The BAFTA nominations for their video game awards for 2017 have been announced, and Ninja Theory’s Hellblade leads the pack with a staggering nine nominations. It is followed by Horizon: Zero Dawn, which got eight nominations. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, meanwhile, got five nominations.
What is most curious about these awards is the apparent general snubbing that Japanese games (outside of Nintendo’s) seem to have gotten in the nominees list- for instance, neither NieR nor Persona are nominated for Game of the Year, nor for Best Soundtrack; Persona 5 is also ignored in the best artstyle category.
On the other hand, BAFTAs are understandably more skewed towards British sensibilities, and British games, so it does make sense. You can check out the full list of nominees below- will Breath of the Wild take the win here as well? We will find out on April 12, which is when the awards ceremony will be held in London.
Artistic Achievement
- Cuphead
- Gorogoa
- Hellblade
- Horizon
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Audio Achievement
- COD: World War 2
- Destiny 2
- Hellblade
- Horizon
- Star Wars Battlefront 2
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Best Game
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Hellblade
- Horizon
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Super Mario Odyssey
- What Remains of Edith Finch
British Game
- Hellblade
- Monument Valley 2
- Reigns: Her Majesty
- The Sexy Brutale
- Sniper Elite 4
- Total War: Warhammer 2
Debut Game
- Cuphead
- Gorogoa
- Hollow Knight
- Night in the Woods
- The Sexy Brutale
- Slime Rancher
Evolving Game
- Clash Royale
- Final Fantasy 15
- Fortnite
- Overwatch
- PUBG
- Rainbow Six Siege
Family
- Just Dance 2018
- Lego Worlds
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Monument Valley 2
- Snipperclips
- Super Mario Odyssey
Game Beyond Entertainment
- Bury Me, My Love
- Hellblade
- Last Day of June
- Life is Strange: Before the Storm
- Night in the Woods
- Sea Hero Quest VR
Game Design
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Nier Automata
- Super Mario Odyssey
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Game Innovation
- Gorogoa
- Hellblade
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Nier Automata
- Snipperclips
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Mobile Game
- Bury Me, My Love
- Golf Clash
- Gorogoa
- Kami 2
- Monument Valley 2
- Stranger Things: The Game
Multiplayer
- Divinity: Original Sin 2 (yay!)
- Fortnite
- Gang Beasts
- PUBG
- Splatoon 2
- Star Trek Bridge Crew
Music
- Cuphead
- Get Even
- Hellblade
- Horizon
- Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Narrative
- Hellblade
- Horizon
- Night in the Woods
- Tacoma
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Original Property
- Cuphead
- Gorogoa
- Horizon
- Night in the Woods
- PUBG
- What Remains of Edity Finch
Performer
- Abubakar Salim as Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Ashly Burch as Aloy in Horizon
- Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Laura Bailey as Nadine Ross in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Melina Juergens as Senua in Hellblade
- Valerie Rose Lohman as Edith Finch in What Remains of Edith Finch