Summary

  • Baldur's Gate 3 has won five awards at the 20th edition of the Bafta Games Awards in central London

  • The game by Larian Studios picked up the awards for the best game, music, players' choice, best narrative and best supporting performer

  • Alan Wake 2 and Viewfinder have picked up two awards each

  • The ceremony celebrated developers, artists, actors and composers: there were 40 games in the running across 17 categories

  • Gaming is big business in the UK: sales topped £4.7bn last year, more than double that of the music industry

  • But despite 2023 being widely considered to be one of the best years ever, the industry saw thousands of job losses and studio closures

  1. The Baftas were buzzingpublished at 22:28 British Summer Time 11 April

    Mel Ramsay
    Reporting from the Baftas

    What an amazing event!

    The red carpet at the Southbank Centre in London was buzzing, and filled with people from all across the gaming industry, ready to celebrate all of their contributions that made 2023 one of the best ever for games.

    Everyone from the event host Phil Wang to Baldur’s Gate 3 narrator, Amelia Tyler, was in attendance, and came to chat to the BBC team, live-streaming from the red carpet.

    A personal highlight was speaking to Spider-Man 2 actors Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales) and Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker) about how they wished they’d put the Spidey suits on underneath their black tie attire, and how they loved the idea of Spider-Man 3 being set in London (don’t get your hopes up on this happening, though!)

    It’s exciting to think about what new games we’ll get to experience over the next year, and what will be up for these same awards at the Bafta Games Awards 2025.

    We’ll see you in 12 months!

  2. That's (almost) it for this eveningpublished at 22:25 British Summer Time 11 April

    Nadia Ragozhina
    Live reporter

    We’re bringing our coverage to an end in a few minutes, but not before a final post from our reporter and gaming expert at the Baftas, Mel Ramsay - so watch out for that.

    To read more about tonight's awards ceremony, head over here.

    This page was edited by Barbara Tasch, Robert Plummer and me.

    The writers were Jacqueline Howard, Laura Cress, Tom Richardson, Andrew Rogers, Suneil Asar and Lipika Pelham.

    Thanks for being with us - now time for your favourite games!

  3. Who were the big winners of the night?published at 22:18 British Summer Time 11 April

    Nadji Jeters holds his Bafta award up to his face, so that the golden mask obscures his face completelyImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Can you guess which actor is behind the golden mask for best performance?

    We'll be closing this page soon, but just before we head off, here's a reminder of the big winners of the night:

    • Baldur's Gate 3 continued its domination of the industry with five wins, including for best game and player's pick
    • However, it was Marvel's Spider-Man 2'sNadji Jeter who took out the award for best performance for his role as Miles Morales
    • Alan Wake 2 picked up two awards and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom took home just one
    • Scottish studio The Sad Owl was completely blindsided by its two wins for best British game and best new intellectual property, tearing up on the stage
    • And the South Korean developer behind Dave the Diver scooped up the award for best design, beating out some of the major titles
    • Nintendo was rewarded for finally bringing online multiplayer into its Super Mario games, winning the multiplayer award and picking up the family game award, too.
  4. The unsung hero of the night?published at 22:12 British Summer Time 11 April

    Tom Richardson
    Live reporter

    Nintendo UK's Nelson Calvinho probably didn't expect to be so busy tonight, but he ended up making three trips to the stage on behalf of his employer.

    Collecting awards for Super Mario Bros. Wonder and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, his carefully crafted speeches had the whiff of a press release about them.

    But this isn't Nelson's first rodeo. The marketing manager collected the family award on Nintendo's behalf at last year's Baftas, for Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

  5. Best game spotlight: Baldur’s Gate 3published at 22:07 British Summer Time 11 April

    Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3), a role-playing game based on Dungeons and Dragons, has stunned players and critics with its depth since its release.

    Its Belgium-based developer, Larian Studios, took home the top award at the 2023 Game Awards in December.

    And now it's emerged as the overall winner of the Bafta Games Awards in London, winning in five categories out of the eight it was nominated in.

    BG3 has been lauded for its intricate level of detail, vast customisation options, and flexible story that allows for a completely different set of characters and choices in every playthrough.

    A red humanoid character with curling horns stands menacingly against a dark forest landscapeImage source, Larian Studios
  6. Who decides the winners?published at 21:54 British Summer Time 11 April

    The winners of most of tonight’s awards were decided by juries selected by the Baftas, but in a new approach this year, the best game and best British game awards were voted on by Bafta members, some 1,200 of them.

    Bafta members represent all corners of the industry, with years of experience in gaming, so the idea is that nominees were considered against an incredibly wide breadth of criteria.

    Nominations were also opened much earlier this year to give the voting members more time to play through the games before casting their votes. There was also the Players’ Choice award, which was decided by a public vote that ran up until Monday - and it was won by Baldur's Gate 3

  7. Analysis

    A predictable night at the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards?published at 21:47 British Summer Time 11 April

    Laura Cress
    BBC World Service

    The question at the start of the 20th anniversary of the BAFTA Games Awards was would Baldur's Gate 3, the fantasy role playing game by Larian Studios, be able to once again reign supreme?

    For the most part its fairy-tale prediction came true, with the game winning five awards out of the 10 categories it was in, including best narrative, best music and best game.

    There was some small comfort (and some may say surprise) for Marvel's Spiderman 2, which in comparison to the Game Awards in LA did finally win an award - for best performer in a leading role for Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales.

    Alan Wake 2 also didn't go home empty handed - winning two including artistic achievement.

    Amongst the giants of the industry, Bafta didn't disappoint in also recognising some of the smaller games, with independent Scottish game studio Sad Owl Studios winning best British game and new intellectual property.

    Host Phil Wang kept the ceremony moving at a relatively speedy pace, but not forgetting to also highlight the layoffs which have plagued the industry this year.

    A fairly predictable night then, but one which highlighted again the huge talent on display across Britain and the globe in games.

  8. Starfield misses out on its lone nominationpublished at 21:39 British Summer Time 11 April

    Mel Ramsay
    BBC Radio 5 Live

    A screenshot of an astronaut looking at a planetImage source, Bethesda

    From the creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, expectations were sky-high for Bethesda’s “first new universe in 25 years”, Starfield.

    Despite the enormous anticipation of its release (1,000 planets to explore!), it didn’t seem to quite hit the mark for players when it came to gameplay and storyline.

    It received a lukewarm reception and mediocre user reviews, and has missed out winning the one award it was nominated for this evening, for technical achievement.

    However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the game recently won the very similar Best Innovative Gameplay at the 2023 Steam Awards, so it hasn't gone completely unrecognised.

  9. Bafta Games Awards 2024 ceremony endspublished at 21:33 British Summer Time 11 April

    The awards ceremony has now finished but stay with us as we bring you the latest analysis from our expert team of gamers - on what they thought of the 20th edition of the Bafta Games Awards.

  10. Some surprises, but it was Baldur's Gate 3's nightpublished at 21:30 British Summer Time 11 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    There were some gasps in the room and quite a few unpublishable comments online when Nadji Jeter took home the award for best performance. Although plenty of people did also rush to congratulate him.

    Dave the Diver surprised some by, in developer Jaeho Hwang's words, "beating Zelda".

    But, overall, the night belonged to Baldur's Gate 3.

    And, when best game award presenter John Romero gave a knowing "yeah" as he opened the envelope to reveal the winner, his total lack of surprise was likely shared by most gamers.

  11. Baldur's Gate 3 wins!published at 21:19 British Summer Time 11 April
    Breaking

    Baldur's Gate 3 wins the best game award, cementing its victory lap around the games industry this year.

    The enormous development team have squeezed onto the stage to accept this one together.

    Baldur's Gate 3's development team on stage after winning best game awardImage source, BAFTA Games Awards 2024
  12. This is the moment we’ve been waiting forpublished at 21:16 British Summer Time 11 April

    It’s the boss battle of the night: Who is going to take out the Bafta for best game?

    Here are the nominees:

    • 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
  13. Nadji Jeter wins best performance for Spider-Manpublished at 21:13 British Summer Time 11 April
    Breaking

    Nadji Jeter speaking on stage after collecting BAFTA Games AwardImage source, BAFTA Games Awards 2024

    The actor behind Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Mile Morales, Nadji Jeter has won the award for best performance.

    He was up against some fan favourites, such as Baldur's Gate 3's Neil Newbon and his own co-star Yuri Lowenthal.

    He thanks the technical teams behind the game and jokes about how he packs the famously heavy statue into his bags before flying back to America

  14. Who gave the best performance?published at 21:12 British Summer Time 11 April

    We are getting to the end now and this is one of the big awards of the night, awarded to the best actor in a game. The nominees are:

    • Amelia Tyler as the 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
  15. Technical achievement goes to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdompublished at 21:08 British Summer Time 11 April

    Nintendo has won the technical achievement award for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

    The game broke boundaries in terms of what it allowed players to do. They were able to fuse just about any item they stumbled across to another, creating completely usable and unique weapons and inventions in every instance.

    Man collects BAFTA Games Award for technical achievement on behalf on NintendoImage source, BAFTA Games Awards 2024
  16. Up now is the technical achievement awardpublished at 21:05 British Summer Time 11 April

    This one goes to the game with the best innovation in gameplay or technology, and the nominees are:

    • Alan Wake 2
    • Final Fantasy XVI
    • Horizon Call of the Mountain
    • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
    • Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
    • Starfield
  17. Tchia is the game beyond entertainmentpublished at 21:02 British Summer Time 11 April

    Tchia has taken out the award for game beyond entertainment.

    It's testament to the incredible experience its developers curated for players as they explore an island archipelago inspired by New Caledonia.

  18. Let’s get deep with the game beyond entertainment categorypublished at 20:58 British Summer Time 11 April

    It’s time now to present the award for game beyond entertainment, given to a game that elicits some sort of transformational experience beyond pure entertainment. The nominees are:

    • Chants of Sennaar
    • Goodbye Volcano High
    • Tchia
    • Terra Nil
    • Thirsty Suiters
    • Venba
  19. Late Goodbyepublished at 20:57 British Summer Time 11 April

    The musical interlude during Bafta's tribute segment is a performance of Late Goodbye, by Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall.

    It was used as the closing credits in Remedy's 2003 sequel, Max Payne 2.

    The band's continued to work with the developer, appearing in Alan Wake 2 under the pseudonym Old Gods of Asgard.

  20. Baldur's Gate 3 wins the music awardpublished at 20:50 British Summer Time 11 April

    The award for the best music goes to Baldur's Gate 3.

    One of the standouts of the soundtrack of this game is the Raphael's Final Act theme song, which plays as the party battle out against Raphael, whose actor Andrew Wincott won the best supporting role prize earlier tonight.

    Borislav Slavov accepting the music award on stageImage source, Baftas
    Image caption,

    Borislav Slavov accepting the music award