Nominations Announced: BAFTA Games Awards

BAFTA has today announced the nominations for the 2022 BAFTA Games Awards, celebrating the very best in games of 2021 and highlighting an outstanding level of creative excellence from a broad range of UK and international development teams.

The Awards take place on Thursday 7 April at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, London, with presenter and journalist Elle Osili-Wood returning as host. The Awards will be live streamed on BAFTA’s social channels: www.bafta.org/games/howtowatch.

The ceremony will see winners in 18 categories, recognising a range of crafts, performances and games. All awards are voted for by BAFTA’s membership of games industry professionals with the exception of the EE Game of the Year award, which is voted for by the public.

16 categories have been announced today. A further two categories – Performer in a Leading Role and Performer in a Supporting Role – will be announced in the coming weeks.

Read the updated press release and new nominations totals here

A total of 39 games have been nominated today. Highlights include:

• Eight nominations each for Returnal and It Takes Two
• Seven nominations for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Six nominations each for Forza Horizon 5 and Psychonauts 2
• Five nominations for DEATHLOOP
• Nominations in the Game Beyond Entertainment category: Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, Before Your Eyes, Chicory: A Colourful Tale, Game Builder Garage, It Takes Two and Psychonauts 2
• Other games receiving nominations: Among Us, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Apex Legends, Back 4 Blood, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Death’s Door, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, Eastward, Far Cry 6, Fights in Tight Spaces, Fortnite, Genesis Noir, Halo Infinite, Hell Let Loose, Hitman 3, Inscryption, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Life is Strange: True Colors, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Maquette, Mario Party Superstars, No Man’s Sky, Overboard, Resident Evil Village, Sable, The Artful Escape, The Forgotten Citt, TOEM and Unpacking.

Voting is now open for the EE Game of the Year, the only award voted for by the public. The shortlist is Chicory: A Colorful Tale, DEATHLOOP, The Forgotten City, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread and Unpacking. Vote now at https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/baftagames

Elle Osili-Wood, who returns as host, is an award-winning television presenter, specialising in arts and entertainment. As an arts presenter for the BBC, and a presenter of Radio 4’s Front Row, Elle is an industry go-to for cultural coverage, and her extensive video games career, hosting for brands including PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games, has seen her named one of the most influential women in gaming.

The Awards are supported by BAFTA’s official games partners Electronic Arts, Epic Games, PlayStation, Tencent and Ubisoft with EE sponsoring the Game of the Year Award, the only award voted for by the public.

The Awards, including the nominations, are voted for by BAFTA’s global membership, comprising experienced games industry practitioners from a range of backgrounds in game development and production. We particularly welcome applications from women, people from underrepresented ethnic groups, people with disabilities and those who are based outside London, UK. To become a BAFTA member, visit membership.bafta.org. 

In the coming weeks, The Sessions, BAFTA’s annual event-series will be offering an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at some of the most talked about games of the year. Celebrating the outstanding nominees for this year’s awards, we will be giving an insight into the skills, craft and secrets behind some of the best games the industry has to offer. More to be announced soon. 

Throughout the year, BAFTA organises events and initiatives around the world to promote the art and craft of games, while helping practitioners grow their network and industry profile; develop cross-sector skills; and establish sustainable careers. The programme includes developer talks, showcases and networking opportunities, both in person and virtually. BAFTA supports the next generation of talent with initiatives such as BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD), which gives young people and educators insights into the industry and access to the brightest creative minds in games. Our new tier of BAFTA membership for emerging talent, BAFTA Connect, is part of BAFTA's ongoing commitment to supporting future creative leaders in the games industry as an accessible, inclusive community that allows participants to achieve their full potential.  

The BAFTA Games Awards is part of the London Games Festival, which runs from 1 April to 10 April online and at in-person venues. Other festival highlights include the return of Ensemble, an exhibition celebrating UK games professionals from Black, Asian and underrepresented ethnicities, and the Games Finance Market. LGF is backed by the Mayor of London and delivered by Games London – an initiative from the city’s screen industries agency Film London and video game trade body Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment) – which has generated nearly £100m for games businesses since 2015.

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For further information, press enquiries and interview requests, please contact Dead Good PR:

Yunus Ibrahim | [email protected] | +44 (0)7784 824 620

Accreditation for this year’s BAFTA Games Awards is now open. To apply for accreditation, please visit: www.bafta.org/media-centre/accreditation.

Nominations are correct at the time of going to print. BAFTA reserves the right to make changes to the names listed at any time up until 7 April 2022.