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BAFTA announces collaboration with Black Twitch UK for inaugural ‘BAFTA Games Challenge’ on 31 March

22 March 2022

Six nominated games from upcoming 2022 BAFTA Games Awards to be played by 12 women from Black Twitch UK, who will compete in a series of head-to-head challenges live on Twitch one week ahead of ceremony

BAFTA has announced today its collaboration with Black Twitch UK, a platform dedicated to highlighting and promoting the voices and content of Black streamers and content creators in the UK, for the inaugural ‘BAFTA Games Challenge’, one week ahead of the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday 7 April.

On Thursday 31 March, from 14.00 to 16.30 BST, two teams of six women from Black Twitch UK will compete live on BAFTA’s Twitch (www.twitch.tv/bafta) in a series of  offbeat in-game challenges celebrating six of this year’s BAFTA-nominated games.

Led by team captains Ebonix, Twitch’s first Black female ambassador in the UK, and GeekyCassie, the 12 streamers will compete against each other for the title of this year’s champion.

Viewers of the stream will also find out more about this year’s BAFTA-nominated games and trivia around the BAFTA Games Awards, and will be encouraged to interact and engage with the proceedings via Twitch Chat. Twitch polls will assist to shape and determine the outcome in certain rounds, from challenges such as testing players’ creativity skills from in-game photography to creating the most visually appealing masterpiece.

The BAFTA-nominated games to be played are Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Halo Infinite, It Takes Two, Mario Party Superstars, Returnal and Unpacking.

Luke Hebblethwaite, Head of Games, BAFTA, said: “We continually look for new ways to broaden our support of the wider games industry as we celebrate the very best in games at the BAFTA Games Awards next month. So I’m delighted that we’re collaborating on the inaugural BAFTA Games Challenge with Black Twitch UK, who not only do an outstanding job of raising the profile of Black streamers in the UK but also share our passion for games. I can’t wait to see how the teams fare in the challenges we’ve set them around some of the best games of 2021."

GeekyCassie, Black Twitch UK, said: “We’re proud to collaborate with BAFTA ahead of the awards ceremony to celebrate some of the 2022 BAFTA-nominated games in an engaging and interactive format.With 39 games nominated, we get to experience six of those games in unique challenges, and we are looking forward to sharing the excitement around the upcoming BAFTA Games Awards with the Twitch audience.”

Ebonix, Black Twitch UK, said: “The games industry continues to produce amazing games and we’re delighted to celebrate some of the titles nominated for BAFTA Games Awards. Since establishing Black Twitch UK with GeekyCassie, our aim has been to highlight and uplift Black streamers and content creators in the UK. Collaborating with BAFTA gives us another platform to further empower some of the talented women and Black streamers in a unique and fun way. Let the games commence!”

2022 BAFTA Games Awards takes place Thursday 7 April at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, London, and will be viewable by livestream via twitch.tv/bafta.

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

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.

Notes to editors

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 announced, 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 and whose 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

The Awards are supported by BAFTA’s official games partners Electronic Arts, Epic Games, PlayStation, SEGA and Tencent 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.

About BAFTA

BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts - is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).