THE biggest awards night in gaming is upon us – and we’ve got the lowdown on who’s up for what.
Big-hitters like Call of Duty and Death Stranding are nominated for a raft of awards, but that doesn’t mean the smaller titles have been overlooked. Here’s everything you need to know about the BAFTA Games Awards 2020.
What are the BAFTA Games Awards ?
BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) is best known for its annual movie awards, but it covers TV and video games, too.
The BAFTA Games Awards present the best video games of the year with a shiny prize – and some gaming kudos.
According to BAFTA’s website, the awards “shine a spotlight on the best games of 2019 and the talented individuals behind them”.
Categories include best game, music, performer, multiplayer and a whole lot more.
When is the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards and how do I watch it?
The 2020 BAFTA Games Awards begin at 7pm BST (2pm ET) on Thursday, April 4.
This year, BAFTA are doing things a little differently in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rules on social distancing and staying at home where possible have forced a shift from a red carpet ceremony at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall to an online live stream, which will be broadcast globally.
“The health and wellbeing of our guests and our staff remain our top priority, so there will be no physical audience in the room,” BAFTA says.
The free stream will be available on YouTube, as well as Twitter, Twitch and Facebook.
What is nominated in the BAFTA Games Awards 2020?
There are 18 categories in total, covering everything from animation to storylines.
Here is the full list of nominees for this year’s British Academy Games Awards:
ANIMATION
- CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE Development Team – Infinity Ward/Activision
- CONTROL Development Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- LUIGI’S MANSION 3 Development Team – Next Level Games/Nintendo
- SAYONARA WILD HEARTS Development Team – Simogo/Annapurna Interactive
- SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE Development Team – FromSoftware/Activision
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
- CONCRETE GENIE Development Team – Pixelopus/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- CONTROL Development Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- DISCO ELYSIUM Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- KNIGHTS AND BIKES Rex Crowle, Moo Yu, Kenneth C M Young – Foam Sword/Double Fine Presents
- SAYONARA WILD HEARTS Development Team – Simogo/Annapurna Interactive
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
- APE OUT Matt Boch – Gabe Cuzzillo, Matt Boch, Bennett Foddy/ Devolver Digital
- CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE Development Team – Infinity Ward/Activision
- CONTROL Development Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Ludvig Forssell, Mike Niederquell, Jodie Kupsco – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
- UNTITLED GOOSE GAME Development Team – House House/Panic
BEST GAME
- CONTROL Development Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DISCO ELYSIUM Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- LUIGI’S MANSION 3 Development Team – Next Level Games/Nintendo
- OUTER WILDS Development Team – Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive
- SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE Development Team – FromSoftware/Activision
- UNTITLED GOOSE GAME Development Team – House House/Panic
BRITISH GAME
- DiRT RALLY 2.0 Development Team – Codemasters/Codemasters
- HEAVEN’S VAULT Joseph Humfrey, Jon Ingold, Laura Dilloway – inkle/inkle
- KNIGHTS AND BIKES Rex Crowle, Moo Yu, Kenneth C M Young – Foam Sword/Double Fine Presents
- OBSERVATION Development Team – No Code/Devolver Digital
- PLANET ZOO Development Team – Frontier Developments/Frontier Developments
- TOTAL WAR: THREE KINGDOMS Development Team – The Creative Assembly/SEGA
DEBUT GAME
- APE OUT Gabe Cuzzillo, Matt Boch, Bennett Foddy – Gabe Cuzzillo, Matt Boch, Bennett Foddy/Devolver Digital
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- DISCO ELYSIUM Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- KATANA ZERO Justin Stander – Askiisoft/Devolver Digital
- KNIGHTS AND BIKES Rex Crowle, Moo Yu, Kenneth C M Young – Foam Sword/Double Fine Presents
- MANIFOLD GARDEN Development Team – William Chyr Studio/William Chyr Studio
EVOLVING GAME
- APEX LEGENDS Chad Grenier, Drew McCoy – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
- DESTINY 2 Development Team – Bungie/Bungie
- FINAL FANTASY XIV: SHADOWBRINGERS Development Team – Square Enix/Square Enix
- FORTNITE Development Team – Epic Games/Epic Games
- NO MAN’S SKY: BEYOND Development Team – Hello Games/Hello Games
- PATH OF EXILE Development Team – Grinding Gear Games/Grinding Gear Games
FAMILY
- CONCRETE GENIE Development Team – Pixelopus/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- KNIGHTS AND BIKES Rex Crowle, Moo Yu, Kenneth C M Young – Foam Sword/Double Fine Presents
- LUIGI’S MANSION 3 Development Team – Next Level Games/Nintendo
- UNTITLED GOOSE GAME Development Team – House House/Panic
- VACATION SIMULATOR Development Team – Owlchemy Labs/ Owlchemy Labs
- WATTAM Development Team – Funomena/Annapurna Interactive
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
- CIVILIZATION VI: GATHERING STORM Development Team – Firaxis/2K
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- KIND WORDS (LO FI CHILL BEATS TO WRITE TO) Ziba Scott, Luigi Guatieri, Clark Aboud – Popcannibal/Popcannibal
- LIFE IS STRANGE 2 (EPISODES 2-5) Development Team – Dontnod Entertainment/Square Enix
- NEO CAB Develoment Team – Chance Agency/Fellow Traveller Games
- RING FIT ADVENTURE Development Team – Nintendo/Nintendo
GAME DESIGN
- BABA IS YOU Arvi Teikari – Hempuli Oy/Hempuli Oy
- CONTROL Development Team –Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DISCO ELYSIUM Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- OUTER WILDS Development Team – Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive
- SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE Development Team – FromSoftware/Activision
- WATTAM Development Team – Funomena/Annapurna Interactive
MULTIPLAYER
- APEX LEGENDS Chad Grenier, Brent McLeod, Carlos Pineda – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
- BORDERLANDS 3 Development Team – Gearbox Software/2K
- CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE Development Team – Infinity Ward/Activision
- LUIGI’S MANSION 3 Development Team – Next Level Games/Nintendo
- TICK TOCK: A TALE FOR TWO Development Team – Other Tales Interactive/Other Tales Interactive
- TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 Development Team – Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft
MUSIC
- CONTROL Petri Alanko, Martin Stig Andersen – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Ludvig Forssell, Peter Scaturro, Keith Leary – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- DISCO ELYSIUM British Sea Power – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- OUTER WILDS Development Team – Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive
- THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING Development Team – Grezzo/Nintendo
- WATTAM Asuka Takahashi, Brad Fotsch, Sam Bird – Funomena/Annapurna Interactive
NARRATIVE
- CONTROL Writing Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DISCO ELYSIUM Writing Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- LIFE IS STRANGE 2 (EPISODES 2-5) Writing Team – Dontnod Entertainment/Square Enix
- OUTER WILDS Writing Team – Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive
- THE OUTER WORLDS Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky – Obsidian Entertainment/ Private Division
- STAR WARS JEDI: FALLEN ORDER Aaron Contreras, Matt Michnovetz, Stig Asmussen – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
ORIGINAL PROPERTY
- BABA IS YOU Arvi Teikari – Hempuli Oy/Hempuli Oy
- CONTROL Development Team –Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- DISCO ELYSIUM Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
- OUTER WILDS Development Team – Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive
- UNTITLED GOOSE GAME Development Team – House House/Panic
PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE
- LAURA BAILEY as Kait Diaz in Gears 5
- COURTNEY HOPE as Jesse Faden in Control
- LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN as David in Telling Lies
- GONZALO MARTIN as Sean Diaz in Life is Strange 2 (episodes 2-5)
- BARRY SLOANE as Captain Price in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- NORMAN REEDUS as Sam in Death Stranding
PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- JOLENE ANDERSEN as Karen Reynolds in Life is Strange 2 (episodes 2-5)
- TROY BAKER as Higgs in Death Stranding
- SARAH BARTHOLOMEW as Cassidy (Lucy Rose Jones) in Life is Strange 2 (episodes 2-5)
- AYISHA ISSA as Fliss in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
- LÉA SEYDOUX as Fragile in Death Stranding
- MARTTI SUOSALO as Ahti the Janitor in Control
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
- A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE Development Team – Asobo Studio/ Focus Home Interactive
- CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE Development Team – Infinity Ward/Activision
- CONTROL Development Team – Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
- DEATH STRANDING Development Team – Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
- METRO EXODUS Development Team – 4A Games/Deep Silver
- SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE Development Team – FromSoftware/Activision
EE MOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR (voted for by the public)
- ASSEMBLE WITH CARE Ustwo/Ustwo
- CALL OF DUTY: MOBILE Timi Studios/Activision
- DEAD MAN’S PHONE Electric Noir Studios
- POKEMON GO Niantic/Niantic
- TANGLE TOWER SFB Games/SFB Games
- WHAT THE GOLF? Triband/Triband
Microsoft unveiled its upcoming console, the Xbox Series X, in December.
Read our round-up of the latest rumours about the Xbox Series X and PS5.
And find out why both of these consoles could be the last you ever own.
Are you excited for the awards? Let us know in the comments!
