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BAFTA honors Atomfall as best British game
A dystopian survival title set in the Lake District has claimed the BAFTA Games Award for best British game, the ceremony announced on Friday.
Premise rooted in Windscale fire
Atomfall, developed by Oxford studio Rebellion, reimagines the 1957 Windscale nuclear accident in Cumbria as a sci-fi quarantine zone. The game transports players into an alternate timeline where the disaster reshapes the region's rolling hills into a hazardous exclusion area.
Developer reaction
Lead designer Ben Fisher called the BAFTA win "absolutely mind-blowing" during an interview with Radio Cumbria. He admitted creators never know whether a game will resonate with audiences, making the recognition especially rewarding.
"When you're making a game you've no idea whether people are going to really connect with it or not. So it was really satisfying to get that recognition."
Ben Fisher, Atomfall lead designer
Authenticity in design
Fisher said the team conducted thorough research to faithfully recreate Cumbrian villages within the game. Their goal was to capture the area's distinct British and Cumbrian character.
"It was just great to make sure we kind of captured all those uniquely British, uniquely Cumbric things."
Ben Fisher
How to follow updates
For ongoing coverage, BBC Cumbria maintains accounts on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram.
