The 2018 British Academy Games Awards (aka the Video Game BAFTAs) are finally wrapping up. Here are all the winners.
In the end, the 2018 Video Game BAFTAs continued the award’s proud tradition of shining a light on the industry’s smaller, lower-budget efforts in addition to its big budget stunners.
Smaller titles such as Cuphead and Night in the Woods had their music and narrative recognised appropriately, but many of the bigger awards were scooped up by games with several times their production budgets.
Horizon Zero Dawn walked away with Best Original Property, while Super Mario Odyssey received Best Game Design and Best Family Game and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won Design Innovation. After winning big at the awards last year, Overwatch picked up yet another BAFTA for Best Evolving Game.
The biggest surprise of the evening was Best Multiplayer, which was picked up by Divinity: Original Sin 2.
While other awards ceremonies have focussed on championing social movements, the Video Game BAFTAs took a different stance, with the presenters for the Evolving Game award, Abubakar Salim and Alix Wilton Regan, pointing out the 5:1 female to male ratio of the Best Performance Award.
But the biggest winner of the evening was Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, a game that flew the flag for the industry’s indie scene and fought valiantly against its better funded competitors. It picked up the Academy’s debut ‘Games Beyond Entertainment’ award, leading to a heartfelt speech about the power of games to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, and a second for Artistic Achievement. It’s third was an Audio Achievement award and a fourth was an (somewhat expected at this point) award for being the Best British Game. It’s lead actress Melina Juergens picked up the game’s fifth award.
By the time the BAFTA’s Best Game category came around, it was therefore a surprise to see the award go to What Remains of Edith Finch. The Best Game award was the game’s first and only accolade of the evening.
Finally, the evening was rounded out with a BAFTA fellowship being awarded to Tim Schafer, the legendary designer behind countless adventure games including The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts.
Video Game BAFTAs 2018: The winners
Here are all the winners for this year’s ceremony.
Original Property
Winner:
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Nominated:
Cuphead Chad Moldenhauer, Jared Moldenhauer – Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc./Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc.
Gorogoa – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
Night In The Woods Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – Infinitefall/ Finji
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
What Remains Of Edith Finch – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
Music
Winner:
Cuphead – Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc./Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc.
Nominated:
Get Even – The Farm 51/ Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – David Garcia Diaz, Andy Laplegua – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo EPD/nintendo
What Remains Of Edith Finch Jeff Russo – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
Game Design
Winner:
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Nominated:
Assassin’s Creed Origins – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Nier Automata – Platinum Games; Square Enix/ Square Enix
What Remains Of Edith Finch – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
Evolving Game
Winner:
Overwatch – Blizzard Entertainment/ Blizzard Entertainment
Nominated:
Clash Royale – Supercell/ Supercell
Final Fantasy XV – Square Enix/ Square Enix
Fortnite – Epic Games/ Epic Games
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
Narrative
Winner:
Night In The Woods – Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – Infinitefall/ Finji
Nominated:
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Tameem Antoniades – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Tacoma – Steve Gaynor, Karla Zimonja – Fullbright/ Fullbright
What Remains Of Edith Finch – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – Jens Matthies, Tommy Tordsson Björk, Tom Keegan – Machine Games/ Bethesda
Game Beyond Entertainment
Winner:
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Nominated:
Bury Me, My Love – The Pixel Hunt & Fig/ Arte & Playdius
Last Day Of June – Massimo Guarini, Elia Randon, Andrew Thompson – Ovosonico/505 Games
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm – Deck Nine Games, Square Enix/Square Enix
Night In The Woods – Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – Infinitefall/ Finji
Sea Hero Quest VR – Matthew Hyde, Max Scott-slade, Hugo Scott-slade – Glitchers/ Glitchers
Debut Game
Winner:
Gorogoa – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
Nominated:
Cuphead – Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc./Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc.
Hollow Knight – Team Cherry/Team Cherry
Night In The Woods – Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – Infinitefall/Finji
The Sexy Brutale – Charles Griffiths, James Griffiths, Tom Lansdale – Cavalier Game Studios And Tequila Works/Tequila Works
Slime Rancher – Monomi Park/Monomi Park
Family
Winner:
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Epd/Nintendo
Nominated:
Just Dance 2018 – Ubisoft Paris/ Ubisoft
Lego Worlds – TT Games/ WB Games
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle – Ubisoft/ Ubisoft
Monument Valley 2 – Ustwo Games/Ustwo Games
Snipperclips – SFB Games/ Nintendo
Mobile Game
Winner:
Golf Clash – Paul Gouge, Alex Rigby, Gareth Jones – Playdemic/Playdemic
Nominated
Bury Me, My Love – The Pixel Hunt & Fig/ Arte & Playdius
Gorogoa – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
Kami 2 – State Of Play/State Of Play
Monument Valley 2 – Ustwo Games/ustwo Games
Stranger Things: The Game – Bonusxp, Inc./Bonusxp, Inc.
Artistic Achievement
Winner:
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Nominated:
Cuphead – Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc./Studiomdhr Entertainment Inc.
Gorogoa – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Multiplayer
Winner:
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Larian Studios/ Larian Studios Games
Nominated:
Fortnite – Epic Games/ Epic Games
Gang Beasts – Boneloaf/ Double Fine Productions
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
Splatoon 2 – Nintendo EPD/nintendo
Star Trek Bridge Crew – Red Storm Entertainment/ Ubisoft
Audio Achievement
Winner:
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Nominated:
Call Of Duty: World War II – Sledgehammer Games/Activision
Destiny 2 – Bungie/Activision
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Star Wars Battlefront II – Dice/Electronic Arts
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Game Innovation
Winner:
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Nominated:
Gorogoa – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Nier Automata – Platinum Games; Square Enix/Square Enix
Snipperclips – SFB Games/nintendo
What Remains Of Edith Finch – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
British Game
Winner:
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Nominated:
Monument Valley 2 – Ustwo Games/Ustwo Games
Reigns: Her Majesty – Leigh Alexander, François Alliot, Arnaud De Bock – Nerial Ltd/ Devolver Digital
The Sexy Brutale – Charles Griffiths, James Griffiths, Tom Lansdale – Cavalier Game Studios And Tequila Works/ Tequila Works
Sniper Elite 4 – Rebellion/ Rebellion
Total War: Warhammer II – Creative Assembly/ Sega
Performer
Winner:
Melina Juergens As Senua In Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Nominated:
Abubakar Salim As Bayek In Assassin’s Creed Origins
Ashly Burch As Aloy In Horizon Zero Dawn
Claudia Black As Chloe Frazer In Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Laura Bailey As Nadine Ross In Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Valerie Rose Lohman As Edith Finch In What Remains Of Edith Finch
Best Game
Winner:
What Remains Of Edith Finch – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
Nominated:
Assassin’s Creed Origins – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
Horizon Zero Dawn – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
