The 2022 Bafta Games Awards were handed out last night and Returnal, a psychological horror third-person shooter game, was named Best Game of the year.
The PS5 exclusive Returnal bagged four prizes during the night, including one for Jane Perry’s performance as main character Selene. Bafta Games doesn’t recognise male and female performers, unlike its Film and TV branches still do for awards. Instead, they give one award for a performer in a leading role as well as one for a supporting role.
Forza Horizon 5 was named best British game while Unpacking was voted by the public as the EE Game of the Year. Unpacking also took home the trophy for Best Narrative.
Alongside Unpacking, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and It Takes Two both took home two prizes. Ratchet & Clank, a classic action platformer, was awarded Best Animation and Technical Achievement. It Takes Two was named best Multiplayer and Original Property.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
What makes Returnal a tad surprising and an uncommon Best Game winner is that it’s only available on PS5. Playstation hasn’t been able to meet demand for their newest, highly sought-after console and it constantly sells out when retailers announce a restock with black market prices also soaring for the machine.
Returnal also isn’t available for gamers who are partial to playing only on Xbox. So, it begs the question, can a game that only so few can play at the moment truly be the best?
Console-specific titles are worthy winners and aren’t unusual; Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II currently holds the title for most Game Of The Year awards, but that was available for the more common Playstation 4.
Returnal’s win will certainly increase the already high demand of the PS5 consoles even further, but it remains to be seen whether Playstation will be able to meet it.
Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
Here is the full list of winners:
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
WINNER – RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART Development Team – Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
OVERBOARD! Jon Ingold, Tom Kail, Anastasia Wyatt – 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
WINNER – TOEM Development Team – Something We Made/ Something We Made
EVOLVING GAME
AMONG US Development Team – Innersloth/Innersloth
ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
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
WINNER – NO MAN’S SKY Development Team – Hello Games/Hello Games
FAMILY
ALBA: A WILDLIFE ADVENTURE Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games, Plug In Digital
WINNER – 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 – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
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
WINNER – 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 – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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 Gareth Coker, Joel Corelitz and Curtis Schweitzer – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
WINNER – 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
PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE
OZIOMA AKAGHA as Julianna Blake in DEATHLOOP
JASON E KELLEY as Colt Vahn “the Captain” in DEATHLOOP
JENNIFER HALE as Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
JON MCLAREN as Star-Lord/Peter Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
ERIKA MORI as Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors
WINNER – JANE PERRY as Selene Vassos in Returnal
PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
LAURA BAILEY as Polina Petrova in Call of Duty: Vanguard
WINNER – KIMBERLY BROOKS as Hollis Forsythe in Psychonauts 2
JASON CAVALIER as Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
MAGGIE ROBERTSON as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village
HAN SOTO as Gabe Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors
ALEX WEINER as Rocket in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
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
WINNER – 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 Nintendo & MercurySteam, Nintendo
WINNER – UNPACKING Witch Beam/Humble Games
