BAFTA Games Awards: God Of War Ragnarok leads the way as UK rolls out red carpet for best releases of the year

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2023

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Film awards season may have been and gone, but BAFTA is rolling out the red carpet once again this week.

This time, video games are in the spotlight – with everything from the biggest blockbusters to some of 2022’s most celebrated indie darlings in the running.

PlayStation action epic God Of War Ragnarok leads the way with 14 nominations, but its closest rival is Stray – an inspiring debut from French studio BlueTwelve that casts players as a cute cat.

The BAFTA Game Awards take place in central London on Thursday from around 7pm.

Here’s the full list of nominees and what you need to know about each category.

Animation

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sifu
Stray

Did you know: Stray‘s adorably convincing cat protagonist was animated with the help of three real felines who were invited into the studio’s office. The team closely studied Murtaugh, Oscar, and Jun for inspiration and reference points throughout development.

Artistic achievement

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Immortality
Pentiment
Tunic

Did you know: One of Tunic‘s most eye-catching features was an in-game instruction manual that evoked the retro guide books that used to come packed in with just about every video game. The pages – hidden throughout the game’s levels – were rendered in such detail that they even appear to be tainted with the odd smudge or fold.

Audio achievement

A Plague Tale: Requiem
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Metal: Hellsinger
Stray
Tunic

Did you know: Not one for the squeamish, one of A Plague Tale: Requiem‘s calling cards is a disease-carrying “tsunami of rats” that regularly obstructs the player on their journey. Asobo Studio tasked its sound engineers with coming up with what 300,000 rats scurrying around might sound like – and the results will likely haunt your dreams.

Best game

Cult Of The Lamb
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Marvel Snap
Stray
Vampire Survivors

Did you know: Elden Ring may be the favourite here if The Game Awards are anything to go by, where the open world RPG from Japanese developer FromSoftware took home the biggest prize. It received unanimous critical acclaim for its immense scope and challenge, and is widely considered one of the best games of all time.

British game

Citizen Sleeper
OlliOlli World
Rollerdrome
Total War: Warhammer III
Two Point Campus
Vampire Survivors

Did you know: If you’re ever lacking for inspiration, know that Vampire Survivors – one of the most popular video games of 2022 – was the work of a solo developer. Luca Galante quit his full-time job to work on it, and it’s now up for five awards at the BAFTAs.

Debut game

As Dusk Falls
The Case Of The Golden Idol
Stray
Trombone Champ
Tunic
Vampire Survivors

Did you know: The brilliantly named Trombone Champ is essentially a fresh take on Guitar Hero – a rhythm game tasking you with playing along to songs. It went viral upon release, as people took tremendous pleasure in sharing ridiculous videos of them toot-ifying famous anthems.

Evolving game

Apex Legends
Dreams
The Elder Scrolls Online
Final Fantasy XIV
Forza Horizon 5
No Man’s Sky

Did you know: Six years after its initial release, No Man’s Sky ended up being one of the standout launch titles for PlayStation VR2 last month. Its huge galaxy, stuffed with an endless number of randomly generated planets, is now completely explorable in virtual reality.

Family

Disney Dreamlight Valley
Kirby And The Forgotten Land
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope
Nintendo Switch Sports
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Did you know: The latest from British developer TT Games, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was such a mammoth undertaking that it came six years after the previous entry in the series. It encompassed all nine core films in the iconic film franchise, and some of its most famous actors reprised their roles.

Game beyond entertainment

Citizen Sleeper
Endling: Extinction Is Forever
Gibbon: Beyond The Trees
I Was A Teenage Exocolonist
Not For Broadcast
We’ll Always Have Paris

Did you know: While many still come to games for film-like action and virtual warfare, the people behind them are increasingly considering how the medium could help us go greener. Gibbon: Beyond The Trees puts players into a family of endangered apes during a journey that tackles deforestation, poaching, and climate change.

Game design

Cult Of The Lamb
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Tunic
Vampire Survivors

Did you know: Understandably keen to recognise a home-grown success story, Cult Of The Lamb cleaned up at the Australian Game Developer Awards – winning best game, music, art, and gameplay. This unusual indie game casts players as a lamb saved from death, who must then create a loyal cult in the name of the deity that spared them.

Multiplayer

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
FIFA 23
Elden Ring
Overwatch 2
Splatoon 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Did you know: EA Sports will be hoping its long-running football series will be recognised, given FIFA 23 is the final instalment before the company launches a replacement franchise. EA Sports FC will debut later this year after a licensing agreement with football’s governing body came to an end.

Music

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Stray
Tunic

Did you know: Last year was a big one for God Of War Ragnarok composer Bear McCreary, who also penned the music for Amazon’s Lord Of The Ring series. He had help on the game, though, as popular Irish artist Hozier wrote and performed an original song called Blood Upon The Snow.

Narrative

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Citizen Sleeper
God Of War Ragnarok
Immortality
Pentiment
Stray

Did you know: Immortality bills itself as more of an interactive film than a traditional game, and actually premiered at Tribeca Film Festival last summer. Perhaps fittingly, one of the platforms it’s available on is Netflix.

Original property

Citizen Sleeper
Cult Of The Lamb
Elden Ring
Sifu
Stray
Vampire Survivors

Did you know: The kung-fu action game Sifu may have been a totally new release, but it seems to already have franchise potential. A film adaptation was announced in December, to be written by the creator of John Wick.

Performer in a leading role

Alain Mesa in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Charlotte McBurney in A Plague Tale: Requiem
Christopher Judge in God Of War Ragnarok
Manon Gage in Immortality
Siobhan Williams in The Quarry
Sunny Suljic in God Of War Ragnarok

Did you know: Prepare for a long list of thank-yous if God Of War Ragnarok‘s Christopher Judge replicates his success at December’s The Game Awards, given he set a new record for the longest acceptance speech in the ceremony’s history. The actor, who plays lead character Kratos, went on for seven minutes and 59 seconds.

Performer in a supporting role

Adam J Harrington in God Of War Ragnarok
Alison Jaye in Horizon Forbidden West
Charlotta Mohlin in Immortality
Danielle Bisutti in God Of War Ragnarok
Laya Deleon Hayes in God Of War Ragnarok
Ryan Hurst in God Of War Ragnarok

Did you know: God Of War Ragnarok‘s Danielle Bisutti was also BAFTA nominated for her role as Freya in the franchise’s previous instalment, which released in 2018. She lost out to one of her co-stars on that occasion, so will be hoping to rise above them this time round.

Technical achievement

Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Immortality
The Last Of Us: Part I
Stray

Did you know: Developer Naughty Dog may be hoping recency bias gives The Last Of Us: Part I a boost, given the success of the recent TV adaptation. This version of the game is a big-budget remake of the 2013 original, which released just in time for the show’s premiere.

Entertainment

Strictly Come Dancing star arrested on suspicion of rape

Published

16 hours ago

August 26, 2025

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Strictly Come Dancing star arrested on suspicion of rape

A Strictly Come Dancing star has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

The unnamed man, who is in his 30s, was also detained over a separate allegation of “non-consensual intimate image abuse”.

The Met Police said an arrest was made in east London on Friday in a joint investigation with Hertfordshire Constabulary, following a “third-party allegation of sexual and drug-related offences”.

It is understood the arrest is not related to the upcoming production of Strictly Come Dancing – the 23rd series, which is in the rehearsal stage and is due to launch in September.

“On Friday 22 August, officers arrested a man in his 30s in east London on suspicion of rape and non-consensual intimate image abuse,” a spokesperson for the Met said in a statement.

The investigation is in its early stages and inquiries are ongoing, the spokesperson added.

The man was released on bail on Saturday until a date in November, the force said, according to BBC News.

Hertfordshire Constabulary did not add anything further.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.”

Earlier this month, it was reported the broadcaster had called in lawyers to investigate following claims two of its stars had used cocaine.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift announces engagement to boyfriend Travis Kelce

Published

17 hours ago

August 26, 2025

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Taylor Swift announces engagement to boyfriend Travis Kelce

Taylor Swift has announced she is getting married to her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce.

The pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end shared the news in a joint post on Instagram, with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The announcement was liked more than 1.7 million times just over 30 minutes after it was posted.

Swift and Kelce started their relationship in July 2023, after the three-time Super Bowl winner said on his podcast New Heights that he tried and failed to meet the singer at her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City.

Rumours grew that the couple were dating after Swift was spotted at a number of Chiefs games. On her seventh time in the stands, she brought her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, along.

Kelce told the Wall Street Journal in November 2023: “There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: ‘Yo! Did you know he was coming [to the Eras Tour]?’

“I had somebody playing Cupid… She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out.”

Earlier this month, Swift appeared on Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, and announced her 12th album, titled The Life Of A Showgirl.

Speaking to her now-fiance and his brother Jason Kelce, Swift said it was inspired by the Eras Tour – and also talked about Travis’s attempt at meeting her two years ago.

While she said his plan to give her his number on a friendship bracelet was a “wild, romantic gesture,” she joked he “didn’t do any proper logistical planning” and thought he would be allowed backstage.

“Because he knows the elevator lady, he thought he could talk to her about just getting down to my dressing room,” she added. “That’s how it works in 1973.”

The new album, which will be released on 3 October, marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital.

Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.

Despite rumours he would retire after losing this year’s Super Bowl, Kelce will play for the Kansas City Chiefs again this season.

He told GQ magazine his on-field performances “slipped a little bit” as he started acting, and added: “I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.”

Entertainment

Boy, 16, convicted in Germany over supporting failed terror plot at Taylor Swift concert

Published

19 hours ago

August 26, 2025

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Boy, 16, convicted in Germany over supporting failed terror plot at Taylor Swift concert

A 16-year-old has been convicted in Germany for supporting a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Austria last year.

The teenager, named Mohammad A, who cannot be fully identified under Germany’s privacy laws, was convicted of preparing a serious act of violence and supporting a terrorist act of violence abroad.

He was handed a suspended 18-month sentence on Tuesday. According to the court, he made a “comprehensive confession” at his trial, which was held behind closed doors because of his age.

German judges found that the defendant, a Syrian national then aged 14, supported the ideology of the Islamic State group at the time.

The court heard he was also in contact via social media with a young man in Austria who planned to attack a Swift concert in Vienna, had sent him a video with bomb-building instructions, and organised contact with an IS member.

All three of Swift’s concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium were cancelled in August last year after a terror plot was uncovered by authorities.

Concert organisers had expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside.

Authorities said the main suspect, now 20, planned to target those outside of the stadium and hoped to “kill as many people as possible”.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the directorate of state security and intelligence, added at the time that the suspect was “clearly radicalised in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels”.

Swift later called the decision to cancel her shows in Austria “devastating,” and said: “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.

“But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”