Japanese Cult Classic Robs GTA in BAFTA Poll

U.K. screen arts academy BAFTA recently held a public poll for the most influential video game of all time, and the winner is not quite what you'd expect.

Despite appearing twice on a list of 21 titles, Grand Theft Auto didn't win the award. Instead, the first Grand Theft Auto ranked 21st, just below The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and two spots below Grand Theft Auto 3 in 19th place.

Although it's understandable that the public would rank titles like Minecraft, the only game to outsell Grand Theft Auto V, and Tetris, which is technically best-selling video game of all time, the most-picked title comes out of way left field.

Coming straight out of the land of the rising sun, Yu Suzuki's ambitious open-world epic, Shenmue, claimed the top spot. Released exclusively on the doomed Sega Dreamcast in 1999, Shenmue is a game that revolves around the story of Ryo Hazuki and his quest for justice.

Although no one is arguing that Shenmue doesn't earn a spot on the list, ranking it above franchise stalwarts like Doom, Super Mario Bros. and Half-Life - not to mention GTA - is absurd to say the least. After all, you don't see anyone running around saying that a game is Shenmue -like, nor was that ever a thing at all.

To be fair, there does seem to be a bit of recency bias. Coming in at 7th place is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a GOTY candidate alongside Split Fiction that only came out two months ago. Perhaps its fans are of the same opinion as Warhorse Studios' co-founder when it comes to GTA?

Kidding aside, it is interesting that the list only has two GTA entries, considering each title is widely considered the best games of their respective console generations, even when we're talking about multiple GTA titles within the same generation; or one game across multiple generations. Few IPs could possibly claim this.

GTA 3, in particular, had a larger impact on the entire industry than Shenmue. After all, its pseudo-exclusive release on the PlayStation 2 in October 2001 helped establish the sixth-generation console as the platform to beat. It went on to spawn several more sequels, installments, and copycats. On the other hand, Shenmue is a cult-classic that had to go the crowd-funding route to get a third installment.

These days, fans are desperately begging for Rockstar Games to finally release GTA 6, grasping at the proverbial straws as they wait for more official news, and Shenmue 4 is probably never going to happen. With that said, considering the surprising result of the BAFTA poll, who knows what else we'll find out more of at the BAFTA Games Awards on April 8? Perhaps we'll finally get a second GTA 6 trailer, as the rumors suggest.