BAFTA/Ian Derry - Comedian to front BAFTA’s annual games ceremony for eighth time on Thursday 12 April 2018
- Nominations announcement (15 March) and ceremony will be streamed LIVE on all major digital platforms
- New category for 2018: Game Beyond Entertainment
BAFTA has announced today that Dara O’Briain will return to host the British Academy Games Awards on Thursday 12 April 2018. It will be the comedian’s eighth time hosting the ceremony that celebrates the very best in games of the past year.
For the first time, the British Academy Games Awards will be streamed live on all major platforms including BAFTA’s Twitch, Twitter (@BAFTAGames), YouTube, Facebook and Mixer. Through a new partnership with IGN, the awards will also be streamed to an additional 12 platforms including PlutoTV, Amazon Fire, AppleTV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Mixer, Twitter and Facebook.
The nominations announcement for the Awards next Thursday 15 March will be streamed live on BAFTA’s Twitch, Twitter (@BAFTAGames), YouTube and Facebook.
For the latest information on how to watch the nominations and the awards, visit www.bafta.org/games/howtowatch.
As previously announced, a new category has been introduced for 2018: Game Beyond Entertainment, which recognises games that deliver a transformational experience beyond pure entertainment.
Dara O’Briain said “Returning to host the British Academy Games Awards fills me with both excitement and trepidation. It’s a chance to celebrate the brilliant achievements of an incredible, creative industry. But to prepare to host BAFTA’s Film Awards you just have to watch a few DVDs … To prepare for this, I have to save worlds, win wars, race cars, score goals and travel from end of the galaxy to the other. Somebody pass me a controller, quick!”
Taking place at Troxy, London, the awards welcome the very best practitioners in the world who gather to celebrate another outstanding year in games and network with colleagues from across the industry. The awards will be preceded by a Champagne Taittinger reception and followed by a seated dinner and after-party for guests. Priority tickets to the awards are now available for BAFTA members. All other tickets go on sale next Thursday 15 March, the day of the nominations announcement.
The British Academy Games Awards is part of the London Games Festival, which runs from 5 April to 15 April covering 40 events across the capital. London Games Festival is delivered by Games London, a project jointly run by Film London and Ukie and funded by the Mayor of London via the London Enterprise Action Panel. More at www.games.london.
The Awards are supported by industry partners Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, GAME, SEGA Europe Ltd., PlayFusion, Tencent, Ubisoft Entertainment with ME London Hotel the official hotel partner.
Guests attending BAFTA’s awards ceremonies support the organisation’s charitable work and initiatives that identify, support and nurture new talent in this thriving sector. Applications are now being taken for games membership of BAFTA at membership.bafta.org.
BAFTA curates a year-round global programme of events and initiatives that support the games industry. This includes developer talks, showcases, debates, scholarships and professional network and masterclass programme BAFTA Crew Games, as well as the flagship Games Lecture by an inspirational practitioner. BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD) gives young people and educators insights into the industry and access to the brightest creative minds in games. Applications for BAFTA YGD are now open.
Contact:
Molly Whitehall
T: 020 3883 6931
M: 07789848782
Isabelle Baker
T: 020 3883 6933
M: 07876222779
Notes to editors:
Game Beyond Entertainment category announced >
Feature article explaining the context of the new category >
About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 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 advice and inspiration from the best creative minds in working in film, games and television, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.
