Harold Halibut, Vampire Therapist and Melina Juergens Hoping for a BAFTA Award

The BAFTA Games Awards jury has announced the shortlist for this year's competition. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Astro Bot, and Still Wakes the Deep are among the frontrunners, but two German studios also have reason to hope for a win. Additionally, Melina Juergens is nominated once again for a BAFTA Games Award.

Update

During our initial review, we overlooked Vampire Therapist from the Berlin studio Little Bat Games, a second German title that can also hope to win a BAFTA Award. Vampire Therapist has been nominated in the category Game Beyond Entertainment. We apologise for the mistake.

The original report from 5 March 03.2025 was published at at 3:45 p.m.

For Harold Halibut from Slow Bros., the journey continues right where it left off in 2024. The Cologne-based indie production has earned yet another international award nomination. Specifically, Harold Halibut has been shortlisted in the "Artistic Achievement" category at the prestigious BAFTA Games Awards.

Joining Harold Halibut in this category is Neva from Spanish developer Nomada Studio, along with several of this year’s BAFTA favourites. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, the most-nominated title with 11 nominations, is also competing in this category. Astro Bot and Still Wakes the Deep, both with 8 nominations, are also in the running, as is Black Myth: Wukong, which has received 6 nominations. Meanwhile, Thank Goodness You're Here! is not nominated in this category but has earned a total of 7 nominations across other categories.

In addition to Harold Halibut, there is a second German hopeful at the BAFTA Awards: Melina Juergens, a German native living in the UK, has been nominated for her role in Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

"Today’s nominations are a celebration of 41 outstanding games that showcase the very best of the British and international games industry. They put game titles onto the global stage, unearthing hidden gems alongside the best-known game experiences of the year. A nomination is an incredible achievement for any team or individual, especially during what continues to be a turbulent and trying time for our industry. I extend my congratulations to each and every nominee for your incredible work, skill and endurance," says Tara Saunders, Chair of BAFTA's Games Committee.

The 21st BAFTA Games Awards will take place on 8 April as part of the London Games Festival and will be streamed live on Twitch and YouTube. A total of 41 games have been nominated across 17 categories. BAFTA stands for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

The nominees for the 21st BAFTA Games Awards are:

Best Game

• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Balatro (Aether Interactive)​
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)​
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo)​
• Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper)​

Animation

• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (u.a. Treyarch)
• LEGO Horizon Adventures (Guerilla Games/Studio Gobo)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper)​
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive)

Artist Achievement

• Astro Bot (Japan Studio)​
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)
• Neva (Nomada)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Still Wakes the Deep (The Chinese Room)​

Audio Achievement

• Animal Well (Billy Basso)
• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment)
• Still Wakes the Deep (The Chinese Room)​

British Game

• A Highland Song (Inkle)
• LEGO Horizon Adventures (Guerilla Games/Studio Gobo)
• Paper Trail (Newfangled Games)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Still Wakes the Deep (The Chinese Room)​
• Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper)​

Debut Game

• Animal Well (Billy Basso)
• Balatro (Local Thunk)​
• Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios)
• The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures)
• Tales of Kenzera: ZAU (Surgent Studios)
• Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper)​

Evolving Game

• Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Final Fantasy XIV Online (Square Enix)
• No Man's Sky (Hello Games)
• Sea of Thieves (Rare)
• Vampire Survivors (Poncle)
• World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

Family

• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Cat Quest III (Desmond Wong, Liang Wai, Nursyazana binte Zainal)
• LEGO Horizon Adventures (Guerilla Games/Studio Gobo)
• Little Kitty, Big City (Double Dagger Studio)
• The Plucky Squire (All Possible Futures)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube)

Game Beyond Entertainment

• Botany Manor (Balloon Studios)
• Kind Words 2 (Ziba Scott, Luigi Guatieri, Clark Aboud)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Tales of Kenzera: ZAU (Surgent Studios)
• Tetris Forever (Digital Eclipse, Blue Planet Software, Tose, Chunsoft)
• Vampire Therapist (Cyrus Nemati, Sheila Fell, Kim Schumacher)

Game Design

• Animal Well (Billy Basso)
• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Balatro (Local Thunk)​
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo)​
• Tactical Breach Wizards (Tom Francis, Steve Lee, John Roberts)

Multiplayer

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (u.a. Treyarch)
• Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)
• LEGO Horizon Adventures (Guerilla Games/Studio Gobo)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Cube)
• Tekken 8 (andai Namco Studios, Arika, Tekken Project)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive)

Music

• Astro Bot (Kenneth C M Young)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Creative Business Unit I)
• Helldivers 2 (Wilbert Rogert II, Ross Tregenza, Keith Leary)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Star Wars Outlaws (Wilbert Roget II, Simon Koudriavtsev, Erik Jacobsson)

Narrative

• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare)
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Creative Business Unit I)
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)​
• Still Wakes the Deep (The Chinese Room)​

New IP

• Animal Well (Billy Basso)
• Balatro (LocalThunk)
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)
• Still Wakes the Deep (The Chinese Room)​
• Thank Goodness You're Here! (Coal Supper)​

Performer in a Leading Role

• Alex Newman in Still Wakes The Deep
• Humberly González in Star Wars Ourlaws
• Isabella Inchbald in INDIKA
• Luke Roberts in Silent Hill 2
• Melina Juergens in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• Y'lan Noel in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Performer in a Supportin Role

• Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• Aldís Amah Hamilton in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• Jon Blyth in Thank Goodness You're Here!
• Karen Dunbar in Sill Wakes the Deep
• Matt Berry in Thank Goodness You're Here!
• Michael Abubakar in Still Wakes the Deep

Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot (Team Asobi)​
• Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)​
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (u.a. Treyarch)
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)
• Tiny Glade (Tomasz Stachowiak)
• Warhammer 40.000: Space Marine 2 (Saber Interactive)