The BAFTA Game Awards 2026 are set to take place tomorrow, Friday, April 17, 2026. This year’s nominees are led by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, Ghost of Yōtei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Arc Raiders. Even though the big, blockbuster games are in the forefront, this year, they are not the ones getting the nominations. 17 studios are nominated for the first time this year. As BAFTA Games Chair Tara Saunders explains in a new interview, how that shift is one of the reasons the video games industry has been going through its recent changes, and how A.I. will the impact the future of the industry and the Awards.

Ahead of Friday’s Awards, VGC spoke to BAFTA Games chair Tara Saunders about how it can offer optimism during a ‘sticky’ time for the industry, with a surge of debut games leading the nominees.https://t.co/BZUimPYBeJ pic.twitter.com/T2lYLGj2p2

— VGC (@VGC_News) April 16, 2026

Saunders attributes the increase in debut projects to due to the current disruption in the games industry, with many large studios closing, developers shifting their focus, and forming these new, smaller studios during COVID-19 and being ready now to launch their projects.

“I think there’s a high chance we’ll see more unknown winners because of the turbulence that has come from the industry in the last couple of years,” she said. “I think the studios that are forming now from very, very talented people will go on to be the big studios of the future.”

She added: “But I think there’s space for everything. I really do. When you look at the nominations that we’ve got now, there are a lot of things that are up for a lot of awards, like Clair Obscur, Ghost of Yotei, Indiana Jones, and Death Stranding… These are all big, big, big titles.

“But there’s also a real blend of smaller games in there as well. And I think what we’ll see is almost a bit of everything, because teams of all shapes and sizes, big and small, have broken down.

“Now, smaller teams are forming, and what we’re seeing is actually talented groups of maybe veterans that have been in the industry going off and sparking something new. What they will do without some of the constraints they worked with before, I think, is exciting.”

As the indusry has been going through this purge in recent years, Saunders believes that the BAFTAs are not only good to support the industry with its awards shows, they also support its members.

“I believe that the passion of the games industry allows it to constantly reinvent itself. And I think that’s what we will see. But, actually, there are a lot of people in games that will be worried about that,” she said.

“And I think when it has been a difficult time, the BAFTA socials and networking events have genuinely been an anchor for people who have been at risk, and they’ve offered kind of real support and a release valve during, I think, difficult times.

“Friday’s hopefully going to be a really great night. But the awards are just one moment, and BAFTA is there year-round supporting the industry. BAFTA’s role is bigger than just celebrating the awards.

“Winning or being nominated for a BAFTA, moments like Larian have had, can really help secure funding or elevate the studio’s profile and save jobs. And that’s really important… It’s a moment for industry peers to look each other in the eye and just validate their hard work and remember why we make games in the first place. I think that is, to me, the essence of what BAFTA and the awards bring together.

“We’ve been doing a lot of talking about this as the committee. So, this is not just my thought, but it’s a summary of why we believe BAFTA matters. It’s the full circle of the celebration of the awards, but then being there as an academy to support and learn from each other in between is really important.

Talking about A.I. becoming more of a commonplace in the industry and how it may impact future awards, Saunders suggests that they will consult its members before considering a potential stance on future awards.

“It’s such a hot topic. And it’s not one I’m going to get into the depth of in this meeting for sure, because I think there’s such split opinion on AI,” she said.

“We recognize that there’s a robust debate taking place around AI and game development. And I think as an awards body and as an academy of professionals working across many disciplines within the games industry, as well as film and television, I think we have to listen closely to the variety of perspectives that are out there on the subject.

“But it’s not up to us to lay down how people use it. We know that there’s probably one-third of game workers who use AI as part of their day-to-day job. And it is something that nobody can ignore.

“But I think it’s not really BAFTA’s place to come in and make a stance on it. That’s something that will be shaped by the members. We have a broad membership, which means that we have lots of different opinions and we have to listen to them all and not rush into anything.”

BAFTA wants to help everyone in the industry. Both those on stage collecting their awards and those outside ofthe awards. Saunders recognizes the grim headlines that have increasingly sideline people who make the games indsutry what it is. She believes that the charity can provide some uplift during a difficult time.

“It’s been a sticky couple of years for the industry. There’s no getting around that. The way I look at it, ours is an industry in constant flux. It always has been. I’ve been in it 25 years now, and I think it’s always been changing. Platforms have changed, genres, themes… They come and go.

“And I think even though players and developers keep changing the industry as a whole, I believe it will always prevail. I feel very confident about it.

“The games that we’re seeing even now, like last year and this year, they’re games, some of them that have been years in the making. So there’s this like where we are, as I said, in five years time off the back of what’s happening now. I think it will be a very exciting and different shaped industry.

“A lot of people in games will be worried about that. And I think that’s why the BAFTAs to me is so important. I think championing the excellence in craft and creativity and creating that special moment, I think, through the actual awards themselves, where we come together and recognize the very best of that shared passion for the last year or couple of years.

“It will have taken a lot of resilience to get there for sure, but I think it’s going to be really exciting to see what’s coming out.”