Sad Owl Studios, a development studio based on Scotland, United Kingdom gained multiple recognitions at the 2024 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Games Awards. An even sweeter aspect to this story is the fact that one of the Philippines’ very own Gwen Foster is up on the stage to receive the awards herself. Amidst a sea of talent and innovation, the Filipina co-founded game studio was able to get not one, but two esteemed awards.
Viewfinder, a first-person puzzle game won the Best British Game and the New Intellectual Property awards. It was a momentous achievement that acted as the developers’ commitment to creativity and excellence in game development.
Before the event, Viewfinder was already finding earlier success as it was also nominated multiple times for Best Debut Indie, Best Independent Game, and Best Visual Design in The Game Awards and Golden Joystick Awards in 2023.
Foster, the studios’ co-founder and business developer had a bit of fun during her acceptance speech. “I hope they give snacks because I’m very hungry… Thank you also to Sony for supporting us.” Overwhelmed with emotions, Foster shed a few tears while thanking the rest of her team with the crowd roaring with applause and cheerful laughter.
Sad Owl Studios’ success is a significant banner to hold for the Philippines. As more prominent development studios set up headquarters in the country, and more Filipino developers get to work on globally recognized titles, the local gaming industry gets to further solidify its presence as a powerful international force.
As a final note, we reached out to Foster to comment more on what the win means for them and what she hopes for in the gaming space.
“Hopefully, game developers are able to have access to resources to help achieve their visions. We want more accountability in the industry which means more games being made by people and not just for profit. As of right now, the team is just very happy. Just a short break for us to recharge and then we start thinking about what’s next!”