British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement

Last updated
British Academy Games Award for Technology Achievement
Awarded for"The best innovation in gameplay or technology."
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented by BAFTA
First awarded2006
Currently held by Horizon Forbidden West
Website www.bafta.org/games

The British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement (formerly, British Academy Games Award for Game Innovation) is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) as part of the British Academy Games Awards. It is given in honour of "the best innovation in gameplay or technology". The award was initially known as Innovation at the 3rd British Academy Games Awards ceremony, held in 2006, and was awarded to Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?, developed and published by Nintendo. [1] The award was absent from ceremonies held in 2008 to 2010. before returning to the 8th ceremony held in 2011, under the name Game Innovation. For the 2020 awards, the category was renamed again for Technical Achievement as to encompass gameplay programming and visual engineering. [2]

Contents

Since its inception, the award has been given to thirteen games. As a developer, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development has a leading six nominations in the category, including two wins, tied with Media Molecule. Japan Studio holds the record for most nominations without a win, with four. Among publishers, Sony Interactive Entertainment has the most wins, with six. Xbox Game Studios are the publisher with the most nominations without a win, with five.

The current holder of the award is Horizon Forbidden West by Guerrilla Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment, which won at the 19th British Academy Games Awards in 2023.

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years are listed as per BAFTA convention, and generally correspond to the year of game release in the United Kingdom.

Table key
Indicates the winner
YearGameDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)Ref.
2006

(3rd)

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? Nintendo SPD Nintendo [1]
Electroplankton indieszero Nintendo
Guitar Hero Harmonix RedOctane
LocoRoco Japan Studio Sony Computer Entertainment
Shadow of the Colossus Team Ico, Japan StudioSony Computer Entertainment
We Love Katamari Namco Namco
2007

(4th)

Wii Sports Nintendo EAD Nintendo [3]
Battlefield 2142 EA DICE Electronic Arts
Crackdown Realtime Worlds Microsoft Game Studios
Guitar Hero II Harmonix Activision
World in Conflict Massive Entertainment Sierra Entertainment
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment
2011

(8th)

LittleBigPlanet 2 Media Molecule Sony Computer Entertainment Europe [4]
Bastion Supergiant Games Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Child of Eden Q Entertainment Ubisoft
From Dust Ubisoft Montpellier Ubisoft
L.A. Noire Team Bondi Rockstar Games
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Nintendo EAD Nintendo
2012

(9th)

The Unfinished Swan Giant Sparrow, Santa Monica Studio Sony Computer Entertainment [5]
Fez Polytron Corporation Trapdoor
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Treyarch Activision
Wonderbook: Book of Spells London Studio London Studio
Journey thatgamecompany Sony Computer Entertainment
Kinect Sesame Street TV Microsoft Studios, Soho ProductionsMicrosoft Studios
2013

(10th)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Starbreeze Studios 505 Games [6]
Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar North Rockstar Games
Papers, Please Lucas Pope, 3909 LLC3909 LLC
The Stanley Parable Galactic CaféGalactic Café
Tearaway Tarsier Studios, Media Molecule Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Year Walk Simogo Simogo
2014

(11th)

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter The AstronautsThe Astronauts, Nordic Games [7]
80 Days Inkle Inkle, Profile Books
Alien: Isolation The Creative Assembly Sega
Lumino City State of Play GamesState of Play Games
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Monolith Productions Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Titanfall Respawn Entertainment Electronic Arts
2015

(12th)

Her Story Sam BarlowSam Barlow [8]
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture The Chinese Room, Santa Monica Studio Sony Computer Entertainment
Life Is Strange Dontnod Entertainment Square Enix
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Kojima Productions Konami Digital Entertainment
Splatoon Nintendo EAD Nintendo
Until Dawn Supermassive Games Sony Computer Entertainment
2016

(13th)

That Dragon, Cancer Numinous GamesNuminous Games [9]
Batman: Arkham VR Rocksteady Studios Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Firewatch Campo Santo Panic
Pokémon Go Niantic Niantic
Unseen DiplomacyTriangular PixelsTriangulars Pixels
The Witness Thekla, Inc. Thekla, Inc.
2017

(14th)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo EPD Nintendo
Gorogoa Jason Roberts, Buried Signal Annapurna Interactive
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theory Ltd Ninja Theory Ltd
NieR: Automata PlatinumGames Square Enix
Snipperclips SFB Games Nintendo
What Remains of Edith Finch Giant Sparrow Annapurna Interactive
2018

(15th)

Nintendo Labo Nintendo EPD Nintendo
Astro Bot Rescue Mission Japan Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
Celeste Matt Makes Games Inc. Matt Makes Games Inc.
Cultist Simulator Weather Factory Humble Bundle
Moss PolyarcPolyarc
Return of the Obra Dinn Lucas Pope 3909
2019

(16th)

Death Stranding Kojima Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment [10]
A Plague Tale: Innocence Asobo Studio Focus Home Interactive
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Infinity Ward Activision
Control Remedy Entertainment 505 Games
Metro Exodus 4A Games Deep Silver
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice FromSoftware Activision
2020

(17th)

Dreams Media Molecule Sony Interactive Entertainment [11]
Demon's Souls Japan Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment
Doom Eternal id Software Bethesda Softworks
Microsoft Flight Simulator Asobo Studio Xbox Game Studios
The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
2021

(18th)

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Insomniac Games Sony Interactive Entertainment [12]
Forza Horizon 5 Playground Games Xbox Game Studios
Hitman 3 IO Interactive
Psychonauts 2 Double Fine Xbox Game Studios
Resident Evil Village Capcom
Returnal Housemarque Sony Interactive Entertainment
2022

(19th)

Horizon Forbidden West Guerrilla Sony Interactive Entertainment [13]
God of War Ragnarök Santa Monica Sony Interactive Entertainment
The Last of Us Part I Naughty Dog
Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco
Immortality Half Mermaid Productions
Stray BlueTwelve Annapurna Interactive

Multiple nominations and wins

Developers

DeveloperNominationsWins
Nintendo SPD/Nintendo EAD 62
Japan Studio 40
Media Molecule 32
Santa Monica Studio 31
Giant Sparrow 21
Harmonix 20
Insomniac Games 21
Kojima Productions 21
Lucas Pope 20
Naughty Dog 20

Publishers

DeveloperNominationsWins
Sony Computer/Interactive Entertainment 196
Nintendo 84
Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios 50
Activision 40
Annapurna Interactive 30
Warner Bros Interactive 30
390920
505 Games 21
Electronic Arts 20
Namco 20
Rockstar Games 20
Square Enix 20
Ubisoft 20

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