BAFTA has announced that High Street specialist GAME will be the title sponsor of the British Academy Video Games Awards 2009.

The ceremony will be held on March 10th at the London Hilton on Park Lane, and GAME will be responsible for the only publicly voted award of the night for the best game of 2008; the shortlist for which will be announced on Tuesday February 10th.

“The partnership between GAME and the Academy is a perfect one,” enthused Academy chairman David Parfitt.

“We are committed to recognising creative excellence in this art form and, since part of our charitable remit is to showcase the artistry behind video games to the wider public, we cannot think of a more fitting sponsor. We look forward to working closely with GAME to bring the BAFTA-nominated and BAFTA-winning titles to the attention of huge audiences, not just here, but overseas too.”

GAME UK and Ireland MD Tricia Brennan added: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the British Academy Video Games Awards to celebrate the best games of 2008, and to congratulate the talented people behind them. Their innovative spirit and creativity has given millions of our customers endless hours of entertainment.  
 
“We are very excited to be working in partnership with the British Academy to raise the profile of our industry to all of the families and gamers who shop in our stores and online.”