Bafta Game Awards 2024 nominations: Baldur’s Gate 3…

Bafta Game Awards 2024 nominations: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Spider-Man 2 lead the pack

Bafta is as big a fan of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Spider-Man 2 as everyone else.

The two most lauded titles of last year have nabbed the most Bafta Game Awards nominations. Fantasy role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 has a slight edge over its action-packed rival, with 10 nominations compared to Spider-Man’s nine.

Both will duke it out for the best game trophy as they’ve done throughout awards season. The Dungeons and Dragons-adjacent Baldur’s Gate 3 has mostly come out on top, but there’s no telling which way the wind will blow on April 11.

That’s when the Bafta Game Awards will take place at the Southbank Centre. You can grab a front-row seat by livestreaming the proceedings on Bafta’s YouTube, Twitch and X channels from 7pm onwards. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the awards, which are the UK’s leading purveyor of gaming excellence.

Trailing close behind the two heavyweights is the spooky horror sequel Alan Wake 2. It’s up for eight awards including best game. While Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Dave the Diver, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder are also competing for the biggest prize of the night.

The big six may come from different genres, but they all have one thing in common: They are largely meant to be played solo. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, up for six Baftas, also belongs in the same camp.

As such, they represent a schism in the world of modern gaming. On the one hand, single player games are dominating awards shows and best-of lists, but some of the largest developers are abandoning them for endless multiplayer games. The latter, including Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, are still the biggest titles as far as player numbers are concerned.

Just this week, Warner Bros Games said that despite the blockbuster success of Hogwarts Legacy, it was pivoting to so-called live service games. The move followed a similar announcement by EA, the gaming behemoth behind the popular FIFA and Battlefield games. For its part, EA said its newfound focus was mainly driven by player demand for open-world multiplayer games.