BAFTA has announced its annual list of Breakthroughs: 21 promising creatives in UK film, games, and television who will receive career guidance and access to industry networking events, as well as full BAFTA membership.
The programme is supported by Netflix, and BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said it is “hugely impactful” for the recipients. “It is designed to give them the support and connections to build lasting careers.”
This year’s games cohort includes Eloise Singer (writer/director, The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters), Husban Siddiqi (game director/developer, Rogue Eclipse), Kate Killick (creative director, Pieced Together), Niru Fekri-Arnold (creator/designer, Cursed Words), and Tom McKay (performer, Mysteria Ecclesiae: Kingdom Come Deliverance DLC).
GamesIndustry.biz spoke to all five of this year’s games Breakthroughs to find out their background in gaming and what they hope to gain from being part of the program.
Eloise Singer
Eloise Singer is a writer and director, known for the Emmy-nominated VR experience The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters narrated by Lucy Liu. She is also the CEO and creative director of Singer Studios.
The franchise, centred on Chinese pirate leader Cheng Shih, will expand next year with an international tour, a graphic novel co-written by Singer and Liu and illustrated by Soo Lee, and a new game. Singer describes the new game as “one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve ever worked on.”
“I love how collaborative game development is, and how generous people are with their ideas and expertise. The best part is watching people play: seeing them laugh, compete and get completely caught up in something we’ve created together. It’s hard to beat that feeling.”
This is Singer’s eighth attempt at being selected for the Breakthrough initiative. “There were people who told me to give up along the way, so being selected means a great deal. I think BAFTA recognised the creative ambition behind The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters, and our approach to bringing Cheng Shih’s extraordinary story to life in a new immersive format.”
“My work moves between film, games and immersive storytelling, so the chance to share ideas across those worlds is particularly valuable. Access to mentors and the wider BAFTA and Netflix network is wonderful; I’m really excited by the friendships and collaborations that might grow from it.”
Husban Siddiqi
Husban Siddiqi is a game director and developer who recently released his debut project, Rogue Eclipse, a spaceflight shooter roguelike. The game was among the first funded by Innersloth’s indie games fund, Outersloth, in 2024.
Siddiqi recalls “very formative memories” of gaming early on with friends and family. “From that moment onwards it’s pretty much been a non-stop part of my life regardless of scale or genre; and ultimately it was that spark of joy I felt that set me on the trajectory towards this industry.”
“Games are this wonderful intersection between art and technology, which opens up this incredible space for all kinds of experiences and worlds that can be inhabited or explored. There is a creative fulfilment with making games in general that isn’t quite like anything else, and the industry at large, particularly on the independent side, has this engaged community looking to push and explore that space further.”
Siddiqi values the opportunity to learn and connect with others through the initiative. “I’ve been incredibly blessed and fortunate to have these opportunities in the industry, so more than anything else I’m hoping through this programme I’ll be able to help out others who are starting their journey in games or with their own creative endeavours.”
“As a result of one of BAFTA’s programmes, I had an opportunity to connect with other talented and fantastic creatives that ended up working on Rogue Eclipse. Beyond this, their initiatives to shine a spotlight on the industry, whether it be visiting the studios or interviewing the teams that craft the experiences we enjoy, through to the awards, which again are just areas of recognition that are appreciated.”
Kate Killick
Kate Killick is the CEO and creative director of Glowfrog Games, which specialises in art and design for educational and kids’ games.
Its debut title, Pieced Together, launched last year and was “the culmination of not just three years of development but also many years of working towards my goal of releasing an indie game,” Killick says.
“It was a long period of hard work and perseverance – there were many moments when I didn’t know if it was going to work out. I think BAFTA recognises the determination it takes to get a project off the ground, especially at a time when the wider industry is facing so many challenges.”
She continues: “BAFTA has such an incredible reach across the creative industries, and being part of Breakthrough with Netflix’s support will connect me with so many people and opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. It will also help raise the visibility of Glowfrog and our games, which is incredibly valuable as I focus on building up the studio.”
Glowfrog is developing its second game, which is “all about collecting pieces of seaglass at a dreamy beach and arranging them into colourful mosaics.” The team aims to launch a demo by mid-next year.
“The most important thing for me is to be able to make creatively interesting games – that’s why I started Glowfrog Games. Right now my plans are to build on the experience and recognition we’ve gained from Pieced Together, and keep making games that resonate with people.”
Niru Fekri-Arnold
Niru Fekri-Arnold is a creator, designer, and co-founder of indie studio Buried Things. The studio’s debut game, Cursed Words, launched earlier this year, and its second title, Little Rippers, is in pre-production.
Before co-founding Buried Things, Fekri-Arnold says his closest experience to working at a game studio was “working on immersive projects with The National Theatre and NASA.” He recalls Double Fine’s Amnesia Fortnight as the game that “sealed the deal” for his desire to work in the games industry.
“I didn’t really know anybody with a creative job and that was the first insight I saw into what working in the industry would actually be like. It made the whole thing feel achievable, not like it was just something ‘other people’ did.”
Regarding future plans, Fekri-Arnold notes that his game jam background means “I have a million things at any given moment I want to be working on. One of the things we’re most keen on is continuing to make games with a human soul – especially with the rising tide of AI products on the market. We’ve got some exciting ideas for games that, for all intents and purposes, AI will simply not be able to create an analogue for.”
Fekri-Arnold also highlights how BAFTA has been “the loudest champion” for “celebrating creative talent which is essential to fostering a nation of engaged artists.”
“There’s something very powerful about an organisation that champions the greatest, most cemented talents in the country, but also provides so many stepping stones for people who want a shot at creative greatness.”
Tom McKay
Tom McKay is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and has spent most of his career in television and theatre.
Gamers will know McKay as Henry of Skalitz in Warhorse Studios’ medieval RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance (KCD) and its recent sequel. The franchise introduced McKay to working in video games, which he describes as “one of the most enjoyable, enlightening, and inspiring working experiences of [his] life.”
McKay attributes his selection as a Breakthrough to the “momentum and something of a cult following” of KCD, as well as the Channel 4 series Dirty Business. “The stars aligned through these various projects for this to be a Breakthrough year for me, and I am incredibly grateful for that.”
McKay hopes that participating in this initiative will “open up more opportunities in the world of gaming, which is still a relatively new arena” for him.
“I have been blown away by the creative potential of games as an art form; almost limitless in its scope, which from a narrative perspective is totally thrilling, and from a character perspective is beyond exciting.” He also admires the people involved, from “the amazing individuals who develop these extraordinary worlds” to the “people who engage with them.”
“My eyes have been opened to the incredible communities that play and support games, leading to an eruption of independent creativity, connection and support within those communities and that, to me, is a very, very beautiful thing, and exactly what the world needs in these turbulent and divided times.”