SEVEN former students at the University of South Wales (USW) have been celebrating BAFTA Games awards for two popular video games they worked on.

The seven graduated from the university between 1998 and 2017.

Dreams, a popular game creation system developed by Media Molecule for the PlayStation 4, allows users to create their own content in the form of fully-fledged games, mechanics, assets, sculptures, music and art which can then be shared or remixed to be used in other user’s creations.

It won the BAFTA for Technical Achievement. Animator David Campbell worked on the game and graduated from USW in 2008 with a BA (Hons) Computer Animation. He was also joined by game designer Catherine Woolley who graduated from the course in 2009.

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Sea of Thieves won the BAFTA for Best Evolving Game. The action-adventure game was developed by Rare Ltd. It is a multiplayer game that allows the player to assume the role of a pirate and completes voyages from different trading companies in order to become the ultimate pirate.

Ryan Stevenson was the art director for the game and graduated from the university with a BA (Hons) Animation in 1998. Principal rigger Katherine Gilson graduated from the same course in 2003.

Principal level artist Joe Bradford graduated with a BA (Hons) Computer Animation in 1998, the same course senior animator Andrius Jocevičius graduated from in 2012. Animator Abi Wilcoxson also graduated from the course in 2017.

Mr Jocevičius said: “This award is testament to the incredible talent, imagination and passion that the Rare Ltd team dedicates to its craft. I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to bring characters to life within Sea of Thieves and grow as an animator.”

Ms Wilcoxson said: ““I feel so privileged to be part of the Animation team on Sea of Thieves. It’s amazing to see the first game I’ve worked on win a BAFTA.”

The BAFTA Games Awards were held on Thursday, March 25 in a virtual event to celebrate the best of the video game industry.

12 BAFTA Games nominations were given to USW graduates including for people working on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Half-Life: Alyx and CyberPunk 2077.

Academic subject manager for animation and games at USW, Corrado Morgana, said: “The university are very proud to have worked with, and supported, these fantastic graduates. To see them excel in the industry, working on such visually stunning fames, is a brilliant validation of their time at USW and to be recognised at the BAFTA Games awards is a tremendous achievement.”