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Sky News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard - with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year's BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game. The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation's 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods. But in the end, the critics - some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a "perfect game" - were right as it dominated the awards at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots. "We're a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone," Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News. "We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it's really, really nice to go around and ask everyone 'is that joke fine in your country?' And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness." It's a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes the Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles. Compared to John Carpenter's 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters. Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay. "I've been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I've never won one," said Dunbar. "It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!" Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II - a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers. It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems. "Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for," said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios. From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You're Here, a cartoonish, comedy platformer, won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes the Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting. " I think it's been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen," said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project. Co-creator James Carbutt added: "Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we're one of them." By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement. But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year's win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
2025 BAFTA Games Awards Winners: ‘Astro Bot' Wins Deserved GOTY
'Astro Bot' took home five BAFTA Games Awards, including Best Game. Astro Bot dominated the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards, claiming Game of The Year along with four more gongs for Audio Achievement, Family, Animation, and Game Design. Anyone who's played Astro Bot will be in no way surprised, despite strong competition, in another typically BAFTA affair with surprises along the way. Last year, Baldur's Gate 3 unsurprisingly led both the nominations (11) and awards won (4); in 2025, the top nominee was a bit more of a shock, as local favorite Senua's Saga: Hellblade II was the frontrunner (also with 11), albeit missing out on the all-important Game of the Year shortlisting. In the end, Hellblade II took home just one BAFTA for Technical Achievement. Still Wakes the Deep came second with three BAFTAs — New Intellectual Property, and both Performers in Supporting and Leading Roles — a particular high point being Karen Dunbar, the actor behind Finlay who was, delightfully, the most Scottish person on the internet tonight, saying 'I'm not even an actor, I'm a gynecologist!' Even with six nominations, Black Myth: Wukong got nothing. Thank Goodness You're Here!, the hometown fave, grabbed just one award from seven, even though it felt like a contender in every one of its categories. It's worth noting just how much that sole trophy meant to its developers at Coal Supper; they're an incredible bunch, and they deserve every success in the future. Will Todd and James Carbutt rightfully received a BAFTA for 'Thank Goodness You're Here!'. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Sadly, Balatro didn't get its dues; if it was going to win Game of the Year anywhere, it was the BAFTAs. Just look at Vampire Survivors, which beat God of War Ragnarök to the top gong in 2023, but also fairly picked up tonight's award for Evolving Game. After the first award Balatro was nominated for — New Intellectual Property — went to Still Wakes the Deep, winning dev The Chinese Room admitted they thought Balatro had it in the bag. Despite all this, Balatro had the biggest laugh of the night when the poker-based roguelike (and my own GOTY) collected its sole award for Debut Game. Ben Starr, who's played the part of Jimbo the Joker on behalf of the famously public-averse solo dev LocalThunk, read the funniest speech of the night, saying how 'he has shoes made of gold and he thanks you for making him that way.' Most importantly, he ended the speech saying: 'Oh, and play more independent games like Animal Well, they are the lifeblood of this industry and they deserve your respect.' The BAFTA Games Awards was hosted for the second year in a row by comedian Phil Wang, who compared himself to the Nintendo Switch 2 — 'not noticeably better, but I did charge a lot more this time' — but only after the ceremony opened with the year's industry highlights powered by the (literally) golden guitar skills of Pendulum star Peredur ap Gwynedd, who played a selection of the band's hits that featured in video games. Other highlights included Tales of Kenzera: Zau winning Game Beyond Entertainment, even though Surgent Studios faced major and heartbreaking circumstances after the title's launch; nerd-turned-hunk Matthew Lewis, A.K.A. Neville Longbottom, rocking up to present the BAFTA for Game Design; and deserving BAFTA Fellowship Award-winning Yoko Shimomura's translator, who I hope was being paid by the hour. Plenty of other smaller titles deservedly got their moments in the sun: Tiny Glade, The Plucky Squire, Little Kitty, Big City, Botany Manor, Paper Trail, A Highland Song, and Pacific Drive. Even triple-As were rightly lauded; the clip packages for both Astro Bot and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 only reminded everyone of how varied and brilliant both games were. There were a couple of other nice surprises, namely Metaphor: ReFantazio claiming the Narrative award in the face of big local competition, and Neva's much-deserved win for Artistic Achievement. Five awards: Astro BotThree: Still Wakes the DeepTwo: Helldivers 2One: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Thank Goodness You're Here!, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Vampire Survivors, Neva, Balatro Read the full list of 2025 BAFTA Games Awards nominees on the organization's website.
