The Bafta games awards took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on Thursday night, honouring 2021’s creative achievements in video gaming. It was the first time the ceremony had been held in person since the pandemic and brought together the international video games industry to celebrate a range of titles – some with multimillion-dollar budgets, others made by teams of fewer than 10.
The biggest winner of the night was the PlayStation 5 sci-fi shooter Returnal, which won accolades for audio achievement and music alongside the prestigious best game award. The lead actor in the game, Jane Perry, also won the award for performer in a leading role for her portrayal of steely space scout Selene. Performer in a supporting role was won by Kimberly Brooks, who played Hollis Forsythe in the psychedelic action game Psychonauts 2.
Many of the games nominated were developed under challenging conditions during the pandemic. “This was a really hard game to finish,” said a developer of Forza Horizon 5, picking up the award for best British game – one of several winners to show their emotions after a difficult period for the industry.
Indie games did very well: The Artful Escape, a video game rock opera, won the award for artistic achievement, and the heartfelt adventure Chicory: A Colourful Tale won in the family category. The entire eight-person team behind indie photography adventure TOEM took the stage to accept the award for debut game.
No Man’s Sky, which was first released in 2016 to considerable controversy, picked up the Bafta for best evolving game, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart won for animation and technical achievement. Before Your Eyes, a game about the afterlife, won in the game beyond entertainment category, and the mysterious, unpredictable and eerie critical darling Inscryption took the award for game design.
The EE game of the year award, decided by a public vote, was won by Unpacking, a touching, meditative game about moving house and organising possessions. It was picked up by a delighted and visibly surprised Tim Dawson and Wren Brier of Australian studio Witch Beam. Unpacking also won for best narrative, beating out bigger-budget competitors such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and art-deco time-travel game Deathloop. Despite nominations in five categories, Deathloop won none. The other most-nominated game, the quirky, co-operative adventure It Takes Two, won the multiplayer and original property categories.
A full list of winners can be found here.
