Senua’s Saga Dominates BAFTA Nominations

The BAFTA Games Awards have announced nominations for their 2025 ceremony, with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 comfortably receiving the most nominations (11).

Out of 17 total categories, Hellblade 2 has been nominated in 10 of them. Ninja Theory’s action-adventure game picked up nominations for Animation, Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, British Game, Game Beyond Entertainment, Music, Narrative and Technical Achievement.

In the performance categories: Melina Juergens (Senua) has been nominated for Performer in a Leading Role, Abbi Greeland & Helen Goalen (The Furies) were jointly nominated for Performer in a Supporting Role, with Aldís Amah Hamilton (Astridr) receiving a separate nomination.

A Technical Marvel

It’s notable that Senua’s Saga was not nominated for Best Game despite a wide variety of nominations in other categories. While the technical achievements of Hellblade 2 are indisputable, and the performances stellar, the game received mixed critical reviews because of its derivative gameplay.

The Best Game nominees are Astro Bot, Balatro, Black Myth: Wukong, Helldivers 2, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Thank Goodness You’re Here! Although The Game Awards’ game-of-the-year Astro Bot is present in the nominations, the BAFTAs rarely choose the same winner as The Game Awards. Only two games have taken home both game-of-the-year awards, Baldur’s Gate 3 and God of War (2018).

It’s been a year of breakout performances, with 11 of the 13 performance-based nominees having never been nominated for a BAFTA before. The only exceptions are Juergens who won Best Performer in 2018, and Matt Berry (Thank Goodness You’re Here!) who won a television BAFTA in 2015 for Toast of London. The full list of categories and nominations can be found below.

The Nominees

Animation

• Astro Bot
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Lego Horizon Adventures
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Artistic Achievement

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Harold Halibut
• Neva
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Still Wakes The Deep

Audio Achievement

• Animal Well
• Astro Bot
• Helldivers 2
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Still Wakes The Deep

British Game

• A Highland Song
• Lego Horizon Adventures
• Paper Trail
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Still Wakes The Deep
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Debut Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Pacific Drive
• The Plucky Squire
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Evolving Game

• Diablo 4
• Final Fantasy 14
• No Man’s Sky
• Sea of Thieves
• Vampire Survivors
• World of Warcraft

Family

• Astro Bot
• Cat Quest 3
• Lego Horizon Adventures
• Little Kitty, Big City
• The Plucky Squire
• Super Mario Party Jamboree

Game Beyond Entertainment

• Botany Manor
• Kind Words 2 (LoFi City Pop)
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau
• Tetris Forever
• Vampire Therapist

Game Design

• Animal Well
• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Tactical Breach Wizards

Multiplayer

• Call of Duty Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Lego Horizon Adventures
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Tekken 8
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Music

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Helldivers 2
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Star Wars Outlaws

Narrative

• Black Myth: Wukong
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Still Wakes The Deep

New Intellectual Property

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Still Wakes The Deep
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Best Performer in a Leading Role

• Alec Newman as Cameron “Caz” Mcleary in Still Wakes The Deep
• Humberly González as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws
• Isabella Inchbald as Indika in Indika
• Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2
• Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Y’lan Noel as Troy Marshall in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Best Performer in a Supporting Role

• Abbi Greenland & Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Aldís Amah Hamilton as Astridr in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Jon Blyth as Big Ron in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Karen Dunbar as Finlay in Still Wakes The Deep
• Matt Berry as Herbert the Gardener in Thank Goodness You’re Here!
• Michael Abubakar as Brodie in Still Wakes The Deep

Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty Black Ops 6
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Tiny Glade
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Game

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Helldivers 2
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Thank Goodness You’re Here!

The BAFTA Game Awards will take place on April 8.

Systems

Released

May 21, 2024

ESRB

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