UK: l "Dishonored" triumphs at annual games BAFTA awards

Record ID: 205538

  • Title: UK: l "Dishonored" triumphs at annual games BAFTA awards
  • Date: 6th March 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (5 FEBRUARY 2013) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) SOUNDBITE (English) CO-WRITER, 'THE WALKING DEAD' JAKE RODKIN, (WITH TO THE LEFT CO-WRITER SEAN VANAMAN), SAYING: "Because the player is literally not passively but actively invested in what they're doing, you have the opportunity to take them to a really odd place which isn't necessarily better but it'
  • Embargoed: 21st March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Communications,Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAB6620EKKU689LUJZ9H6UYE383
  • Story Text: 'Dishonored' crowned best video game at UK ceremony.

    Stealth action game "Dishonored", featuring a masked bodyguard-turned-assassin, was named best video game of the year at an award ceremony in London on Tuesday.
    Speaking in the media run after the awards had finished, lead level designer and audio director Christophe Carrier told Reuters, "I'm proud for the team and proud for all the efforts we've done for so many years and finally players recognised that and we're thankful because it's great."
    An exotic adventure "Journey" beat big budget rivals to take home five awards at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Game Awards.
    "Dishonored", developed by France's Arkane Studios that is owned by privately-owned U.S. company ZeniMax Media, beat the widely expected favourite "Journey" for the top prize.
    Also nominated for that award were "Far Cry 3" from Ubisoft, EA's "FIFA 13", "Mass Effect 3" from Bioware, and "The Walking Dead" from TellTale Games.
    But "Journey", by independent U.S. developer Thatgamecompany in which players travel from a sprawling desert to find secrets of a forgotten civilisation, went home with most prizes, winning five awards after being nominated in eight of 17 categories.
    "Journey", the third game from Thatgamecompany following "Flow" and "Flower", won awards for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Game Design, Online Multiplayer and Original Music.
    Speaking backstage, executive producer Robin Hanicke said, "We're all standing here because we believe that games can really move people and give them feelings, new feelings that they haven't had before so I think it means we're breaking new ground and I think that's something a lot of developers are inspiring to now." Designer Nick Clarke added that, "one philosophy we have at Thatgamecompany is that bigger isn't always better and we want to keep it to the core principles of what the experience is all about and that's why the experience is short but potent, I think."
    The BAFTA prizes, started in 2003, are among the few awards for achievements in the gaming industry that is estimated to have trebled in size in the past decade with consultancy DFC Intelligence valuing the industry at $78.5 billion.
    The host for the fifth consecutive year, Irish comedian and gamer Dara O'Briain, said the 53 games nominated this year included blockbuster titles but also games with more imaginative thinking from independent developers.
    Daniel Krupa, games writer at video game website IGN, said the nominations for the BAFTA Game Awards highlighted the greater range of games that had emerged in recent years due to apps on smartphones and new distribution methods for games.
    TV presenter Jonathan Ross also pointed out that the winners reflected a new breed of gaming where some smaller independent games were starting to shine through with unbridled originality. "There are a few but I'd like to see the gaming industry get behind them more" Ross said, "and I think tonight shows they're prepared to do that. The fact that "Thomas is not Alone" was mentioned so many times, "Journey", that swan game that nobody I know has played - I'm going to download it tomorrow - those games are all, they were all the big winners tonight and none of them are the classic shoot-em-up games and I think that's a very interesting moment."
    The award show was finished off with a fellowship award to Half-Life creator Gabe Newell.
    Following is a list of the main winners of the British Academy Games Awards in 2013:

    BEST GAME:
    - "Dishonored"

    DEBUT GAME:
    - "The Unfinished Swan"
    BRITISH GAME:
    - "The Room"

    GAME DESIGN:
    - "Journey"

    PERFORMER:
    - Danny Wallace (The Narrator) - "Thomas Was Alone"

    STORY:
    - "The Walking Dead"

    FAMILY:
    - "LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes"

    ACTION:
    - "Far Cry 3"

    SPORTS/FITNESS:
    - "New Star Soccer"

    GAME INNOVATION:
    - "The Unfinished Swan"

    ORIGINAL MUSIC:
    - "Journey"
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register