Baldur's Gate 3 leads BAFTA Games Awards with 10 nominations

Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 leads the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards with 10 nominations, including Best Game, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

BAFTA today released the shortlist of nominees for this year's awards, with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 receiving nine nominations, Alan Wake 2 receiving eight nominations, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor both receiving six.

The coveted Best Game will be awarded to either Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Dave the Diver, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, or Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

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"I think 2023 is going to go down as one of the best years for new video game releases," chair of the BAFTA Games Board of Trustees Tara Saunders told Eurogamer ahead of the nominations announcement. "I think part of that is we're seeing what's truly possible as technology evolves and what this generation of technology can do. I think Baldur's Gate is a great showcase of that."

Dave the Diver is the only (debatably) indie game nominated for Best Game, though last year Vampire Survivors was the surprise winner over Elden Ring.

"These are the nominations that have naturally come up through the process of doing the awards," said Saunders, who explained the breadth of membership thanks to its 1200-strong voting membership pool.

Emme Baehr, executive director of awards & content at BAFTA, added that changes have been made this year, including opening entry earlier, and providing a longlist of 60 games to inspire debate and bring attention to the wide range of games available. What's more, Best Game and British Game will be voted on by the full membership, not just the jury.

"There's so much industry engagement throughout the whole awards process and that's what makes the quality of the BAFTA Awards and why the industry says they're prestigious, they're fair, because they really do have peer voting - people who really know that field judging in areas they know what good looks like," said Saunders.

Baldur's Gate 3 dominates the two performance categories, with five nominations out of 12. Also of note, however, is that 11 of the 12 nominations are first time nominees, which Saunders agrees is testament to the wealth of opportunities for actors in video games.

One of those is Samantha Béart for her role as Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3, who was awarded BAFTA Breakthrough last year. Saunders said it's "amazing" to see the support BAFTA can provide new talent.

The Game Beyond Entertainment award is as intriguing as ever, nominating the likes of Terra Nil, Venba, and Goodbye Volcano High for their stories of climate change and identity. Notably, all the studios nominated in this category are indies and first time nominees.

"I think when you're small you can be brave," said Saunders. "What you get in the Game Beyond Entertainment category is something a bit different. That takes a lot of bravery and a lot of guts and when you're smaller you can take more risks."

Of course, it's a difficult time for the games industry at the moment due to the high number of layoffs, despite the huge number of notable game releases. But Saunders hopes these awards can be a "massive celebration, because the industry deserves it".

Both Saunders and Baehr noted the importance and prestige of these awards to the industry, too.

"I think BAFTA is playing a key role to make sure it continues to inspire and entertain the next generation coming through and the awards is a big showcase of that," said Saunders.

Baehr added: "I want everybody... feeling that we're celebrating and showcasing and it speaks to our year round work."

Take note The Game Awards.

The BAFTA Game Awards will take place on Thursday 11th April, and will be streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and X. The public can also vote for the EE Players' Choice Award.

Below is the full list of nominees.

Animation

• Alan Wake 2
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Artistic Achievement

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cocoon
• Diablo 4
• Final Fantasy 16
• Hi-Fi Rush

Audio Achievement

• Alan Wake 2
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Hi-Fi Rush
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Best Game

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dave the Diver
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

British Game

• Cassette Beasts
• Dead Island 2
• Disney Illusion Island
• Football Manager 2024
• Viewfinder
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin

Debut Game

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
• Venba
• Viewfinder

Evolving Game

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Final Fantasy 14 Online
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Genshin Impact
• No Man's Sky

Family

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Disney Illusion Island
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Game Beyond Entertainment

• Chants of Sennaar
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Tchia
• Terra Nil
• Thirsty Suitors
• Venba

Game Design

• Cocoon
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Viewfinder

Multiplayer

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Diablo 4
• Forza Motorsport
• Party Animals
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Music

• Alan Wake 2
• Assassin's Creed Mirage
• Baldur's Gate 3
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Narrative

• Alan Wake 2
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dredge
• Final Fantasy 16
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

New Intellectual Property

• Chants of Sennaar
• Dave the Diver
• Dredge
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Jusant
• Viewfinder

Performer in a Leading Role

• Amelia Tyler as Narrator in Baldur's Gate 3
• Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Neil Newbon as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3
• Samantha Béart as Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3
• Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Performer in a Supporting Role

• Andrew Wincott as Raphael in Baldur's Gate 3
• Debra Wilson as Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Ralph Ineson as Cidolfus "Cid" Telamon in Final Fantasy 16
• Sam Lake as Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2
• Tony Todd as Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Tracy Wiles as Jaheira in Baldur's Gate 3

Technical Achievement

• Alan Wake 2
• Final Fantasy 16
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2
• Starfield

EE Players' Choice

• Baldur's Gate 3
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Fortnite
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Lethal Company
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2