Vampire Survivors, Balatro shine at BAFTA Games Awards

The BAFTA Games Awards concluded last night, with notable victories for games like Balatro and Vampire Survivors. However, the absence of platform-specific categories raises questions about the visibility of mobile games within these prestigious awards.

While the BAFTAs might not have the same broad reach as Geoff Keighley's Game Awards, they arguably hold more prestige, if less glitz and glamour. In the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards, despite the absence of dedicated mobile categories, two significant mobile titles celebrated wins. Balatro secured the Debut Game award, sparking a buzz in the industry as Localthunk's roguelike deckbuilder has publishers scouring for the next big indie hit. Meanwhile, Vampire Survivors, which clinched Best Game in 2023, won 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 not having platform-specific awards. This decision to eliminate the mobile category in 2019 has been consistent despite successful entries from mobile and multiplatform games like Vampire Survivors and Genshin Impact. In a past conversation with Luke Hebblethwaite from the BAFTAs game team, he explained that the organization believes games should be judged on merit, regardless of the platform they're released on.

There's no doubt that both Balatro and Vampire Survivors have greatly benefited from their availability on mobile platforms, enhancing their reach and impact. While the lack of specific mobile categories might seem like a missed opportunity for recognition, the achievements of these games suggest that mobile gaming's influence is still acknowledged, albeit indirectly.

That's just my take on it. If you're keen to dive deeper into mobile gaming discussions, tune into the latest episode of the Pocket Gamer Podcast, where Will and I explore these topics and more in our co-op style.