God of War Ragnarök is BAFTA’s most-nominated game ever

God of War Ragnarök is BAFTA’s most-nominated video game ever since it started the BAFTA Games Awards in 2004, it’s said.

On Thursday, BAFTA revealed the nominations for its 2023 awards, revealing that Sony Santa Monica’s sequel is up for 14 categories including Best Game, Narrative, Game Design and Audio.

Elsewhere, indie title Stray is nominated in eight categories, Elden Ring in seven, and there are five nominations each for A Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West,  Immortality, Tunic and Vampire Survivors.

Voting is now open for the EE Game of the Year, the only award voted for by the public. The shortlist is Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, Immortality, Marvel Snap and Stray.

The BAFTA Games Awards will take place on Thursday, March 30 at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and will be live streamed on BAFTA’s Twitch channel from 6.50pm BST.

Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said: “Congratulations to all our nominees, and to the thousands of talented craftspeople behind today’s nominated games. This year’s BAFTA Games Awards recognise extraordinary storytelling, craft and performance.

“It’s a real privilege, not only to celebrate the breadth and depth of talent in the games industry, but also to bring their work to wider the public. I can’t wait to celebrate the achievements of this vibrant industry at the ceremony on 30 March.”

Tara Saunders, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, added: “It’s fantastic to see such a broad and diverse range of games celebrated in this year’s BAFTA Games Awards nominations – with indie titles, mobile games and triple-A blockbusters all represented and competing across multiple categories.

“It is heartening to see so many games, especially those in Game Beyond Entertainment category, that tackle complex issues and discuss the world around through engaging and enriching stories in ways only possible within our medium.

“I firmly believe that all these nominees represent the very best in their craft and, whether deep and meaningful or just good honest fun, show us just how essential games are in our lives, culture and society.”

2023 BAFTA Games Awards nominations

ANIMATION

• CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II Mark Grigsby, Bruce Ferris, Khoa Le – Infinity Ward/Activision Publishing, Inc.
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Bruno Velazquez, Erica Pinto, Mehdi Yssef – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA Development Team – TT Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• SIFU Development Team – Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive
• STRAY Jophray Mikolajczyk, Jean-Marie Vouillon, Simon Jacquart – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

• A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM Development Team – Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Raf Grassetti, Dan McKim, Eric Valdes – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• IMMORTALITY Doug Potts, Stephanie Reese, Kerry Hennessy – Half Mermaid Productions/Half Mermaid Productions
• PENTIMENT Hannah Kennedy, Soojin Paek – Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studio
• TUNIC Development Team – TUNIC Team/FINJI

AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT

• A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM Development Team – Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Jodie Kupsco, Michael Kent, Sean LaValle – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• METAL: HELLSINGER Elvira Björkman, Nicklas Hjertberg – The Outsiders/Funcom Oslo AS
• STRAY Development Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
• TUNIC Development Team – TUNIC Team/FINJI

BEST GAME

• CULT OF THE LAMB Development Team – Massive Monster/Devolver Digital
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Eric Williams, Chad Cox, Yumi Yang – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• MARVEL SNAP Development Team – Second Dinner Studios/Nuverse
• STRAY Development Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
• VAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – poncle/poncle

BRITISH GAME

• CITIZEN SLEEPER Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy – Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller
• OLLIOLLI WORLD Development Team – Roll7/Private Division
• ROLLERDROME Development Team – Roll7/Private Division
• TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER III Development Team – Creative Assembly/SEGA
• TWO POINT CAMPUS Development Team – Two Point Studios/SEGA
• VAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – poncle/poncle

DEBUT GAME

• AS DUSK FALLS Caroline Marchal, Charu Desodt – INTERIOR/NIGHT/Xbox Game Studios
• THE CASE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL Andrejs Klavins, Ernests Klavins – Color Gray Games/Playstack
• STRAY Development Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
• TROMBONE CHAMP Development Team – Holy Wow Studios/ Holy Wow Studios
• TUNIC Development Team – TUNIC Team/FINJI
• VAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – poncle/poncle

EVOLVING GAME

• APEX LEGENDS Development Team – Respawn/Electronic Arts
• DREAMS Development Team – Media Molecule/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE Development Team – Zenimax Online Studios/Bethesda Softworks
• FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE Development Team – Creative Business Unit III/Square Enix
• FORZA HORIZON 5 Development Team – Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios
• NO MAN’S SKY Development Team – Hello Games/Hello Games

FAMILY

• DISNEY DREAMLIGHT VALLEY Development Team – Gameloft/ Gameloft
• KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND Development Team – HAL Laboratory/Nintendo
• LEGO STAR WARS: THE SKYWALKER SAGA Development Team – TT Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• MARIO + RABBIDS SPARKS OF HOPE Development Team – Ubisoft Milan; Ubisoft Paris/Ubisoft
• NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SHREDDER’S REVENGE Development Team – Tribute Games/Dotemu

GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT

• CITIZEN SLEEPER Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy – Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller
• ENDLING – EXTINCTION IS FOREVER Development Team – Herobeat Studios/HandyGames
• GIBBON: BEYOND THE TREES Development Team – Broken Rules/Broken Rules
• I WAS A TEENAGE EXOCOLONIST Development Team – Northway Games/FINJI
• NOT FOR BROADCAST Development Team – NotGames/tinyBuild
• WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS Marina Sciberras – Cowleyfornia Studios/Cowleyfornia Studios

GAME DESIGN

• CULT OF THE LAMB Development Team – Massive Monster/Devolver Digital
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Jason McDonald, Andrew Chrysafidis, Luis Sanchez – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• TUNIC Development Team – TUNIC Team/FINJI
• VAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – poncle/poncle

MULTIPLAYER

• CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II Development Team -Infinity WardActivision Publishing, Inc.
• EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Development Team -EA Vancouver, EA Romania/EA SPORTS
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• OVERWATCH 2 Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
• SPLATOON 3 Development Team – Nintendo/Nintendo
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SHREDDER’S REVENGE Development Team – Tribute Games/Dotemu

MUSIC

• A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM Olivier Derivière – Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment
• CUPHEAD – THE DELICIOUS LAST COURSE Kristofer Maddigan – Studio MDHR/Studio MDHR
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Bear McCreary, Keith Leary, Peter Scaturro – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STRAY Development Team -BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
• TUNIC Development Team – TUNIC Team/FINJI

NARRATIVE

• A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM Writing Team – Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment
• CITIZEN SLEEPER Gareth Damian Martin – Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Matt Sophos, Richard Gaubert – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• IMMORTALITY Sam Barlow, Amelia Gray, Allan Scott – Half Mermaid Productions/Half Mermaid Productions
• PENTIMENT Josh Sawyer, Kate Dollarhyde, Zoe Franznick – Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studio
• STRAY Writing Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive

ORIGINAL PROPERTY

• CITIZEN SLEEPER Gareth Damian Martin, Guillaume Singelin, Amos Roddy – Jump Over the Age/Fellow Traveller
• CULT OF THE LAMB Development Team – Massive Monster/Devolver Digital
• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• SIFU Development Team – Sloclap/Sloclap & Kepler Interactive
• STRAY Development Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive
• VAMPIRE SURVIVORS Development Team – poncle/poncle

PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE

• ALAIN MESA as Alejandro Vargas in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
• CHARLOTTE MCBURNEY as Amicia in A Plague Tale: Requiem
• CHRISTOPHER JUDGE as Kratos in God of War Ragnarök
• MANON GAGE as Marissa Marcel in Immortality
• SIOBHAN WILLIAMS as Laura in The Quarry
• SUNNY SULJIC as Atreus in God of War Ragnarök

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• ADAM J. HARRINGTON as Sindri in God of War Ragnarök
• ALISON JAYE as Alva in Horizon Forbidden West
• CHARLOTTA MOHLIN as The One in Immortality
• DANIELLE BISUTTI as Freya in God of War Ragnarök
• LAYA DELEON HAYES as Angrboda in God of War Ragnarök
• RYAN HURST as Thor in God of War Ragnarök

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

• ELDEN RING Development Team – FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Josh Hobson, Jon Burke – Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• IMMORTALITY Connor Carson, Lizi Attwood, Dylan Nelkin – Half Mermaid Productions/Half Mermaid Productions
• THE LAST OF US PART I Development Team – Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• STRAY Development Team – BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive

EE GAME OF THE YEAR (voted for by the public) 

• ELDEN RING FromSoftware/BANDAI NAMCO Europe
• GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment
• IMMORTALITY Half Mermaid Productions/Half Mermaid Productions
• MARVEL SNAP Second Dinner Studios/Nuverse
• STRAY BlueTwelve Studio/Annapurna Interactive