Last month, Gameranx reported on the candidates up for awards at this year’s BAFTA or British Academy Games Awards, which span a total of 17 categories including Best Game, Artistic Achievement and AMD eSports Audience Award. A recent blog post on the BAFTA website revealed that artist and award-winning game designer Brenda Romero, whose credits consist of contributions to franchises like Wizardry, Jagged Alliance and Ghost Recon, will be honoured with BAFTA’s Special Award for her creative input to the industry.
Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee Nick Button-Brown spoke highly of Romero’s advocacy for the pursuit of excellence in creative game design and nurturing next generation talent:
“Brenda is such a great role model for people wanting to enter the industry and her advocacy for the excellence of creativity within the Games industry helps us all. Given the work that BAFTA does in helping people get into the games industry, having Brenda as such an eloquent advocate is fantastic.”
Romero, who will also be awarded the 2017 Development Legend at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards expressed her gratitude over being recognised for the Special Award:
“I am first and foremost grateful to BAFTA for recognising the artistic potential and power of games. This recognition is culturally critical for games overall. So for that, I am profoundly thankful. As for me? Genuinely, I am still in a state of shock, having been chosen. I’ve devoted my life to games – making them, teaching them, playing them – and to receive any honour from the community is incredible. But a BAFTA? It’s well beyond anything else.”
The 2017 BAFTA Awards are scheduled for Thursday April 6 at Tobacco Dock, London. Those in the UK who are interested in attending can purchase a public ticket to the event here for £60 British pounds. Keen on watching at home instead? BAFTA will also be broadcasting the ceremony via Twitch.
