Portal 2 was the big winner at this year's British Academy Video Game Awards, picking up prizes for Story, Design, and the overall Best Game award. This year's gongs were handed out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in a London ceremony led by returning host Dara O Briain.

　　It was a good night for Battlefield 3, too, which also picked up three awards. These were for audio and online multiplayer, as well as Game award, breaking Call of Duty's three-year hold on the publicly voted category. To be eligible for nomination, games had to be released in the UK between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

　　Skyrim came away empty-handed, despite being nominated in multiple categories. The night's other multiple winners were Little Big Planet 2--which won in the Innovation and Family awards--and Batman: Arkham City, which claimed Best Action and Best Performer for Mark Hamill.

　　This year's awards also saw Rockstar winning its first BAFTA in nine years as L.A. Noire collected the award for best original music. The last time the publisher/developer won an award was for GTA: Vice City in 2003. L.A. Noire's submission follows Rockstar's controversial boycotting of the BAFTA awards last year, when it didn't enter Red Dead Redemption for any of the categories.

　　Notable absentees from the winners list were Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. Both games had been expected to do well on the night, having garnered 13 nominations between them.

　　Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson was also awarded the BAFTA Special Award. On receiving the award, Persson said, "There's room for innovation now… If I can be a small part of making games innovative again, I'm happy to do that."

　　And the nominees and winners (in bold italics) in full:

　　Action

　　Assassin's Creed Revelations

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

　　Deus Ex: Human Revolution

　　Portal 2

　　Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Artistic Achievement

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　L.A. Noire

　　Little Big Planet 2

　　Rayman Origins

　　The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim

　　Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Audio Achievement

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　Battlefield 3

　　Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

　　Dead Space 2

　　The Nightjar

　　Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Best Game

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　FIFA 2012

　　L.A. Noire

　　Portal 2

　　The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim

　　The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

　　Debut Game

　　Bastion

　　Eufloria

　　Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

　　L.A. Noire

　　Monstermind

　　RIFT

　　Design

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　L.A. Noire

　　Little Big Planet 2

　　Portal 2

　　The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim

　　Super Mario 3D Land

　　Family

　　Dance Central 2

　　Kinect Sports 2

　　LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean

　　LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

　　Little Big Planet 2

　　Mario Kart 7

　　Game Innovation

　　Bastion

　　Child of Eden

　　From Dust

　　L.A. Noire

　　Little Big Planet 2

　　The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

　　Mobile & Handheld

　　Dead Space iOS

　　Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint

　　Peggle HD

　　Quarrel

　　Super Mario 3D Land

　　The Nightjar

　　Online – Browser

　　Gardens of Time

　　I Am Playr

　　Monstermind

　　Global Resistance

　　Skylanders: Spyro’s Universe

　　The Sims Social

　　Online Multiplayer

　　Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

　　Battlefield 3

　　Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

　　Dark Souls

　　Gears of War 3

　　Little Big Planet 2

　　Original Music

　　Assassin's Creed: Revelations

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　Deus Ex: Human Revolution

　　L.A. Noire

　　The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim

　　Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Performer

　　Aaron Staton

　　(Cole Phelps) L.A. Noire

　　Mark Hamill

　　(The Joker) Batman: Arkham City

　　Nolan North

　　(Nathan Drake) Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Stephen Fry

　　(Narrator) Little Big Planet 2

　　Stephen Merchant

　　(Wheatley) Portal 2

　　Togo Igawa

　　(Diplomat, Advisor, and Military General) Total War: SHOGUN 2

　　Sports/Fitness

　　Dance Central 2

　　DiRT 3

　　F1 2011

　　FIFA 2012

　　Kinect Sports Season 2

　　Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012

　　Story

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　Deus Ex: Human Revolution

　　L.A. Noire

　　Portal 2

　　The Elder Scrolls V – Skyrim

　　Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

　　Strategy

　　Dark Souls

　　Deus Ex: Human Revolution

　　Football Manager 2012

　　From Dust

　　Ghost Recon Shadow Wars

　　Total War: SHOGUN 2

　　BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital

　　Joust (Digital Knights)

　　Dreamweaver (Evolved Ape)

　　Tick Tock Toys (Swallowtail)

　　GAME Award

　　Batman: Arkham City

　　Battlefield 3

　　Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

　　FIFA 2012

　　L.A Noire

　　Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

　　Minecraft

　　Portal 2

　　The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

　　Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception