LEGO Batman bags kids' BAFTA
New title due next year, says TT.
LEGO Batman scooped the videogame gong at last night's EA British Academy Children's Awards, at a celeb-packed bash in London's swanky Park Lane Hilton.
The latest in Traveller's Tales' licence-to-print-money LEGO series beat off challenges from Nintendo's Mario Kart Wii and Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and Warner's Guinness World Records: The Videogame.
"We're absolutely delighted; it's a very special night for us and the whole team," beamed TT head of production Jonathan Smith, speaking to a slurring Eurogamer after the ceremony.
"To get this acknowledgement, here in our home country of the UK, to be acknowledged by the British Academy for the work that everyone's done on LEGO Batman was really thrilling for everyone."
Smith also told us of plans to release a new LEGO title in 2009. Significantly, TT Games boss Tom Stone revealed that it's not going to be Star Wars, Indy or Batman, but something completely new.
"I would love to be able to tell you exactly what we have in our plans for the years head," Smith added. "All I can say is we really are working on exciting new things that I think everyone will be very pleased to hear about when we announce them."
Elsewhere, Wii Fit missed out in the Kids' Vote category, won by inexplicable TV sensation Hannah Montana.
Guests at the Awards, hosted by Keith "Cheggers" Chegwin, included Geri Halliwell, Rachel Stevens, new Bond girl Gemma Arterton and some blokes off Hollyoaks. But by far the biggest stars of the night were veteran comedy heroes, the Chuckle Brothers, who picked up the Special Award, presented by Dr Who scribe Russell T Davies.
Speaking exclusively to Eurogamer at the event, Paul Chuckle revealed his passion for gaming. "I think videogames are fantastic," he noted. "I try to keep my kids off them as much as I can because I think they play too much, but then they can't tell me to come off it when I'm playing on them."
He added that the Chuckle household boasts a 360, PS3 and a Wii. His wife plays Wii Fit "a hell of a lot", while his son is "on the Internet all the time" playing Runescape. "He keeps making money out of it, which you're not supposed to."
"I think games are gonna take over TV," Mr Chuckle predicted. "I think they already are with the youngsters."