BAFTA crowns Clair Obscur

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Best Game at the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards on Friday, adding BAFTA’s top prize to its awards run. (bafta.org) The British Academy of Film and Television Arts announced the winners on April 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, with Elz hosting the ceremony. Clair Obscur took three awards: Best Game, Debut Game, and Performer in a Leading Role for Jennifer English. (bafta.org) Dispatch matched Clair Obscur’s three-win total, taking Animation, Audio Achievement, and Performer in a Supporting Role for Jeffrey Wright. BAFTA said Ghost of Yotei won Music and Technical Achievement, while Atomfall won British Game and Blue Prince won Game Design. (bafta.org) The result capped a nominations race that BAFTA opened on March 12, when Clair Obscur led the field with 12 nominations and Dispatch followed with nine. BAFTA said 42 games were nominated across 17 categories for its 22nd games awards. (bafta.org) That put extra attention on Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game, which converted three of its 12 nominations into wins. Video Games Chronicle reported that BAFTA’s winners were spread across multiple titles rather than one clean sweep. (videogameschronicle.com) The ceremony also drew attention for a decision outside the winners list. Video Games Chronicle reported that BAFTA pulled a planned trailer for The Quiet Things about 24 hours before the event. (videogameschronicle.com) Developer Alex Jones of Silver Script Games said the autobiographical game draws on real childhood memories and deals with childhood abuse, self-harm, and suicide. Jones said BAFTA had previously asked for cuts, and she said the team removed scenes with weapons and violence before the trailer was ultimately dropped. (videogameschronicle.com) BAFTA told Video Games Chronicle it made “a compliance decision” not to show “a trailer of an unreleased game” with “themes that may be a trigger for some,” saying it was “not in a position to sufficiently warn” guests. BAFTA said it “fully support[s] games that engage with difficult subjects” and that the call applied to its event only. (videogameschronicle.com) Jones said the decision left her “devastated” and described the pull as silencing a game about trauma and survival. BAFTA’s 2026 show ended with Clair Obscur holding the top trophy, but the event is also being discussed for what it chose not to screen. (videogameschronicle.com)