) Elizabeth Beer Vikki Blake Charles Cecil Danwen Huang Marina Mello James Stone David Wilson

british game

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 62

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

game design

Georg Backer (Chair) Katie Better Sam D’Elia Lucy James Teddy Keefe Imogen Mellor Lauren Moses Stefano Petrullo Sarah Tilley

Simon Smith (Chair) Sydney Adams Christine Brownell Laure De Mey Joshua Garrity Wasim Khan Ben Mills Daniel Mullins Carl Swanick Midas Whittaker

family

Jim Jagger (Chair) Wren Brier Claire Bromley Emma Kent Jing Li Siobhan Reddy Zoë Sams Naoko Takamoto Inel Tomlinson Martijn van der Meulen

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

game beyond entertainment

music

Anisa Sanusi (Chair) Sam Butin Katie Golden Wan Hazmer Tamoor Hussain Bahiyya Khan Elle Lydia Fawzi Mesmar Cinzia Musio Cristina Nava Chad Toprak

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 63

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

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

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

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 64

Congratulations to all winners and nominees From BAFTA’s Official Scrutineers.

Together, helping give talent the recognition they deserve. deloitte.co.uk/TMT © 2023 Deloitte LLP. All rights reserved.

OFFICERS OF THE ACADEMY officers hrh the prince of wales kg kt

President of BAFTA

tara saunders

Chair, Games Committee bal samra

barbara broccoli cbe

Vice-President, Film david gardner obe

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

Vice-President, Games paul taiano obe dame pippa harris dbe

Vice-President, Television

Co-optee and Chair, Finance, Audit and Risk Committee co - optees

board of trustees krishnendu majumdar

Kathryn Busby Sir Lloyd Dorfman cbe Patrick Keegan Elliot Knight Andrew Miller mbe Siobhan Reddy

Chair of BAFTA honorary advisors sara put t

Deputy Chair of BAFTA and Chair, Television Committee

Medwyn Jones Marc Samuelson

anna higgs

Chair, Film Committee

executive

ade rawcliffe

Chair, Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee 66

jane millichip

Chief Executive Officer

committees elected members of the games commit tee

Tara Saunders Chair Des Gayle Deputy Chair Jodie Azhar Nick Button-Brown* Elizabeth Mercuri Anisa Sanusi Catherine Woolley elected members of the film commit tee

elected members of the television commit tee

Sara Putt Chair Nicky Sargent Deputy Chair Emma Butt Becky Cadman Christine Healy Dan Isaacs Ade Rawcliffe Beryl Richards* Hilary Rosen Claire Zolkwer

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

* Children’s Representatives 67

G A M E S AWA R D S PA R T N E R S 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

68

Official Bottled Water

Official Champagne

Official Scrutineers

Official Bottled Water

Official Hotel

Official Wine

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 EMG OB Services

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 c ommit tee

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 b a f ta w i s h e s t o t h a n k . . .

69

AT B A F TA executive director o f awa r d s & c o n t e n t

Emma Baehr h e a d o f awa r d s

Kelly Smith

productions

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

head of games

Luke Hebblethwaite games officer

Lewis Peet

events

Penney Chu, Olivia Comer, Sophie Griffiths, Phil Harrison.

Holly Haycock, Elena Shortland

Tia Wedderburn

executive director o f pa r t n e r s h i p s & fundraising

executive producer

Louise Robertson

g a m e s c o o r d i n at o r

Cassandra Hybel

h e a d o f pa r t n e r s h i p s

executive producer of games

Natalie Moss

Rebecca Hardy

pa r t n e r s h i p s

producer

Amy Elton, Emma Tarcy, Olivia Young, Shaya Kathirgamanathan

Georgia Maskery head of events

Lucy Waller event producer

Natalie Stone

executive director o f p r & c o m m u n i c at i o n s

Donna Mathews p r & c o m m u n i c at i o n s

Mya Bailey, David Dougherty, Caoimhe Foran, Lorna Gibson, awa r d s Dingile Kasote, Luka Kenyon, Daljit Billen, Nick Boocock, Chloe Fraser, Natalie Gurney, Paul MacMahon, Daisy Margolis, Natalie Paszkowski, Catie Poust, Deirdre Hopkins, Lisa Wehrstedt, Nick Williams Edward Hubbard, Katie Warren ac c ou nts

Louis Lyle 70

HOST YOUR NEX T EVENT AT T H E S P E C TA C U L A R B A F T A 1 9 5 P I C C A D I L L Y, THE PRESTIGIOUS H E A D Q U A R T E R S O F B A F TA

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

71

PROGRAMME CREDITS editor

Toby Weidmann design & c ov e r a rt

Abigail Bills ad sales

Emma Tarcy photography director

Claire Rees junior producer, photography

Jordan Anderson photography c o o r d i n at o r

Jeska Hayter c ov e r d es i g n

Created by Oswin Tickler Generated by HP Spark oswintickler.com

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.

CBP017730

Certificate no.: CBP017730 The papers used for this year’s tickets and programme are Forest Stewardship Council® certified, and are 100% recyclable.

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.

72

Published by BAFTA 195 Piccadilly London W1J 9LN Tel: +44 (0)20 7734 0022 reception@bafta.org bafta.org ©BAFTA 2023

Proud to be Official Wine Partner SINCE 2009

In gaming your worlds are infinite.

In real life you only get one.

BAFTA's albert is the top sustainability organisation for the screen industries.

We help entertainment create a future we all want to live in.