The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has revealed that Peter Molyneux, creative director of Microsoft Game Studios and the driving force behind such gaming classics as
Dungeon Keeper and the
Fable series, is to receive a BAFTA Fellowship at the upcoming awards ceremony.
Following in the footsteps of Nintendo's
Shigeru Miyamoto last year, the Fellowship will reflect Molyneux's impact on the international world of computer games, and on the overall entertainment industry.
"I remember back in 1967 watching the first BAFTA awards on television with my family and seeing them being so excited about those accolades" said Molyneux in a statement. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be possible for me to accept one of the greatest honors the entertainment industry has to offer."
"My first thought on learning that I was awarded an Academy Fellowship was that to be in the company of some of the greatest talents the entertainment industry has ever seen is truly humbling and secondly that this is an award not just for myself, but for all the people I’ve ever worked with".
Chief executive of BAFTA Amanda Berry OBE noted: "We are delighted to be honoring Peter at this point in his long and successful career in video games.
"He is one of the leading figures in the development of video games as an art form and an inspiration to the next generation of creative minds."
The BAFTA Game Award nominations
were announced last week, with
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and
Call of Duty: Black Ops in the running for seven awards each.
The awards ceremony will take place in London on March 16, and will be streamed live on
the BAFTA website.
Molyneux is also
set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Game Developers Choice Awards, which will take place on March 2.