The 2022 BAFTA Games Awards nominations have been announced – and there’s plenty of familiar faces amongst this year’s cohort. Australian-made games Unpacking, The Artful Escape, and The Forgotten City have all received nominations in a number of categories, as has Call of Duty: Vanguard, which was partially developed by the Australian-based Sledgehammer Games crew.
Unpacking, from Brisbane-based studio Witch Beam, received nominations in the Family, Narrative, Original Property and EE Game of the Year categories.
‘Being nominated for four BAFTAs feels sort of unreal,’ Tim Dawson, co-founder of Witch Beam said in a statement provided to GamesHub.
‘As a prestigious institution rooted in film, the BAFTAs carry a lot of weight and recognition so it means a lot to have our work celebrated in this way. We’re proud to be one of three Australian games up for BAFTA awards this year, helping to show that Australian games can hold their own on the world stage.’
The Artful Escape nabbed noms in Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, and Debut Game. The Forgotten City is also nominated for Debut Game, and for EE Game of the Year.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is up for Animation, Audio Achievement, and Multiplayer awards.
Each game is among impressive company: It Takes Two, Deathloop and Returnal lead the nomination tally, with hits like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Psychonauts 2 also receiving a number of nods. It just goes to show how talented Australia’s local developers are, and how their work continues to shine on a global stage.
The 2022 BAFTA Games Awards will stream live from London on 7 April 2022, with keen watchers able to tune in via Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube.
Here’s the full list of 2022 BAFTA Games Awards nominees.
ANIMATION
CALL OF DUTY: VANGUARD Development Team – Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS Hunter Schmidt – Ember Lab LLC/ Ember Lab LLC
LIFE IS STRANGE: TRUE COLORS Development Team – Square Enix, Deck Nine Games/Square Enix
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Development Team – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
THE ARTFUL ESCAPE Development Team – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Development Team – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE Development Team – Capcom/Capcom
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
THE ARTFUL ESCAPE Development Team – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
CALL OF DUTY: VANGUARD Development Team – Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
DEATHLOOP Development Team – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
HALO INFINITE Development Team – 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
MARVEL’S GUARDIAN’S OF THE GALAXY Development Team – Eidos-Montréal/Square Enix
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
BEST GAME
DEATHLOOP Development Team – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
INSCRYPTION Development Team – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
BRITISH GAME
ALBA: A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games, Plug In Digital
DEATH’S DOOR Development Team – Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
FIGHTS IN TIGHT SPACES Development Team – Ground Shatter/Mode7
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
OVERBOARD! Jon Ingold, Tom Kail, Joseph Humfrey – inkle/ inkle
SABLE Development Team – Shedworks/Raw Fury
DEBUT GAME
THE ARTFUL ESCAPE Development Team – Beethoven & Dinosaur/Annapurna Interactive
EASTWARD Development Team – Pixpil/Chucklefish
THE FORGOTTEN CITY Nick Pearce, Alexander Goss, John Eyre – Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers
GENESIS NOIR Evan Anthony, Jeremy Abel – Feral Cat Den/Fellow Traveller
MAQUETTE Development Team – Graceful Decay/Annapurna Interactive
TOEM Development Team – Something We Made/ Something We Made
EVOLVING GAME
AMONG US Development Team – Innersloth/Innersloth
ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS Development Team –
APEX LEGENDS Development Team – Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts
DISCO ELYSIUM – THE FINAL CUT Development Team – ZA/UM/ZA/UM
FORTNITE Development Team – Epic Games/Epic Games, People Can Fly
NO MAN’S SKY Development Team – Hello Games/Hello Games
FAMILY
ALBA: A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games, Plug In Digital
CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE Development Team – Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/FINJI
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
MARIO PARTY SUPERSTARS Development Team –
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
UNPACKING Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Jeff van Dyck – Witch Beam/Humble Games
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
ALBA: A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games/Plug In Digital
BEFORE YOUR EYES Development Team – GoodbyeWorld Games/Skybound Games
CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE- Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/FINJI
GAME BUILDER GARAGE Development Team –
IT TAKES TWO Development Team -Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Development Team -Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
GAME DESIGN
DEATHLOOP Development Team – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
INSCRYPTION Development Team – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
MULTIPLAYER
BACK 4 BLOOD Development Team – Turtle Rock Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
CALL OF DUTY: VANGUARD Development Team – Sledgehammer Games/Activision Blizzard
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
HALO INFINITE Development Team – 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
HELL LET LOOSE Development Team – Black Matter/Team17
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
MUSIC
DEATHLOOP Tom Salta, Erich Talaba, Ross Tregenza – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
FAR CRY 6 Development Team – Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft
HALO INFINITE Development Team – 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Peter McConnell – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Scott Hanau, Wataru Hokoyama, Mark Mothersbaugh – Insomniac Games/ Sony Interactive Entertainment
RETURNAL Bobby Krlic, Joe Thwaites, Harry Krueger – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
NARRATIVE
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
LIFE IS STRANGE: TRUE COLORS Development Team – Square Enix, Deck Nine Games/Square Enix
MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Development Team – Eidos-Montréal/Square Enix
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Tim Schafer – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
UNPACKING Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Annie VanderMeer – Witch Beam/Humble Games
ORIGINAL PROPERTY
DEATHLOOP Development Team – Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
DEATH’S DOOR Development Team – Acid Nerve/Devolver Digital
INSCRYPTION Development Team – Daniel Mullins Games/Devolver Digital
IT TAKES TWO Development Team – Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
UNPACKING Wren Brier, Tim Dawson, Jeff van Dyck – Witch Beam/Humble Games
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
HITMAN 3 Development Team – IO Interactive/IO Interactive
PSYCHONAUTS 2 Development Team – Double Fine Productions/Xbox Game Studios
RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE Devleopment Team – Capcom/Capcom
RETURNAL Development Team – Housemarque/Sony Interactive Entertainment
EE GAME OF THE YEAR (voted for by the public)
CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE Greg Lobanov, A Shell in the Pit, Madeline Berger, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine/FINJI
DEATHLOOP Arkane Lyon/Bethesda Softworks
THE FORGOTTEN CITY Modern Storyteller/Dear Villagers
IT TAKES TWO Hazelight Studios/Electronic Arts
METROID DREAD
UNPACKING Witch Beam/Humble Games
