EE Game of the Year Award

Last updated
EE Game of the Year
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented by British Academy of Film and Television Arts
First awarded2018
Currently held by Baldur's Gate 3
Website www.bafta.org/games

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) EE Game of the Year, formerly EE Mobile Game of the Year is an audience voted award presented annually at the British Academy Games Awards honouring "the best game of the year, as voted for by the public". [1] The award is sponsored by the telecommunications company EE and winners receive a special solid yellow BAFTA statuette as opposed to the standard golden statuettes given to the recipients of other categories.

Contents

It was first presented to Old School RuneScape at the 15th British Academy Games Awards in 2018 as a fan-voted companion to the British Academy Games Award for Mobile Game, but was expanded and renamed at the 17th British Academy Games Awards in 2021 to include games on any platform. Nintendo are the most nominated developer, with three, and are also have the most nominations without a win. Among publishers, Sony Interactive Entertainment lead with four nominations, and are the only publisher to have two wins in the category. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company both have two nominations and are yet to win.

The current holder of the award is Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios, which it won at the 20th British Academy Games Awards in 2024.

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, with the ceremony generally being held the year after.

Table key
Indicates the winner

EE Mobile Game of the Year

YearGameDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)Ref.
2018

(15th)

Old School RuneScape Jagex [2]
Brawl Stars Supercell
Clash Royale
Fortnite Epic Games
Pokémon Go Niantic/Nintendo The Pokémon Company
Roblox Roblox Corporation
2019

(16th)

Call of Duty: Mobile TiMi Studios Activision [3] [4]
Assemble with Care Ustwo
Dead Man's PhoneElectric Noir Studios
Pokémon Go Niantic/Nintendo The Pokémon Company
Tangle Tower SFB Games
What the Golf Triband

EE Game of the Year

YearGameDeveloper(s)Publisher(s)Ref.
2020

(17th)

The Last of Us Part II Naughty Dog Sony Interactive Entertainment [5] [6]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo EPD Nintendo
Call of Duty: Warzone Raven Software Infinity Ward/Activision
Ghost of Tsushima Sucker Punch Productions Sony Interactive Entertainment
Hades Supergiant Games
Valorant Riot Games
2021

(18th)

Unpacking Witch Beam Humble Bundle [7]
Chicory: A Colorful Tale Greg Lobanov Finji
Deathloop Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks
The Forgotten City Modern StorytellerDear Villagers
It Takes Two Hazelight Studios Electronic Arts
Metroid Dread MercurySteam Nintendo
2022

(19th)

God of War Ragnarök Santa Monica Studio Sony Interactive Entertainment [8]
Elden Ring FromSoftware Bandai Namco
Horizon Forbidden West Guerrilla Games Sony Interactive Entertainment
Immortality Half Mermaid Productions
Marvel Snap Second Dinner Nuverse
Stray BlueTwelve Annapurna Interactive

Multiple nominations and wins

Developers

DeveloperNominationsWins
Nintendo/Nintendo EAD 30
Niantic 20

Publishers

DeveloperNominationsWins
Sony Interactive Entertainment 42
Activision 21
Nintendo 20
The Pokémon Company 20

Related Research Articles

The BAFTA Games Awards or British Academy Games Awards are an annual British awards ceremony honouring "outstanding creative achievement" in the video game industry. First presented in 2004 following the restructuring of the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, the awards are presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

The British Academy Video Games Award for Best Game is an award presented annually at the British Academy Games Awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is honouring "the best game of the year, across all genres and platforms". The 1st British Academy Video Games Awards ceremony was held in 2004, with Infinity Ward and Activision's game Call of Duty receiving the award. The award was originally known as Game of the Year – The Year's Best Game for the 2004 ceremony.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Debut Game is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of the best first game from any studio or individual.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Multiplayer is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best multiplayer game experience, including social, online or offline". The award was formerly known as the British Academy Video Games Award for Online Multiplayer at the 2005, 2012 and 2013 ceremonies.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Design is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "the best game design that captivates and engages the player", including recognition of elements such as game mechanics, use of controls, level and world structure, and pacing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D.I.C.E. Awards</span> Annual video game award show

The D.I.C.E. Awards is an annual awards show in the video game industry, and commonly referred to as the video game equivalent of the Academy Awards. The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and held during the AIAS' annual D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas. "D.I.C.E." is a backronym for "Design Innovate Communicate Entertain". The D.I.C.E. Awards recognizes games, individuals, and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

The British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement 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. 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.

The 15th British Academy Video Game Awards was hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on 4 April 2019 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London to honour the best video games of 2018.

The 16th British Academy Video Game Awards was hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on 2 April 2020 to honour the best video games of 2019. Though originally planned to be presented at a ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the event was instead presented as a live stream due to concern over the coronavirus pandemic. The nominees were announced on 3 March 2020, with Control and Death Stranding leading the group with eleven nominations each, breaking the record of ten set by Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, The Last of Us, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and God of War as the most nominations received by a game.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor of "games that deliver a transformational experience beyond pure entertainment".

The D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. It is given in honor of "the single game, without regard to system or delivery mechanism, voted by the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences that best utilizes the chosen medium to entertain users". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.

The D.I.C.E. Award for Mobile Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes a game "for a mobile device platform such as a mobile phone or tablet. These games demonstrate a skilled usage of the device's software and hardware features to offer a unique and addictive play experience. All game genres are eligible. Mobile platforms include, but are not limited to iOS or Android". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Family is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor to "the best game experience for a family audience, whether played as individuals or as a group", the category is open for games with a PEGI age rating of 12 or under.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Evolving Game is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor to "the best game that displays excellence in ongoing developer support", this includes games that "receive ongoing content and updates".

The British Academy Video Games Award for Music is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given to recognize "excellence in composition for a game music score, through original music and/or creative use of licensed track". The award is given to the composers/development team, the developer and the publisher of the winning game.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Narrative is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given to recognize "excellence in the creation and delivery of the best story or narrative that captivates and engages the player". The award is given to the writers/development team, the developer and the publisher of the winning game. The award was first presented at the 3rd British Academy Games Awards under the name Screenplay. The following year it was renamed into Story and Character. From the 6th edition to the 12th, it was presented as Story. Since the 13th British Academy Games Awards, it has been presented with its current name.

The British Academy Video Games Award for New Intellectual Property is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor to "the best game which is not part of an established series and represents a new intellectual property".

The British Academy Video Games Award for Animation is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor to "the highest level of excellence in bringing a game to life," considering elements such as "player control, non-player characters, ambient/environmental animation, facial animation and cinematics". The category also considers the style, fluidity and responsiveness of the character.

The British Academy Video Games Award for Artistic Achievement is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given "for demonstrating exceptional visual art across all genres".

The British Academy Video Games Award for Audio Achievement is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given in honor to "excellence in the design and application of sound, dialogue and music to create an exceptional audio experience".

References

  1. "British Academy Games Awards Rules and Guidelines 2022" (PDF). British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  2. "BAFTA Games Awards winners 2019". awards.bafta.org. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  3. "2020 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  4. Barraclough, Leo (2 April 2020). "'Outer Wilds' Wins Best Game at BAFTA Games Awards". Variety . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. "BAFTA Games Awards 2021 Nominations Announced - IGN". 2 March 2021 via www.ign.com.
  6. Del Rosario, Alexandra (25 March 2021). "BAFTA Games Awards: Supergiant Games' 'Hades' Takes Home Top Prize – Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  7. "2022 BAFTA Games Awards Winners". 3 March 2022.
  8. "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners". BAFTA Games Awards. 30 March 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.