Comedian Phil Wang to host 20th BAFTA Games Awards

British-Malaysian stand-up comedian and comedy writer Phil Wang has been announced as the host of the 20th BAFTA Games Awards, due to be held in London on April 11.

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Following the announcement, Wang shared that he’s “incredibly excited” to host the award show, and said it’s an “honour” to present on its 20th anniversary.

“I’ve always loved and been fascinated by video games,” said Wang. “When I was about 8, I begged my dad for our first computer so that I could play Ski Free – an 8-bit skiing game that came with Windows. Games have come a long way in their sophistication since. I have wept at The Last of Us, laughed at Portal, screamed at FIFA, and Ski Free is presumably now Ski With Ads.”

In a press release, Wang was described as a lifelong gamer. His first console was the Sega Saturn, while he loves real-time strategy games such as Rome: Total War, Age of Empires, and Theme Park Tycoon. Once he moved on to HD hardware, he favoured BAFTA winners like Death Stranding, a Kojima Productions game starring Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux.

Having appeared on comedy show staples Have I Got News For You?, Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and many more, Wang is no stranger to being in front of the camera.

Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, said, “Phil Wang is the perfect host – a consummate presenter – entertaining, witty, knowledgeable and passionate about the games industry.”

The BAFTAs will be streamed via YouTube, Twitch, and X (formerly known as Twitter) at 7pm BST, Thursday, April 11, 2024. The nominations will be streamed on the above platforms as well as Instagram and TikTok.

In other news, hit early-access indie Enshrouded has revealed its 2024 roadmap, with developer Keen Games hoping to add a weather system, mountain biome, more non-player characters, new enemies and bosses, and more.