Clair Obscur takes top Bafta Games Award but misses out on clean sweep

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been crowned best game at this year's Bafta Games Awards - but didn't quite sweep the board as expected.

The role-playing adventure, made by French studio Sandfall Interactive, took home three awards in total, also winning debut game and lead performer for actress Jennifer English.

It had gone into the awards with 12 nominations across 10 categories, but missed out in the supporting performer category and, perhaps most surprisingly, music.

Superhero adventure Dispatch took home three awards, while PlayStation action game Ghost of Yōtei won two.

Expedition 33 is set in a world where a supernatural being known as The Paintress prevents the population from growing past a certain age.

The game, which tells the story of a group of adventurers on a quest to destroy her, was praised for its emotional narrative and use of old-school, turn-based battles.

Players were also won over by the story of developer Sandfall Interactive, formed by a group of employees who left gaming giant Ubisoft to make their dream project.

Accepting the best game award, studio chief Guillaume Broche thanked everyone who had worked on Expedition 33, describing it as a "tremendous team effort."

"We have thanked our players enough, but we will thank them again - we love you," he said.

He went on to say the studio had received messages from "so many people who have been helped by the game", which deals with emotional topics such as grief and loss.

Addressing fellow games industry workers assembled at London's Southbank Centre, he told them: "Your work changes lives."

Many had predicted that Expedition 33 would win in the majority of categories in which it was nominated but, true to form, the Bafta Games Awards didn't quite follow the lead of other ceremonies.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Ghost of Yōtei's win for music.

Its cinematic score, combining more modern, western orchestral styles with traditional Japanese instruments, was widely praised.

Composer Lorien Testard's work on Expedition 33's soundtrack was considered one of the game's standout features by many, and has won multiple awards both inside and outside the games industry.

The game also missed out on the narrative award, which went to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - a role-playing game with a complex story that changes in response to player actions.

However, actress Jennifer English continued her Clair Obscur winning streak by taking home the lead performer award.

Accepting the prize, she told the audience all of her wishes had come true with the exception of a Bafta award win.

She closed with: "Thank you all, I love video games."

It was a good night for episodic superhero adventure Dispatch, which was a surprise smash hit when it launched last year.

In total it took home three awards, including animation and audio achievement.

Actor Jeffrey Wright, best known for his TV work in shows such as Westworld, won the best supporting performer award, although he was not at the ceremony to accept it.

The game design award went to Tonda Ros, the solo developer behind puzzle adventure Blue Prince.

He told BBC News before the ceremony he had spent "80 hours a week for eight years working on the game" - his debut title.

Accepting the award Ros, who previously worked in the film industry, said making Blue Prince had been an "adventure in itself" for him.

He said he had learned it was "of utmost importance to explore untrodden places... and doors to rooms we have never seen before".

Bafta presented its fellowship award to Ilkka Paananen, CEO of Clash of Clans maker Supercell, in recognition of his 26 years in the games industry.

He praised the academy for recognising mobile games - which are often overlooked at major awards - "for the first time".

The ceremony was also treated to a premiere of the title sequence for the upcoming James Bond game 007: First Light, sung by Lana Del Rey.

It was introduced by composer David Arnold, who co-produced the track with the singer.

The Bafta Games Awards are considered to be one of the more prestigious events in an industry hit hard by layoffs in recent years.

CEO Jane Millichip told BBC News before the ceremony that 255 games were entered for consideration this year, and plenty were from independent UK developers.

She said these smaller games can often perform well at the ceremony.

"Bafta Games members are incredible and they are really thoughtful about who they are voting for," she said.

"They do not take it lightly."

Multiplayer - Arc Raiders

Artistic achievement - Death Stranding 2

Evolving game - No Man's Sky

Performer in a supporting role - Jeffrey Wright, Dispatch

British game - Atomfall

Game design - Blue Prince

Animation - Dispatch

Technical achievement - Ghost of Yōtei

Family - Lego Party!

Audio achievement - Dispatch

Music - Ghost of Yōtei

Narrative - Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

New intellectual property - South of Midnight

Debut game - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Game beyond entertainment - Despelote

Fellowship - Ilkka Paananen, Supercell

Lead performance - Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Best game - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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