Vampire Survivors, Balatro shine at BAFTA Games Awards

The BAFTA Games Awards concluded last night, celebrating the industry's finest with Balatro and Vampire Survivors emerging as top winners. However, the absence of platform-specific categories raises questions about visibility, particularly for mobile games.

While the BAFTAs might not boast the same reach as Geoff Keighley's Game Awards, they arguably surpass them in prestige, if not in glitz and glamour. Notably, the BAFTA Games Awards 2024 did not feature specific mobile categories, yet we witnessed remarkable wins from major mobile releases in the past year.

Balatro clinched the Debut Game award, a testament to Localthunk's innovative roguelike deckbuilder that has the industry buzzing. Publishers are now sifting through indie projects, hoping to uncover the next big hit. Meanwhile, Vampire Survivors, which won Best Game in 2023, secured the title for Best Evolving Game, impressively outshining heavyweights like Diablo IV and Final Fantasy XIV Online.

What, No Mobile?

The BAFTA Games Awards take a unique approach by omitting platform-specific accolades, a decision made back in 2019. Despite notable successes from mobile and multiplatform titles like Vampire Survivors and Genshin Impact, the awards format has remained unchanged.

In a past conversation with Luke Hebblethwaite, a member of the BAFTAs game team, it was explained that the organization believes games should be judged on merit regardless of platform. This philosophy suggests that games like Balatro and Vampire Survivors benefit from the broad reach that mobile platforms offer, which can be seen as a form of recognition in itself.

These are just my thoughts on the matter. If you're keen to delve deeper into the world of mobile gaming, tune into the latest episode of the Pocket Gamer Podcast, where my co-host Will and I discuss all things mobile gaming and beyond.