Video games: Baldur's Gate 3 crushes its competitors at the BAFTAs

Role-playing game

, based on the world of

, crushed its rivals by winning a slew of awards Thursday in London at the annual BAFTA ceremony. Set in a fantasy kingdom populated by wizards, elves, barbarians and other characters, the latest installment in the franchise created by Belgian studio Larian Studios won the Game of the Year award.

He also won the EE Players' Choice Award, voted by the public, as well as the BAFTAs for music, narration and performers, taking the number of awards won at the awards ceremony in the center to five from London.

The medieval fantasy game, part of a saga of popular games dating back to the late 1990s, had already won the top prize at the Game Awards 2023 in Los Angeles in December. It has enjoyed meteoric commercial success since its release in August, selling more than 10 million copies on PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series, according to the studio.

Sacred Zelda and Mario

Other gaming BAFTA winners, now in their 20th year, include

, which received the technical achievement award. The latest opus in the adventures of the elf warrior Link, it has enjoyed dazzling success since its release in 2023 on Switch, the console of the Japanese video game giant Nintendo. With more than 10 million copies sold in three days,

has become the fastest-selling Nintendo game of all time: more than 20 million copies in 2023, according to Nintendo. The Zelda game franchise includes more than a dozen titles - including several ranked among the best video games of all time - and has sold more than 150 million copies. This latest installment is the sequel to 2017's

, hailed as one of the best titles on the Switch.

Meanwhile,

, another Switch game in Nintendo's franchise, won the Family BAFTA and Multiplayer awards. The game

won two BAFTAs, while actor Nadji Jeter was recognized for his portrayal of the lead role of Miles Morales in

.