Summary

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has picked up three gongs at the Bafta Games Awards - including top prize for best game

  • Other major winners include Dispatch, which has also bagged three awards - you can read a full list of the winners here

  • The best British game award has gone to Atomfall, a disaster game inspired by a fire at a nuclear reactor in Cumbria

  • We've also had our first glimpse at the opening title for the James Bond game 007 First Light - with veteran composer David Arnold teaming up with superstar Lana Del Rey for the theme song

  1. New intellectual property is nextpublished at 20:41 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    We might like to complain that annual updates of sports games and never-ending multiplayer games seem to dominate the video game space these days, but the nominees in this category, dedicated to celebrating new, original ideas, challenge that notion.

    The nominees are:

    • The Alters
    • Arc Raiders
    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    • Dispatch
    • South of Midnight
    • Split Fiction
  2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II takes home best narrative awardpublished at 20:36 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    Kingdom Come screenshotImage source, Warhorse Studios

    "This is unexpected... Give me a hug," says one of the team members.

    "This belongs to the whole team. We poured our hearts into it for six long years."

    "Fortune favours the brave, thank you."

  3. The narrative award is uppublished at 20:33 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    Are you sitting comfortably? The nominees for narrative, which rewards captivating storytelling, might not be right now.

    Some of these stories, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, are more straightforward - but no less effective for it.

    There’s also the cloning-themed adventure The Alters, the two million-word script of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and the almost novel-length lore buried within Blue Prince.

    Rounding out another competitive category are the twists and turns of Expedition 33, and the one-of-a-kind Death Stranding 2 narrative that could only come from the mind of director Hideo Kojima.

    • The Alters
    • Blue Prince
    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
    • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
  4. James Bond opening title now showing - song performed by Lana Del Reypublished at 20:28 BST 17 April

    Jacob Phillips
    Live reporter, reporting from the awards venue

    The ceremony is now showing one of the most anticipated moments of the evening - a first look at the opening title for the James Bond video game.

    Veteran composer David Arnold has worked with superstar Lana Del Rey on the first Bond theme in six years for 007 First Light.

    "A Bond song is a cultural moment," says Arnold during the ceremony.

    If you don’t know Arnold by name, you’ll almost certainly have heard his work. He has composed the film score for five Bond films, as well as films like Godzilla and TV shows such as Sherlock and Little Britain.

    The much-anticipated game is due to be released on 27 May.

    It will follow the story of a 26-year-old James Bond as he is recruited into MI6 and gains his 00 title, in a standalone story separate from the films or novels.

  5. Analysis

    Surprise win for best musicpublished at 20:24 BST 17 April

    Laura Cress
    Technology reporter, reporting from the awards venue

    Many were probably expecting Clair Obscur to win its first Bafta of the night for Best Music, thanks to Lorien Testard's score.

    The fact it went to Ghost of Yōtei instead suggests it might not be the Clair Obscur sweep some had expected!

  6. 'We tested this game with our own children' - Lego Party! teampublished at 20:22 BST 17 April

    Laura Cress
    Technology reporter, reporting from the awards venue

    Leog Party! team

    I've just spoken to the Lego Party! team.

    "We tested this game with friends, family, even with our own children," they tell me. "We've been working on this game for years, so it's so rewarding to have this happen."

  7. Ghost of Yōtei wins music awardpublished at 20:20 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    Ghost of YoteiImage source, Sucker Punch
  8. Analysis

    Clair Obscur's developers still empty-handedpublished at 20:19 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    We're about halfway through the awards now, and some categories have gone the way we thought they would, but others... less so.

    Arc Raiders' multiplayer win was a safe bet, likewise Blue Prince's game design award.

    Dispatch's win for animation, however, might not have been top of everyone's prediction list, even though it is a feast for the eyes.

    Perhaps the biggest surprise so far was Jeffrey Wright's win for performer in a supporting role in Dispatch. His character, Chase, is a memorable - dare we say scene-stealing - turn.

    So far Clair Obscur's developers are empty-handed. But there's still a lot to play for as we approach some of the biggest prizes of the night.

  9. Music is a particularly strong field this yearpublished at 20:17 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    Next up is the music award. Lorien Testard’s incredibly popular soundtrack for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands a strong chance here, having picked up prizes at ceremonies both inside and outside the video games industry.

    But it’s an exceptionally strong field this year, with Andrew Arcadi and Skyler Barto’s dreampop-infused Dispatch score, Christopher Larkin’s haunting Hollow Knight: Silksong compositions and Woodkid’s sweeping Death Stranding 2 score all earning a place on the shortlist.

    Voters may also be swayed by the traditional Japanese instrumentation in Toma Otowa’s Ghost of Yōtei soundtrack, or the tasteful, nostalgic themes woven through Gordy Haab’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle score.

    The nominees are:

    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    • Dispatch
    • Ghost of Yōtei
    • Hollow Knight: Silksong
    • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  10. Dispatch wins again - this time for audio achievement awardpublished at 20:15 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    DispatchImage source, AdHoc Studio
  11. Audio achievement - Arc Raiders has a chance, despite controversypublished at 20:12 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    Next up is audio achievement, one of the categories Bafta has entrusted to a jury of industry experts.

    Arc Raiders could be in with a chance here, despite controversy over its use of AI for some character dialogue. Players have praised its proximity chat functions and the terrifying "clang" of its robotic enemy characters.

    Death Stranding 2’s innovative music player feature, Ghost of Yōtei’s immersive natural soundscape and the satisfying "crack" of Indiana Jones’s whip weren't too shabby either.

    The nominees are:

    • Arc Raiders
    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    • Dispatch
    • Ghost of Yōtei
    • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  12. Lego Party! is the best family gamepublished at 20:10 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    Lego Party!Image source, SMG

    "It's been a dream come true for us... To be able to play with Lego every day professionally, winning," says a team member.

  13. Games the whole family can enjoypublished at 20:07 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    This award’s for games with a PEGI age rating of 12 or below.

    Nintendo often does well in this category, and it’s the company’s only chance to pick up an award tonight. Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World perhaps didn’t wow audiences as much as expected, but Donkey Kong Bananza did impress many - even making game of the year shortlists at other ceremonies.

    • Donkey Kong Bananza
    • Is This Seat Taken?
    • Lego Party!
    • Mario Kart World
    • PowerWash Simulator 2
    • Two Point Museum
  14. Technical achievement award goes to Ghost of Yōteipublished at 20:05 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    Ghost of YoteiImage source, Sucker Punch

    A follow-up to 2020's Ghost of Tsushima, this revenge tale is set in 17th Century northern Japan and casts players as Atsu, a mercenary on a quest to take out the six rogue samurai who killed her family.

    It's been praised for its stunning environments and immersive swordplay, though opinions are split on its narrative.

  15. Tough one to call for technical achievement awardpublished at 20:02 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    Next up is the technical achievement award - and this one’s tough to call.

    Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei are among the best-looking games we’ve seen so far this generation.

    Indiana Jones and the Great Circle puts players in control of a striking digital Harrison Ford, while the later levels of co-op adventure Split Fiction blew players' minds with their inventiveness.

    Despite some objections to its use of AI-generated voice lines, Arc Raiders also used other novel - and less controversial - development techniques that may have impressed the panel of industry voters.

    The nominees are:

    • Arc Raiders
    • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    • Doom: The Dark Ages
    • Ghost of Yōtei
    • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
    • Split Fiction
  16. Dispatch wins best animationpublished at 20:00 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    DispatchImage source, AdHoc Studio
  17. Who’s up for the animation award?published at 19:56 BST 17 April

    Tom Richardson
    BBC Newsbeat

    The wafting of hair across a character's face. Team-mates sprinting across a warzone. The balletic movements of a superhuman main character. All of it is the work of video game animators.

    From 2D sprites to photo-realistic renderings of well-known actors, this category covers a wide field this year, and picking a winner between them must have been a real task for the specialist jury.

    The nominees are:

    • Battlefield 6
    • Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    • Dispatch
    • Ghost of Yōtei
    • Hades II
    • Hollow Knight: Silksong
  18. Tonda Ros spent 80 hours a week for eight years making this gamepublished at 19:51 BST 17 April

    Laura Cress
    Technology reporter, reporting from the awards venue

    Tonda Ros

    Tonda Ros from Blue Prince told me in an interview earlier today that he spent 80 hours a week for eight years making this game because it was just "fun".

    Clearly, all that time spent on design has paid off!

  19. Game design award winner: Blue Princepublished at 19:49 BST 17 April
    Breaking

    Blue PrinceImage source, Raw Fury

    "Designing a game, for me at least, was an adventure on itself," says Tonda Ros.

    Blue Prince is his first game.

    He compares designing a game to "composing a melody without sheet music" and says it is "of utmost importance to explore untread places... and doors to rooms we have never seen before".

    The genre-defying puzzle game has received glowing reviews since its release in April last year.

    Players explore a mysterious manor with shifting rooms as they try to uncover the rumoured Room 46.

  20. Atomfall clearly resonated with the judges toopublished at 19:48 BST 17 April

    Laura Cress
    Technology reporter, reporting from the awards venue

    Best British Game was a really open category this year, but Atomfall reached one million players within its opening weekend and clearly hit home with the judges too.