Austin Powers Verne Troyer Dies Aged 49
Verne Troyer the beloved Austin Powers star, best known as diminutive super villain Mini-Me, has sadly died at the age of 49. His family confirmed the news on a post on his official Facebook page read.
“It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today. .. Over the years he’s struggled and won… but unfortunately this time was too much.”
News of his death follows his admission to hospital in Los Angeles earlier this month, although precise details about his health were not made public at that time. Troyer had been hospitalised last year due to ongoing substance abuse issues and released a statement at that time addressing the concerns of his fans and thanking them for all their messages of support.
Troyer featured in countless films and tv shows in a lengthy career that saw him feature in Harry Potter and Austin Powers among countless other big screen outings. He notably worked with friend Heath Ledger on Terry Gilliam’s fantasy adventure The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and was a frequent presence on British television screens as part of Celebrity Big Brother and gameshow Celebrity Juice.
He was also a passionate advocate for a number of charities and an inspirational figure for many differently abled performers due to his success and outspoken challenging of Hollywood stereotypes.
He will be deeply missed and we look back on the time we were lucky enough to spend with him with both sadness and joy.
BAFTA Games Awards Winners 2018
BAFTA has announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by Dara O’Briain at Troxy, London.
What Remains of Edith Finch, the second game from BAFTA-winning developer Giant Sparrow Studios, won Best Game. Giant Sparrow previously won for The Unfinished Swan in the debut game category in 2013.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which explores the titular character’s struggle with mental health issues, won Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, British Game, Game Beyond Entertainment and Melina Juergens won in the Performer category for her role as Senua.
Super Mario Odyssey, the 3D platform game from Nintendo, won Game Design and Family.
Another eight games were winners on the night. The hand-drawn story puzzle game, Gorogoa, won Debut Game. Following its win at last year’s awards for Multiplayer, the team-based first-person shooter Overwatch won Evolving Game. Golf Clash, the real-time multiplayer game, won Mobile Game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the action-adventure game, won the BAFTA for Game Innovation. The role-playing game Divinity: Original Sin 2 won in Multiplayer. Cuphead, the run-and-gun indie game, won in Music. Night in the Woods, the adventure game focusing on exploration, story and character, won the BAFTA for Narrative. The action role-playing game Horizon Zero Dawn won for Original Property.
The Fellowship was presented to Tim Schafer in recognition of his outstanding creative contribution to the industry and for his illustrious career in game design.
FELLOWSHIP
TIM SCHAFER
ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
CUPHEAD Development Team – StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc./StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc.
GOROGOA Development Team – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Development Team – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY Development Team – Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT
CALL OF DUTY: WORLD WAR II Development Team – Sledgehammer Games/Activision
DESTINY 2 Development Team – Bungie/Activision
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE David Garcia Diaz – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II Development Team – DICE/Electronic Arts
UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY Development Team – Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
BEST GAME
ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS Development Team – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Development Team – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Development Team – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
BRITISH GAME
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Development Team – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
MONUMENT VALLEY 2 Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games
REIGNS: HER MAJESTY Leigh Alexander, François Alliot, Arnaud De Bock – Nerial Ltd/ Devolver Digital
THE SEXY BRUTALE Charles Griffiths, James Griffiths, Tom Lansdale – Cavalier Game Studios and Tequila Works/ Tequila Works
SNIPER ELITE 4 Development Team – Rebellion/ Rebellion
TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II Development Team – Creative Assembly/ SEGA
DEBUT GAME
CUPHEAD Development Team – StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc./StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc.
GOROGOA Development Team – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
HOLLOW KNIGHT Development Team – Team Cherry/Team Cherry
NIGHT IN THE WOODS Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – InfiniteFall/Finji
THE SEXY BRUTALE Charles Griffiths, James Griffiths, Tom Lansdale – Cavalier Game Studios and Tequila Works/Tequila Works
SLIME RANCHER Development Team – Monomi Park/Monomi Park
EVOLVING GAME
CLASH ROYALE Development Team – Supercell/ Supercell
FINAL FANTASY XV Hajime Tabata – Square Enix/ Square Enix
FORTNITE Development Team – Epic Games/ Epic Games
OVERWATCH Development Team – Blizzard Entertainment/ Blizzard Entertainment
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Development Team – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE Development Team – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
FAMILY
JUST DANCE 2018 Development Team – Ubisoft Paris/ Ubisoft
LEGO WORLDS Development Team – TT Games/ WB Games
MARIO + RABBIDS KINGDOM BATTLE Development Team – Ubisoft/ Ubisoft
MONUMENT VALLEY 2 Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games
SNIPPERCLIPS Development Team – SFB Games/ Nintendo
SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT
BURY ME, MY LOVE Development Team – The Pixel Hunt & Fig/ ARTE & Playdius
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Development Team – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
LAST DAY OF JUNE Massimo Guarini, Elia Randon, Andrew Thompson – Ovosonico/505 Games
LIFE IS STRANGE: BEFORE THE STORM Development Team – Deck Nine Games, Square Enix/Square Enix
NIGHT IN THE WOODS Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – InfiniteFall/ Finji
SEA HERO QUEST VR Matthew Hyde, Max Scott-Slade, Hugo Scott-Slade – Glitchers/ Glitchers
GAME DESIGN
ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS Development Team – Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
NIER: AUTOMATA Development Team – Platinum Games, Square Enix/ Square Enix
SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Development Team – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
GAME INNOVATION
GOROGOA Development Team – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Development Team – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
NIER AUTOMATA Development Team – Platinum Games, Square Enix/Square Enix
SNIPPERCLIPS Development Team – SFB Games/Nintendo
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Development Team – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
MOBILE GAME
BURY ME, MY LOVE Development Team – The Pixel Hunt & Fig/ ARTE & Playdius
GOLF CLASH Paul Gouge, Alex Rigby, Gareth Jones – Playdemic/Playdemic
GOROGOA Development Team – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
KAMI 2 Development Team – State of Play/State of Play
MONUMENT VALLEY 2 Development Team – ustwo games/ustwo games
STRANGER THINGS: THE GAME Development Team – BonusXP, Inc./BonusXP, Inc.
MULTIPLAYER
DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN 2 Development Team – Larian Studios/ Larian Studios Games
FORTNITE Development Team – Epic Games/ Epic Games
GANG BEASTS Development Team – Boneloaf/ Double Fine Productions
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Development Team – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
SPLATOON 2 Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
STAR TREK: BRIDGE CREW Development Team – Red Storm Entertainment/ Ubisoft
MUSIC
CUPHEAD Development Team – StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc./StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc.
GET EVEN Development Team – The Farm 51/ Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE David Garcia Diaz, Andy LaPlegua – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD Development Team – Nintendo EPD/Nintendo
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Jeff Russo – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
NARRATIVE
HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE Tameem Antoniades – Ninja Theory Ltd/ Ninja Theory Ltd
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
NIGHT IN THE WOODS Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – InfiniteFall/ Finji
TACOMA Steve Gaynor, Karla Zimonja – Fullbright/ Fullbright
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Development Team – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
WOLFENSTEIN II: THE NEW COLOSSUS Jens Matthies, Tommy Tordsson Björk, Tom Keegan – Machine Games/ Bethesda
ORIGINAL PROPERTY
CUPHEAD Chad Moldenhauer, Jared Moldenhauer – StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc./StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc.
GOROGOA Development Team – Jason Roberts, Buried Signal/Annapurna Interactive
HORIZON ZERO DAWN Development Team – Guerrilla/Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
NIGHT IN THE WOODS Scott Benson, Alec Holowka, Bethany Hockenberry – InfiniteFall/ Finji
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Development Team – PUBG Corp/ Bluehole, Inc.
WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH Development Team – Giant Sparrow/Annapurna Interactive
PERFORMER
ABUBAKAR SALIM as Bayek in Assassin’s Creed Origins
ASHLY BURCH as Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn
CLAUDIA BLACK as Chloe Frazer in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
LAURA BAILEY as Nadine Ross in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
MELINA JUERGENS as Senua in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
VALERIE ROSE LOHMAN as Edith Finch in What Remains of Edith Finch