Housemarque has been caught in a familiar loop throughout their attendance at The Game Awards, the DICE Awards, the SXSW Gaming Awards, and the GDC Awards. Their acclaimed third-person shooter, Returnal, was nominated in multiple categories at each show, but the developers came away emptyhanded almost every time.
That pattern certainly changed at the 2021-2022 BAFTA Games Awards, as Returnal was honored with the “Best Game” award and three other statuettes (“Audio Achievement,” “Music,” and “Performer in a Leading Role” for Jane Perry).
A handful of other games also took home multiple awards during the ceremony, including Hazelight’s It Takes Two (“Multiplayer” and “Original Property”), Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (“Technical Achievement” and “Animation”), and Witch Beam’s Unpacking (“Narrative” and the fan-voted “EE Game of the Year”).
The BAFTA Games Awards are headquartered in London, and the organizers also annually hand out an award for “Best British Game.” This year, that honor went to Playground’s Forza Horizon 5.
You can find the complete list of nominees and all the other winners (including Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Inscryption, Psychonauts 2, and more), as well as a replay of the ceremony (which was hosted by Elle Osili-Wood), after the break.
Jury-Voted Categories
Best Game
- WINNER: Returnal
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- Inscryption
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Best British Game
- WINNER: Forza Horizon 5
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Death’s Door
- Fights in Tight Spaces
- Overboard
- Sable
Original Property
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Deathloop
- Death’s Door
- Inscryption
- Returnal
- Unpacking
Debut Game
- WINNER: Toem
- The Artful Escape
- Eastward
- The Forgotten City
- Genesis Noir
- Maquette
Performer in a Leading Role
- WINNER: Jane Perry (As Selene Vassos) – Returnal
- Ozioma Akagha (As Julianna Blake) – Deathloop
- Jason E. Kelley (As Colt Vahn/The Captain) – Deathloop
- Jon McLaren (As Peter Quill/Star-Lord) – Guardians of the Galaxy
- Jennifer Hale (As Rivet) – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Erika Mori (As Alex Chen) – Life is Strange: True Colors
Performer in a Supporting Role
- WINNER: Kimberly Brooks (As Hollis Forsythe) – Psychonauts 2
- Laura Bailey (As Polina Petrova) – Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Jason Cavalier (As Drax) – Guardians of the Galaxy
- Alex Weiner (As Rocket) – Guardians of the Galaxy
- Han Soto (As Gabe Chen) – Life is Strange: True Colors
- Maggie Robertson (As Lady Dimitrescu) – Resident Evil Village
Animation
- WINNER: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- It Takes Two
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Life Is Strange: True Colors
- Psychonauts 2
Artistic Achievement
- WINNER: The Artful Escape
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Audio Achievement
- WINNER: Returnal
- The Artful Escape
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Deathloop
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Halo Infinite
Game Design
- WINNER: Inscryption
- Deathloop
- Forza Horizon 5
- It Takes Two
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Returnal
Technical Achievement
- WINNER: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Forza Horizon 5
- Hitman 3
- Psychonauts 2
- Resident Evil Village
- Returnal
Narrative
- WINNER: Unpacking
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- It Takes Two
- Life Is Strange: True Colors
- Psychonauts 2
- Returnal
Multiplayer
- WINNER: It Takes Two
- Back 4 Blood
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Forza Horizon 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hell Let Loose
Music
- WINNER: Returnal
- Deathloop
- Far Cry 6
- Halo Infinite
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Family
- WINNER: Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Forza Horizon 5
- Mario Party Superstars
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Unpacking
Game Beyond Entertainment
- WINNER: Before Your Eyes
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Game Builder Garage
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
Evolving Game
- WINNER: No Man’s Sky
- Among Us
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Apex Legends
- Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
- Fortnite
Fan-Voted Categories
EE Game of the Year
- WINNER: Unpacking
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale
- Deathloop
- The Forgotten City
- It Takes Two
- Metroid Dread