BAFTA Game Awards Caps Great 2019 for Indies

2019 was a premiere year for indie games, and the awards just keep piling up!

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, announced its Game Awards winners yesterday, Thursday, April 2. Most notably, Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds each took home three selections. The prestigious academy is renowned for its film, television, and video game award ceremonies. In the face of assembly limitations, BAFTA found a way for the show to go on. Safely adhering to social distancing policies, BAFTA hosted an online version of this year’s scheduled show.

Your ship is your best friend in Outer Wilds. My recommendation? Get to know it like the back of your alien hand.

Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds Headline Show

Developers ZA/UM and Mobius Digital were the stars of the event. Outer Wilds, from Mobius Digital, clinched the best game, game design, and original property categories. Outer Wilds is a heartfelt addition to the action-adventure genre, and its success is far from surprising. Players embark on a puzzle-filled intergalactic time loop with the hopes of solving mysteries of an alien solar system. The game was also Polygon’s selection for game of the year.

Good cop? Bad cop? Will you accept bribery and play dirty, or will you play squeaky clean as you strive to become history’s greatest detective?

The other star, Disco Elysium, is no schlep either. Winning BAFTA’s best narrative, debut game, and music, Disco Elysium has again taken the gaming world by storm. The detective themed open-world RPG received seven total nominations. Unlike the outer space Groundhog Day that is Outer Wilds, Disco Elysium doesn’t have a reset button. The game features a heavy dose of decision-making, and the player must live with the consequences that follow.

Indies Have Been Shining All Season

Revachol, Disco Elysium’s fictional city, is still hurting from a revolution decades in the past. It’s up to you to help protect its residents.

Disco Elysium has cleaned house this awards season. ZA/UM walked away with four wins at The Game Awards earlier this year. In addition, the RPG received IGN’s nod for best PC exclusive and PC Gamer’s 2019 game of the year.

Both games’ BAFTA success provide duel cherries for the 2019 indie games sundae. The Game Awards chose Gris for its game for impact category. Even more impressively, The DICE Awards nominated three different indie games for its game of the year. Untitled Goose Game took home the honor. The other two? Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds.