Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has been declared ineligible for the prestigious BAFTA award for Best game. According to BAFTA criteria, this category exclusively recognizes complete games released for the first time during the past year. Expansions, updates, and downloadable content (DLC) are outside of this scope, but are considered in the Evolving game category.
A BAFTA spokesperson clarified this approach in a statement to Eurogamer, explaining: “Our Best game category specifically recognizes full games that were released for the first time last year. The DLC, along with other updates and improvements made to games originally released before November 25, 2023, are part of the consideration in our Evolving Games category.”
This policy aligns with BAFTA’s broader vision of distinguishing full game experiences from updates and expansions, while recognizing the latter’s contributions to the gaming landscape. In contrast, other awards ceremonies, such as The game Awards, allow for expansions such as The shadow of the Erdtree to compete in multiple categories, including game of the Year.
BAFTA recently revealed its longlist for the upcoming awards ceremony, featuring 58 games across 17 categories. The list includes notable titles such as Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazioand The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomand ten of them compete for Best game. Interestingly, remasters are excluded from all major categories, although full remakes are eligible within specific craft awards.
Expansions and DLC, such as The shadow of the Erdtreecan still shine in categories like Evolving game, which celebrates ongoing games and important post-launch updates. Last year, Cyberpunk 2077 He received this award thanks to his Phantom Freedom expansion.
While The shadow of the Erdtree is absent from BAFTA’s best games list, it remains a finalist for The game Awards’ crowd-voted Players’ Voice award, competing against titles such as Black Myth: Wukong and Ground Zero Without Zen.
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