BAFTA has announced the winners of 2019’s British Academy Games Awards including classics such asGod of War,Fortnite, A Way Out and more.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts not only curates a year-round global programme of events to support the games industry but also helps celebrate the very best in gaming from the past year with this ceremony.
We’re summing up the games and their awards for you to enjoy. It’s worth noting that the nominated games are also beingcelebrated and discounted on Steam.
Return of the Obra Dinn - Artistic achievement winner
Return of the Obra Dinn, the detective mystery adventure and puzzle game developed by Lucas Pope, won Artistic Achievement and Game Design and the achievement for Game Design.
This game sees a ship (the Obra Dinn) that was thought to be lost at sea, drifting into port in Falmouth, England in the early hours of the morning in October 1807. An insurance investigator is sent to board the ship and find out what happened. It is then when the mysteries begin to unfold.
Other nominations for this category included:
God of War - Best game and more
God of War
Compelling storytelling meets excellent game mechanics in this classic PlayStation title.
When wereviewed God of Warwe thought it was utterly sublime. A clever action-adventure that represented an incredible return for Kratos in a modern take on the God of War series.
At the British Academy Games Awards, God of War won the best game award as well as the awards for audio achievement, music, narrative and performer too.
Other nominations for best game category included:
Forza Horizon 4 - British game winner
Forza Horizon 4
In our mind, moving the Forza Horizon series to the UK was a masterstroke - bringing brilliant varied terrain and driving conditions to an already awesome game. We were happy to say it was the king of open world racers and a must-own for Xbox One owners and PC gamers alike.
Forza Horizon 4got theaward for British gameat the British Academy Games Awards racing ahead of some serious competition to claim the prize.
Other nominations for British game category included:
Yoku’s Island Express - Debut game winner
Yoku’s Island Express is a platforming pinball adventure video game. It was developed by Villa Gorilla as the studio’s debut project and released for Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
This game was the giventhe debut game awardafter being nominated alongside some pretty brilliant new games including:
Fortnite - Evolving game
Of course, it’s no surprise to see Fortnite on a list of games award winners. This free-to-playBattle Royale shooterhas certainly taken the world by storm.
At the BAFTA awards, it was acknowledged for being anevolving game. It is certainly constantly changing with new seasons and battle pass content as well as changes to the game itself. One thing that isn’t changing though is how popular Fortnite is.
Other games nominated in this category included:
Nintendo Labo - Family and game innovation
Nintendo Labo Variety Kit
TheNintendo Labois a brilliant little system for converting aNintendo Switchinto something that can be used for all manner of gaming fun. This cardboard based system has even been upgraded withVR support lately, making it a really flexible gaming system.
It’s these innovations with such a simple concept that got the Nintendo Labo the BAFTA games award forfamilyand game innovations.
Other nominees in the family category included:
My Child Lebensborn - Game Beyond Entertainment
My Child Lebensborn is a mobile game for Android and iOS that offers a rich story-driven view of the world. It tells a disturbing tale about innocent children in the aftermath of WW2. The player’s job is to look after one of the Lebensborn children, influencing their world and supporting them through their defining years.
Lebensborn were children raised by the Nazis as part of the Aryan race - racially pure individuals viewed as the master race. This gives you an idea of the story of this game and why it wonthe game beyond entertainment award.
Other games in this category included:
Florence - Mobile game
Florence, an interactive story game from the lead designer ofMonument Valleywon the mobile game award.
This game, available on bothAndroidandiOShas already won several awards including the Game Awards 2018, D.I.C.E. Award for “portable games of the year” and best mobile and best debut game at the Game Developers Choice Awards. So it’s no surprise to see it winning another award here.
Other games nominated in this category include:
A Way Out - Multiplayer
A Way Out is something of a gaming curiosity as it has no single player mode and can only be played with a friend - either online or via split-screen. This game puts players in control of Leo and Vincent, two convicted prisoners who are escaping from prison and going on the run. Co-operation is essential to win the game and players must coordinate their actions to play properly.
It’s this interesting game mechanic that won the game themultiplayer awardat the BAFTA game awards.
Into the Breach - Original property
Into the Breach puts you in control of powerful mechs fighting an alien threat somewhere in the future. The game is based on randomly generated challenges with a turn-based strategy vibe.
Into the Breach comes from the creators of Faster than Light and proved just as popular. It was given theoriginal property awardat the BAFTA games awards.
Old School Runescape - EE mobile game of the year
Old School RuneScape is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for those RuneScape veterans who are “hungry for nostalgia”.
It’s been around for a while, but still proves incredibly popular with thousands of players playing it on a daily basis. It’s the players that voted too, as Old School Runescape won theEE mobile game of the year awardas voted for by the public.
