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Baldur’s Gate 3 was the big winner at the Bafta Games Awards in London last night, taking five categories including best game. The fantasy role-playing game fought off competition from heavy hitters, such as Alan Wake 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 — as well as cult fishing hit Dave the Diver, to take the night’s biggest award in a ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
In a year of considerable competition, the sheer scope and ambition of Baldur’s Gate 3 was enough to see it win in the music, narrative and performer in a supporting role categories too. It caps off a year of accolades for the epic, which also secured game of the year at The Game Awards, DICE Awards and Golden Joystick Awards. The FT’s five-star review praised the “breadth, depth, and reactivity of its writing”, as well as its commitment to giving “total freedom” to its players. The EE Players’ Choice Award, the only category chosen by the public, also went to Baldur’s Gate 3 — a fitting recognition of the more than 10mn copies it has sold since release.
Andrew Wincott was recognised for his performance as the game’s charismatic part-devil Raphael, however Nadji Jeter took the award for leading performer for his role as Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 — beating three other Baldur’s Gate 3 stars also nominated in the category.
In an exceptional year for games, but a difficult period for the games industry, individual triumphs were tempered by reminders of the thousands of job losses and dozens of studio closures that occurred in 2023. “We cannot celebrate these awards without acknowledging that it has been a difficult year for many,” said comedian Phil Wang, who hosted the event.
Yet a remarkable breadth of genre and style shone through in the evening’s winners: Viewfinder, a mind-bending puzzle game from Scottish developer Sad Owl Studios, won two awards for British game and new intellectual property. It missed out on debut game, however, which was awarded to narrative cooking game Venba. Dave the Diver, the deep-sea exploration and sushi-cooking hybrid, won the game design award for its constantly evolving, light-hearted offering. And Tchia, an action-adventure inspired by the culture of Pacific nation New Caledonia, won the game beyond entertainment award, the category dedicated to “games with a social purpose.”
It was a less successful night for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Nintendo’s action-adventure title won only one award for technical achievement, despite being nominated in six categories. Cocoon, Dredge and Final Fantasy XVI, all up for four awards, failed to secure any wins. However Alan Wake 2, the long-awaited survival-horror sequel, was rewarded for its dramatic, fourth-wall-breaking approach with the artistic achievement and audio achievement awards.
SpecialEffect, the charity that helps design bespoke gaming set-ups for those with physical challenges, was presented with the special award by Games Workshop co-founder Ian Livingstone. “With a background in special education, I realised how much people with severe physical disabilities were missing out by not being able to play,” said founder and chief executive Mick Donegan. “Seventeen years since SpecialEffect began, it’s an absolute honour for SpecialEffect’s work to be recognised.”
