"You can't buy a BAFTA." Why commercial influence is a red line for the BAFTA Games Awards

BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip discusses the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, now featuring Google Play as headline sponsor for the first time. She emphasizes that commercial sponsorship never influences judging, which is independently overseen by Deloitte and peer-voted. Millichip also addresses gender representation efforts, noting BAFTA has hit a 51% female membership target for new games members, and discusses potential future interventions to ensure gender parity in nomination long lists. She touches on BAFTA's transmedia ambitions as gaming IP increasingly crosses into film and TV, and reflects on the informal, democratic culture of the games industry compared to film and television.