BAFTA Games Awards 2024: Baldur's Gate 3 and Spider-Man top nods

Baldur's Gate leads 3 nominations for this year's Bafta Games awards with a total of 10.

In addition to being nominated for Best Game, the actors behind popular characters Karlach and Astarion are among those nominated for individual awards.

Sony's blockbuster Spider-Man 2 received nine nominations, followed by Alan Wake 2 with eight.

Elsewhere, there are six nominations for both The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

This year will be the 20th anniversary of the awards – one of the most prestigious nights in the gaming industry calendar – and will take place on April 11, 2024.

Samantha Burt, nominated for her performance as Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3, said it felt “absolutely incredible” to be eligible for the Performance in a Leading Role award.

“It's great to be noticed, and there have been so many great performances this year,” she said.

“What an achievement, and with so many of us in this category as well, I am so happy for everyone.

“From those who did not succeed – I will take revenge on them all!”

They will compete in the Best Game category alongside Spider-Man 2, with Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros Wonder and surprise Dave the Diver making up the games in contention for the top prize.

“2023 will likely go down in history as one of the best years for new video game releases,” said Tara Saunders, chair of the BAFTA Games Committee.

“There has been a constant stream of new, creative and imaginative work being submitted by some of the best and brightest developers in the industry.

“I don't know what was in the air, but there is some magic there.”

The awards are decided by specially selected juries, but in a change from previous years, the Best Game and Best British Game awards are voted for by over 1,200 Bafta members – professionals with years of gaming experience.

They will have the difficult task of choosing winners in a year that has seen players spoiled for choice.

In addition to the Best Game award, it was nominated in the Musical and Artistic Achievement categories at the Bafta Games Awards, and five of its performers are eligible for individual Golden Masks.

“We're extremely pleased with the entire team who helped bring Baldur's Gate 3 to life, and the prestigious recognition that comes with these nominations for all eight categories,” game director Swen Finke told the BBC.

“It is a very motivating force that helps us move forward with greater enthusiasm.”

Spider-Man has three voice actors competing for individual awards, while it is also nominated in the Game Design and Technical Achievement categories.

It will compete with Zelda in those two categories, while the Nintendo game also received nominations for the Music and Audio Achievement Awards.

Competition for the Best Game award may be limited to Baldur's Gate, Zelda and Spider-Man, but BAFTA has been known to deliver a surprise or two before – and last year's awards were no exception.

In 2023, indie game Vampire Survivors took the buzzer, while mystery title What Remains of Edith Finch won in 2018.

This means that the developers of Dave the Diver may have reason to hope that their unexpected success in fishing and running sushi restaurants could land them the big prize.

Meanwhile, studios across the UK make up the nominees for the Best British Game category, with Brighton-based Bytten Studio nominated for the Cassette Beasts award, and Scottish studio Sad Owl nominated for the Viewfinder award.

“It's really inspiring to see a strong presence in the Game Design, Debut Game and Game Beyond Entertainment categories, such as indie titles like Tchia, Cocoon and Venba,” said Sophie Smart, product director at UK publisher No More Robots.

“It really shows that despite the difficulties the industry is facing at the moment with layoffs, there is still a deep appreciation for games made by all kinds of teams, and it's great to see BAFTA recognizing that.”

Elsewhere, Nadji Jeter and Yuri Lowenthal earned nods for their performances as Miles Morales and Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2.

While Amelia Tyler, Neil Newburn, Samantha Burt, Andrew Wincott, and Tracy Wiles are the five nominated for their performances in Baldur's Gate 3.

“What's interesting about the performance categories is that you see established actors like Ralph Ineson (Cid in Final Fantasy Emma's content is brilliant.

“11 out of the 12 first-time nominees, we are showcasing and celebrating them for the first time.”

But despite being longlisted for a BAFTA award in December, Idris Elba has missed out on his role as Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077.