The nominees for the British Academy Games Awards 2017 have been announced, and it features some virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) titles in the mix.
Pokémon GO is amongst the nominees up for a BAFTA Games award in the Mobile and Family categories. The popular Pokemon AR game recently released 80 new Pokemon for players to hunt from the Gen 2 game series. Pokemon Go has already collected awards at D.I.C.E and the Golden Joysticks, will it see another win at the BAFTAs?
Other VR/AR videogames that have picked up a nomination are Batman Arkham VR in the British Game and Game Innovation categories. The PlayStation VR title was developed by British-based developer Rocksteady Studios, who previously worked on the successful Batman Arkham series of games, starting with Batman: Arkham Asylum.
HTC Vive title Unseen Diplomacy also got a spot in the Game Innovation category alongside Pokemon Go. Developer Triangular Pixels created this tactical espionage game where players are given the job if infiltrating secret bases. The game utilises the HTC Vive’s room-scale tracking to allow players to physically walk around and avoid obstacles in the virtual world.
Sequel to the cult-classic game Rez, Rez Infinite, has been picked for a nomination in the Audio Innovation category, and PlayStation VR title The Playroom VR gets a mention in the Family category as well.
This isn’t the first time VR games have seen nomination in the BAFTA awards, as War of Words got named in the BAFTA Television Craft awards back in 2015 as was the first VR experience to be nominated for a BAFTA of any kind.
The British Academy Games Awards will take place on Thursday April 6th 2017 at the Tobacco Dock in Wapping, London. Tickets are still available from the official BAFTA website, but there are a limited number of spaces available.
VRFocus will bring you more information on BAFTA Games Awards when it comes in