BAFTA sets date, calls for entries

Next year’s BAFTA games awards will take place on a Friday night, featuring new categories across online and family.

The consumer event, which publishers and developers have to pay to enter, returns to the Hilton, Park Lane on Friday March 19th.

Early bird registration expires at the end of this week (October 16th).

For more details go to http://www.bafta.org/awards/video-games.

The awards are open to all games released between January 1st and December 6th 2009.

New categories include Family and Social, plus Use of Online.

"The awards are taking place a little later next year as we did not want to clash with GDC," offered BAFTA.

Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare captured three awards at this year’s event.

The Infinity Ward-developed shooter secured the Gameplay, Story and Character and the GAME Award, which is voted for by the public.

Other big winners included Nintendo, which won the Best Game and Best Handheld Game award for Super Mario Galaxy and Professor Layton.

EA won Best Use of Audio and Best Original Score for Dead Space, Best Casual Game for Boom Blox and Technical Achievement with Spore.