BAFTA/Carlo Paloni - BAFTA Games Awards partners with EE, the UK’s number one network for gaming, to announce the return of the EE Game of the Year Award – the only award to be voted for by the public
- The 2022 nominees are: Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, The Forgotten City and Unpacking
- The community of games fans can now vote for the EE Game of the Year Award at: https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/baftagames
- Nominations for all other categories will be announced on Thursday 3rd March with the winners announced at the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday 7th April 2022
Today, the six nominees for the EE Game of the Year Award have been announced ahead of the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday 7th April 2022.
Brought to fans by EE, the UK’s number one network for gaming, the award – which was first announced in 2021 – is the only category to be voted for by the community of gaming fans. For the second year running, the shortlist was decided by a jury of games experts earlier this month who were tasked with nominating six games that had resonated most with players around the world, – capturing imaginations and keeping us entertained and connected over the past year.
The jury has now handed over control, with the final decision in the hands of the public. Voting for the EE Game of the Year opens from today and closes at 6pm GMT Friday 1st April.
The EE Game of the Year nominees for 2022 are:
CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE is a top-down adventure game in a coloring book world where you can draw on anything. Developed by Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones and Lena Raine, you can use your painting powers to explore new places, solve puzzles, help your friends, and change the world! Something terrible happened. Chicory, superstar artist and wielder of the Brush, is missing, and all the colour in the land vanished with her. It’s up to you, Chicory’s number one fan, to pick up the Brush and fill in for her. It’s a big job… but you’re ready for it! Probably! The game is available on PlayStation® 4 and 5, Nintendo® Switch and on PC.
DEATHLOOP is a next-gen first-person shooter game from Arkane Lyon, the award-winning studio behind Dishonored. The studio’s new IP continues Arkane’s signature gameplay design, challenging you to play your own way. In DEATHLOOP, there is nowhere to run or nowhere to hide as two rival assassins are trapped in a mysterious timeloop on the island of Blackreef doomed to repeat the same day for eternity. The only chance for escape is to break the loop by unearthing information and assassinating eight key targets before the day resets. However, lurking in the shadows is rival assassin Julianna, equipped with her own equally powerful abilities and weapons, on a mission to protect the loop by assassinating Colt, and restarting the cycle. You can also choose to take control of Julianna, turning DEATHLOOP into a deadly game of hunter-vs-hunted. The game is available on PlayStation® 5 and on PC.
IT TAKES TWO is an action-adventure platform game developed by Hazelight Studios, the developer behind A Way Out. Embark on an all-new, crazy journey in It Takes Two, a genre-bending platform adventure game created purely for co-op. Play as the clashing couple Cody and May, two humans turned into dolls by a magic spell, who, trapped in a fantastical world where unpredictability hides around every corner, are reluctantly challenged with saving their relationship. In It Takes Two, you work together across a huge variety of gleefully disruptive gameplay challenges. With connected character abilities in every new level, an abundance of unexpected obstacles and hilariously heartfelt moments, you will work your way through a uniquely metaphorical gameplay experience. It Takes Two whisks players on a wild and wondrous ride where only one thing is for certain: we’re better together. The game is available on PlayStation® 4 and 5, Xbox® One, Xbox® Series and on PC.
METROID DREAD is an action-adventure game developed by MercuryStream and Nintendo. Face off against unrelenting E.M.M.I. robots! Join bounty hunter Samus Aran as she escapes a deadly alien world plagued by a mechanical menace in Metroid Dread. Samus’ story continues after the events of Metroid Fusion when she descends upon planet ZDR to investigate a mysterious transmission sent to the Galactic Federation. The remote planet has become overrun by vicious alien lifeforms and chilling mechanical menaces. Samus is more agile and capable than ever, but can she overcome the inhuman threat stalking the depths of ZDR? Parkour over obstacles, slide through tight spaces, counter enemies, and battle your way through the planet. The game is available on Nintendo Switch.
THE FORGOTTEN CITY is a mystery adventure role-playing game and a full video game adaptation of the critically-acclaimed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Developed by Australian developer, Modern Storyteller, The Forgotten City is a narrative-driven time loop adventure in ancient Rome. Travel 2,000 years into the past and relive the final days of a cursed Roman city, where if one person sins, everyone dies. Combat is an option, but violence will only get you so far. Only by questioning an intertwined community of colourful characters, cleverly exploiting the time loop, and making difficult moral choices can you hope to solve this epic mystery. Here, your decisions matter. The fate of the city is in your hands. The game is available on Xbox® Series and One, PlayStation® 4 and 5, Nintendo® Switch and on PC.
UNPACKING is a zen game about the familiar experience of pulling possessions out of boxes and fitting them into a new home. Developed by Witch Beam, Unpacking is a part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration where you are invited to create a satisfying living space while learning clues about the life they are unpacking. Over the course of eight house moves, you are given a chance to experience a sense of intimacy with a character you never see and a story you’re never told. The game is available on Xbox® One, Nintendo® Switch and on PC.
Dr. Jo Twist OBE, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, said: "Congratulations to all nominees for this year's EE Game of The Year award. I'm delighted that we had industry experts, content creators, and games journalists participating as BAFTA jury, some for the very first time. These six games have made the shortlist because they represent a diverse range of game-play, genres and storylines, and now it's your turn to vote for your favourites. Our other category nominations will be revealed live on BAFTA's Twitch channel this Thursday 3rd March, and we're looking forward to celebrating the winners live in person on Thursday 7th April together at the awards after two years being virtual."
Stephanie Ijoma, Gaming Influencer and member of the EE Game of the Year 2022 jury panel said: “Being a part of the EE Game of the Year jury panel is a proud moment for me and I could not be happier to judge the nominees. The chosen games this year have had such a huge impact and deserve to be celebrated – they are all winners in my eyes. Gaming as a whole allows not only myself, but for the organisation and community that I have built over the last 7 years to feel and belong in a space that allows us to escape reality.”
Mike Diver, Head of Content at GAMINGBible and member of the EE Game of the Year 2022 jury panel, said: "It's been fantastic to discuss the best of the last year of gaming with some amazing people, on this year's panel. From phenomenal indies to remarkable freshness in the bigger-budget space, 2021 was a terrific year - and we really felt that on GAMINGBible, with our audience resonating with a wealth of original experiences. I hope that the voting public agrees that whatever game wins, every candidate is well worth checking out."
Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director at EE said: “As the UK’s number one network for gaming, we are pleased to announce the return of the EE Game of the Year Award for the second year. This unique category not only champions the games that have most resonated with gaming fans over the last year, but it also gives gamers a platform to support the games industry and celebrate another fantastic year of games. The jury panel have chosen a great shortlist and so now it is up to the public to decide who will be crowned the winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards.”
Voting for the EE Game of the Year opens from today until 6pm GMT on Friday 1st April. Vote now at https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/baftagames. The EE Game of the Year winner will be announced at the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday 7th April 2022.
@EE #EEGameOfTheYear
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact M&C Saatchi Talk on [email protected]
EE Game of the Year Award Jury Panel
Dr Jo Twist, Chair of Games Committee
Alex Spencer, Features Editor at EDGE
Laura Kate Dale, Journalist and Author
Tamoor Hussain, Managing Editor at GameSpot
Stephanie Ijoma, Gaming Consultant and Founder of NNESAGA
Mike Diver, Head of Content at GAMINGbible
Sam Loveridge, Global Editor-In-Chief at GamesRadar
Janet Garcia, Video Game Critic and Content Creator
Ryan Brown, Writer and PR at Super Rare Games
Elle Osili-Wood, Video Game Presenter and Journalist
Jane Douglas, Writer, Video Producer and Presenter at Outside Xbox
Julia Hardy, TV Presenter
Victoria Brown, Content Creator and Influencer
Tom Hutchinson, Associate Editor at Daily Star
About EE
EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator. EE brought the first 4G network to the UK in October 2012 and launched the UK’s first 5G network in May 2019.
EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being named the UK’s no.1 5G network by RootMetrics® in 2020 and being named the UK's best network every year since 2014 for the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.
As well as offering mobile services to consumers and small and medium businesses, EE also provides home and business broadband using both 4G and fixed line connections.
EE is committed to being number one for service in the industry and has nearly 600 shops across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019. EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards.
EE is part of BT’s Consumer business unit which provides products and services to all of BT’s consumer customers in the UK. Follow us on:
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ee
Twitter at: www.twitter.com/ee
YouTube at: www.youtube.com/ee
LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/company/ee-uk
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).
