BBC Newsbeat<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II has picked up the most nominations at this year’s Bafta Games Awards.<\/p>\n The action-adventure game, developed by Cambridge-based studio Ninja Theory, is up for awards in 11 out of 14 categories at the annual ceremony.<\/p>\n It’s in the running for best game alongside 3D platformer Astro Bot – up for eight awards – which clinched top prize at the US-based Game Awards in December<\/a>.<\/p>\n The event, considered one of the most prestigious in the games industry calendar, will be held in London on 8 April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The other contenders in the best game category are: <\/p>\n Bafta hands out prizes each year in a range of categories, including acting, music and game design.<\/p>\n Three of the six most-nominated games this year were made in the UK.<\/p>\n Still Wakes the Deep, a horror game from Brighton-based studio The Chinese Room set on a Scottish oil rig, is up for eight awards, while Thank Goodness You’re Here! is up for seven.<\/p>\n Lego Horizon Adventures, based on the PlayStation series and largely developed by London-based Studio Gobo, is nominated in four categories.<\/p>\n Indie hits Animal Well and Balatro, each have four nominations, as does Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a sequel to Senua’s Sacrifice – which picked up five awards at 2018’s gaming Baftas.<\/p>\n Its 11 nominations might surprise some – the game was an impressive technical showcase and received positive if not outstanding reviews.<\/p>\n However, like the first game, it was praised for its sensitive depiction of the main character’s psychosis<\/a>. <\/p>\n Bafta Games committee chair Tara Saunders tells BBC Newsbeat it represents “a strong year for British-made games”.<\/p>\n She says the voting panel is made up of members across the world who take the awards “very seriously” and vote based on a range of features. <\/p>\n “It’s all about excellence,” she says. <\/p>\n “Excellence in the crafts and maybe some of those games have nailed all of those craft areas.”<\/p>\n Bafta CEO Jane Millichip agrees, and wants to embrace the fact they have a British game category.<\/p>\n “Our members are international and they’re the people who choose,” she says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Arranged by number of categories:<\/p>\n Read more about the nominees:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Bafta Games Awards are no stranger to the odd upset. <\/p>\n In 2023, Vampire Survivors – made by a tiny British studio – beat Sony’s God of War: Ragnar\u00f6k to the top prize<\/a>.<\/p>\n This year’s best game field has a similar mix of big-budget blockbusters and indie hits.<\/p>\n “I love that Bafta can surprise, I love that it’s not a given and we can get to that night and we don’t know what’s going to come out on top,” Tara says.<\/p>\n “It’s putting a spotlight on some really tiny games that might have slipped by.”<\/p>\n Metaphor: Refantazio featured prominently in other awards lists but only picked up two nominations, with one for its narrative.<\/p>\n And Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth was nominated in the narrative and music categories but ineligible for best game due to Bafta rules on remakes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Times remain tough for people working in the games industry worldwide, with mass layoffs, studio closures and cancelled projects continuing to make headlines.<\/p>\n Tara says awards like the Baftas are “a beacon of light in the dark times”. <\/p>\n “It’s really important to pause and celebrate the teams and individuals that have crafted these standout games experiences,” she says.<\/p>\n And Jane, who also oversees Bafta’s events across film, TV and other creative industries, says the gaming awards are a place for people to support each other.<\/p>\n “I’ve never seen a community cheer so much when they lose, it’s a brilliant thing to behold,” she says.<\/p>\n “It’s so wonderful to see the whole games community being so supportive of each other and there to celebrate the sector, not themselves.<\/p>\n “It’s kind of devoid of ego and that’s great.”<\/p>\n You can find a full list of Bafta Games Awards nominations for 2025 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ninja](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a3dc\/live\/7d440ac0-f8f2-11ef-8c03-7dfdbeeb2526.jpg.webp\")
Ninja Theory<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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![\"Coal](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c8f6\/live\/10e773c0-f8f3-11ef-9e61-71ee71f26eb1.png.webp\")
Coal Supper<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nMost-nominated games<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/bb98\/live\/387de1d0-f8f3-11ef-8c03-7dfdbeeb2526.png.webp\")
The Chinese Room<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8c16\/live\/0f0ba450-f8f2-11ef-896e-d7e7fb1719a4.jpg.webp\")
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