It must be one of the most impressive wins in the history of the Bafta Games Awards. Against blockbusters like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarök, the winner of best game at this year’s ceremony, which took place on Thursday night, was Vampire Survivors, a shooter developed largely by the programmer lonely Luca Galante.
There were gasps from the crowd at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, as the title was read, with Galante’s small team accepting the award on his behalf and looking shocked. The game, in which players try to survive as long as possible in an ever-changing landscape teeming with monsters, had previously won the game design award.
On the other hand, the epic mythological adventure God of War Ragnarök took home the most Bafta masks. Nominated in a record 14 categories, the game took home six awards, including EE Game of the Year, voted for by the public, as well as Best Audio, Animation, Music, Performer in a Leading Role, and Performer in a Supporting Role. .
But it was a night that belonged to smaller, unconventional titles. The beautiful Tunic RPG adventure, another title initially developed by a single designer, Andrew Shouldice, had artistic achievements and debuted. For its part, the narrative prize went to Immortality, an innovative interactive film created by British designer Sam Barlow.
From Software’s acclaimed fantasy adventure Elden Ring received multiple nominations and clinched two awards: Original Property and, to the surprise of many, Best Multiplayer, beating out more traditional online titles like Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. 2. Best Evolving Game went to Final Fantasy XIV Online, Technical Achievement to Horizon Forbidden West, and British Game to Rollerdrome.
One more surprise was that the cyberpunk adventure Stray went home empty-handed, despite receiving multiple nominations.
The winner of this year’s Bafta gaming scholarship, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry, was Shuhei Yoshida, Director of the Independent Developers Initiative at Sony Interactive Entertainment and formerly President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios. An immensely popular industry figure known for his enthusiastic endorsement of indie games on social media, Yoshida received a standing ovation and garnered heartfelt endorsements from a variety of developers.
“Since he got involved with the original PlayStation console, he’s been at the heart of PlayStation,” said Siobhan Reddy, head of UK studio Media Molecule. “He has guided and influenced so many teams over the years. His love of the bold and outlandish was daring for a top executive, but this made all the developers love him more.”
Accepting his award, Yoshida said, “Indie developers, keep dreaming, because your next game could change the face of the industry forever.” Without a doubt, a sentiment that is now also shared by the creators of Vampire Survivors.
A complete list of winners can be found. here.
