Baldur’s Gate 3 went into the BAFTA Games Awards as the odds-on favorite to take Best Game and sweep the rest–but while it proved to get the biggest win of the night, it failed to dominate in the way many gamers predicted.
Instead of following in the footsteps of God of War Ragnarök after last year’s surprise big winner Vampire Survivors, BG3 wasn’t upset by an indie upstart, but it failed to scoop the gold in the same way it did at the DICE Awards, Golden Joysticks, and The Game Awards. It led the BAFTA wins with four gongs, but took fewer than half of its 11 nominations.
Still, it did better than other AAA titles. Despite receiving 10 nominations, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 left it to the penultimate minute to win its only award: Nadji Jeter picked up the gong for Performer in a Leading Role, undoubtedly angering the legion of stream-watching fans who were rooting for Neil Newbon, who masterfully portrayed Astarion in BG3. The same can be said for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, which only picked up the prize for Technical Achievement.
As is BAFTA tradition, indie games shone: Viewfinder, Venba, and Tchia got their deserved moments in the spotlight, while the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Final Fantasy XVI got nothing.
The 2024 BAFTA Games Awards kicked off with a run-down of the huge moments that have defined the ceremony–a fitting touch ahead of its 20th anniversary. Afterward, debuting host Phil Wang stepped up to introduce himself as a “comedian, writer, and hopeful future bad guy in a problematic Far Cry game.”
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He struggled to warm up an initially frigid audience, but eventually hit his stride–his passion for gaming was very clear, and kept things moving nicely, bolo tie, dad jokes and all. He also didn’t shy away from the biggest stories facing the gaming industry; within a minute of hitting the mic, he addressed widespread layoffs and studio closures, framing the night to come with a healthy dose of reality.
The results kicked off with a textbook, but no less delightful, shock win–the excellent Venba took Best Debut Game ahead of potential favorites COCOON, Dave the Diver, and DREDGE. Hi-Fi Rush missed out on Audio Achievement to Alan Wake 2. It was true to form for the BAFTA Games Awards, which are full of surprises.
Highlights of the evening included actor Ben Starr’s excoriating jokes when announcing the Multiplayer category; the Dave the Diver team, surprised to be on stage for the Game Design award–and thanking BAFTA for (rightly) not placing it in the line-up for Best Indie Game; the team behind Viewfinder, who were just as adorable as their game; Andrew Wincott’s command of the audience during his time at the mic for Performer in a Supporting Role; Borislav Slavov’s emotional speech for Best Music; and the live rendition of ‘Late Goodbye’ from Max Payne for the obituaries.
In real terms, the most important BAFTA of the night went to British charity SpecialEffect, which received the Special Award for its work to make gaming as accessible as possible to those with disabilities.
An emotional highlight reel showed the diverse range of challenges that many face when playing games, and the organization’s innovative approach to technology which continues to connect these people with their passion–long may it continue.
BAFTA Games Awards 2024 winners list
Debut Game: Venba
Runners up: COCOON, Dave the Diver, DREDGE, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, Viewfinder
Audio Achievement: Alan Wake 2
Runners up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Hi-Fi Rush, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Multiplayer: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Runners up: Baldur’s Gate 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Diablo IV, Forza Motorsport, Party Animals
Evolving Game: Cyberpunk 2077
Runners up: Final Fantasy XIV Online, Fortnite, Forza Horizon 5, Genshin Impact, No Man’s Sky
Game Design: Dave the Diver
Runners up: COCOON, DREDGE, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Viewfinder
British Game: Viewfinder
Runners up: Cassette Beasts, Dead Island 2, Disney Illusion Island, Football Manager 2024, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
Artistic Achievement: Alan Wake 2
Runners up: Baldur’s Gate 3, COCOON, Diablo IV, Final Fantasy XVI, Hi-Fi Rush
New Intellectual Property: Viewfinder
Runners up: Chants of Sennaar, Dave the Diver, DREDGE, Hi-Fi Rush, Jusant
Narrative: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners up: Alan Wake 2, DREDGE, Final Fantasy XVI, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Special Award: SpecialEffect
For its work supporting gamers with disabilities
Performer in a Supporting Role: Andrew Wincott (Raphael in Baldur’s Gate 3)
Runners up: Debra Wilson (Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Ralph Ineson (Cidolfus “Cid” Telamon in Final Fantasy XVI), Sam Lake (Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2), Tony Todd (Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2), Tracy Wiles (Jaheira in Baldur’s Gate 3)
Family: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Runners up: COCOON, Dave the Diver, Disney Illusion Island, Hi-Fi Rush, Hogwarts Legacy
EE Players’ Choice (fan vote)*: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners up: Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Lethal Company, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Animation: Hi-Fi Rush
Runners up: Alan Wake 2, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Music: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners up: Alan Wake 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Game Beyond Entertainment: Tchia
Runners up: Chants of Sennaar, Goodbye Volcano High, Terra Nil, Thirsty Suitors, Venba
Technical Achievement: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Runners up: Alan Wake 2, Final Fantasy XVI, Horizon Call of the Mountain, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Starfield
Performer in a Leading Role: Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)
Runners up: Amelia Tyler (Narrator in Baldur’s Gate 3), Cameron Monaghan (Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor), Neil Newbon (Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3), Samantha Béart (Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3), Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2)
Best Game: Baldur’s Gate 3
Runners up: Alan Wake 2, Dave the Diver, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder
This is the sixth BAFTA Games Awards I’ve covered here, but it’s the first time I’ve been involved as a jury member–I was lucky enough to join nine absolutely incredible game industry talents to judge the New Intellectual Property category. For full transparency, none of us knew the winner until the live broadcast as votes were blindly cast–but Viewfinder, which I adored when I reviewed it, was a worthy winner on the night, despite incredible competition in its group.
2024 BAFTA Games Awards: Wins by game
- 4: Baldur’s Gate 3* (Narrative, Performer in a Supporting Role, Music, Best Game)
- 2: Alan Wake 2 (Audio Achievement, Artistic Achievement), Viewfinder (Best British Game, New Intellectual Property), Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Multiplayer, Family)
- 1: Venba (Debut Game), Cyberpunk 2077 (Evolving Game), Dave the Diver (Game Design), Hi-Fi Rush (Animation), Tchia (Game Beyond Entertainment), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Technical Achievement), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Performer in a Leading Role)
*Baldur’s Gate 3 also took the EE Players’ Choice, which isn't counted as a mainline BAFTA.
