insiderblmWith a record-breaking 13 nominations, The Last of Us 2 leads the field at the Bafta Games Awards.
It’s the most nominations any game has received in the awards’ history, beating last year’s record of 11 by two titles: Control and Death Stranding.
Ghost of Tsushima, an action-adventure game, also received 10 nominations, including for best game and multiplayer.
The winners will be announced on 25 March.
The awards will again be held online, a year on from being the first major awards to be held virtually.
In addition to its 13 nominations, The Last of Us 2 is also up for a new award – EE Game of the Year, which is the only category to be voted for by the public.
The Bafta Games Awards has been recognising achievements in the gaming industry for more than a decade.
And while there might not be a traditional red carpet, champagne reception or live audience, organisers will be hoping to retain some of the magic of a live event.
Analysis by Steffan Powell, Newsbeat’s gaming reporter
On paper it might be a surprise that a game set in the midst of a world altering global pandemic became so successful in 2020. Not much escapism in that.
It’s less of a surprise to anyone who’s played The Last of Us Part 2.
The shock would have been if the game did not dominate the BAFTA nominations.
It’s already won big at the 2020 Game awards and was crowned BBC Sounds podcast Press X to Continue’s game of 2020.
Despite controversies over its depiction of violence, divisive plot twists and character portrayals (dancing very carefully around spoilers here) the title had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from players and critics.
The praise for its storytelling, diverse cast and sheer jaw-dropping emotional moments have also clearly won the BAFTA nominations panel over.
Usually a place where independent games thrive – this year the awards look like they could be dominated by PlayStation exclusives made by big studios.
Not only does The Last of Us Part 2 have the most nominations for in history, but other PS only titles like Ghost of Tsushima (10), Spiderman: Miles Morales (7) and Dreams (6) have landed a hatful of nominations too.
