INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGiant SparrowImage caption
What Remains of Edith Finch involves exploring a huge home to solve a mystery
What Remains of Edith Finch has scored an upset, winning the top prize at the Bafta Games Awards.The first-person mystery
adventure was developed by the US indie studio Giant Sparrow.It had not won any of the other categories before taking Best Game.Hellblade:
Senua's Sacrifice had been the favourite to win having attracted the most nominations
It took the British Game prize and four other awards at the London event.Media captionWATCH: Who were the main winnersGiant Sparrow
previously won a Bafta in 2013 when The Unfinished Swan won Debut Game.The developers said it had taken four years to create their
follow-up, which centres on the last surviving member of a family returning to a giant house to find out what had happened to her
relatives.Earlier in the evening, What Remains had missed out on the six other prizes for which it had been in the running: Game Design,
Game Innovation, Music, Narrative, Original Property and Performer.Media captionWATCH: What Remains' creators were briefly speechless after
their Bafta win"This is incredible," said Ian Dallas, the team's creative director."I wrote a speech for all the other awards, but this one
I figured there would be something in Japanese."The reference was to Nintendo, which takes home three awards
Super Mario Odyssey took Game Design and Family, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won Game Innovation.Media captionWATCH:
Nintendo celebrates Bafta hat trickPlayStation exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn - the second most nominated game at the event - only took
Original Property.Despite the current popularity of Fortnite, the survivor battle game won neither of the two awards it had been nominated
Instead, Divinity: Original Sin 2 beat it to Multiplayer, while Overwatch took Evolving Game.'Meaningful games'Hellblade was developed by
Cambridge-based studio Ninja Theory.Media captionWATCH: Hellblade's creative director says he took risks with the gameIn addition to British
Game, it also won Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Performer and a new category - Game Beyond Entertainment.The main character
is a Pict warrior who has mental health problems brought on by traumatic events
The title had been widely commended for how it handles her psychosis."Right now in gaming, there's a big movement towards making games that
are more meaningful in nature, that reflect our human experience," Tameem Antoniades, the game's director, told the BBC ahead of the
ceremony."We wanted to tackle something real that affects a lot of people to actually give a taste of what that feels like."This year's
fellowship was given to Tim Schafer
Media captionTim Schafer: My games suffered 'bit rot'The American founder of Double Fine Productions was responsible for point-and-click
classics including The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, and Broken Age."My career has had so many near-death experiences where
it almost ended," he said.Mr Schafer added that he hoped his success would now encourage other developers to create unique experiences
instead of trying to fit into the established games industry."We really want those new voices, new perspectives to come and shake things
up," he said."To come from groups that have not been represented in games so far, and to tell new stories."Surprise winThe Bafta Awards has
a habit of bucking expectations with its top trophy.In 2017, Uncharted 4 won Best Game despite losing in seven other categories.In 2016,
Fallout 4's only win was the big prize
And in 2015, Destiny carried off a similar trick.Gamers and other developers tweeted their surprise at the latest decision, but did not seem
year, according to trade body Ukie.That marked a record high and a 12.4% improvement on the previous year.Image copyrightGuerrilla
GamesImage caption
PlayStation exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn is set in a world overrun by robots
The
launches of the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft's Xbox One X helped drive interest.But challenges facing the sector include the price of
graphics cards - which has been inflated by demand from the crypto-currency industry - as well as slower-than-forecast sales of virtual
CategoryWinnerBest GameWhat Remains of Edith FinchOriginal PropertyHorizon Zero DawnMusicCupheadGame DesignSuper Mario OdysseyEvolving
GameOverwatchNarrativeNight In The WoodsGame Beyond EntertainmentHellblade: Senua's SacrificeDebut GameGorogoaFamilySuper Mario
OdysseyMobile GameGolf ClashArtistic AchievementHellblade: Senua's SacrificeMultiplayerDivinity: Original Sin 2Audio AchievementHellblade:
Senua's SacrificeGame InnovationThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildBritish GameHellblade: Senua's SacrificePerformerMelina Juergens as
Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
