The British Academy of Film and Television Arts today announced that Valve co-founder Gabe Newell will be honored with a BAFTA Fellowship at this year's awards ceremony.
The Fellowship award aims to recognize those individuals who have had a notable and exceptional impact on the video games industry. Previous honorees have included
Peter Molyneux and
Shigeru Miyamoto.
BAFTA noted Newell's work with Microsoft, the subsequent founding of Valve, and the introduction of the Valve digital distribution platform as just a few of the reasons for the honor.
Newell said in a statement, "It is an honor for myself and everyone at Valve to be presented such an award by one of the world's most respected and recognised organisations."
"Valve owes a tremendous thanks to many in the UK - to those who have played our games, to the great support of the UK press, and to UK-based creative contributors such as Garry Newman. I look forward to accepting this prestigious honor on behalf of everyone in our community."
Newell will receive the honor on March 5,
as part of the awards ceremony at which games like
Journey and
The Walking Dead are vying for multiple awards.
