Yoko Shimomura, the legendary composer behind Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV, and numerous other iconic game soundtracks, will receive the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship at the 21st annual BAFTA Games Awards on April 8, 2025. This honor, the highest accolade bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, recognizes her exceptional contributions to the video game industry over a career spanning more than three decades.
We are delighted to announce that composer Yoko Shimomura will be awarded the Fellowship at this year's BAFTA Games Awards on Tuesday 8 April ✨
— BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) March 31, 2025
Her incredible body of work includes the scores for Street Fighter II and the Kingdom Hearts series🎵#BAFTAGamesAwards @midiplex pic.twitter.com/yMzaUO30Yy
Shimomura began her career at Capcom in 1988 and has composed music for a wide range of beloved titles including the entire Kingdom Hearts series, Final Fantasy XV, Xenoblade Chronicles, Street Fighter II, Streets of Rage, Super Mario RPG, Mario & Luigi, Parasite Eve, and Radiant Historia. She has also contributed to anime soundtracks such as Hi Score Girl and the film Napping Princess.
この度、英国アカデミー賞フェローシップ賞(BAFTA Fellowship)を受賞することとなりました。身に余る光栄に驚いています。日本人では4人目、作曲家では3人目とのことで、未だ信じられないような気持ちです。支え、応援してくださる皆様に深く感謝いたします。本当に有難うございます #BAFTAGamesAwards https://t.co/ZwlOdzGkIW
— Yoko Shimomura｜下村陽子 (@midiplex) March 31, 2025
“I am delighted to receive such an amazing and prestigious award as this, although, honestly speaking, I still cannot quite believe it,” Shimomura said in a statement. “I am who I am today thanks to all the people who have supported me, allowing me to continue being involved with the music that I love and discovering the medium of games where that music can flourish.”
BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip praised Shimomura as “a pioneer of video game music” who has “paved the way for women in the industry.” This recognition comes shortly after Shimomura’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in March 2024.
The BAFTA Games Awards ceremony will be held at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and will be hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second consecutive year. The event will be livestreamed on BAFTA’s YouTube and Twitch channels, starting at 7:00 PM BST (11:00 AM PT).
Shimomura joins an illustrious group of past BAFTA Fellowship recipients in the gaming world, including Shigeru Miyamoto (2010), Hideo Kojima (2020), and Shuhei Yoshida (2023).
