The Last of Us 2, from developer Naughty Dog, continues to break award records with the announcement of the 2021 BAFTA award nominees. The divisive game already has the most “Game of the Year” awards in industry history, and the accolades do not appear to be slowing down.
Neil Druckmann, writer and creative director of Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us, knew he was creating a very different sequel than most players were expecting. The narrative decisions were the basis of most fan complaints, but that has not stopped the tide of awards and attention on the highly anticipated sequel.
The Last of Us 2 has not won every award, losing some of its nominations to the other games released in 2020. That being said, it is swiftly moving towards becoming one of the most awarded games of all time. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA, has recently announced its nominees for the top video games in a variety of categories, and The Last of Us 2 is a common trend.
From Animation and Music to five separate Best Performer awards (including Troy Baker as Joel), The Last of Us 2 has entered the arena with a record thirteen nominations. The previous BAFTA nominations record was eleven, held jointly by Control and Death Stranding in 2020. It’s also worth noting that The Last of Us 2 has been nominated for the EE Game of the Year award, which is the only category at the British Academy Game Awards that the public can vote in.
Before its release, major plot points of The Last of Us 2 were leaked online. The leaks disillusioned some fans from the game because of the apparent character and story choices the creators took. The frustration was added to when the game released and the leaks had been correct. While many reviewers argued that the context of the story helped the narrative remain strong, the damage had already been done for some fans. While critically acclaimed, The Last of Us 2 was subjected to a massive “review-bombing” on Metacritic.
Video gamers everywhere remain divided on The Last of Us 2, though all many that Naughty Dog shook the industry with this historic title. With more award shows to come and an HBO series starring Pedro Pascal in production, The Last of Us as a series remains at the forefront of video game culture. Regardless of their opinion, players can be sure that The Last of Us 2 will continue to be discussed for years to come.
The Last of Us 2 is available on PS4.
Source: BAFTA