SHIGERU MIYAMOTO TO RECEIVE THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
Game designing legend who created Mario Bros is to be inducted into the BAFTA Fellowship at the 2010 Awards
London, 24 February 2010: SHIGERU MIYAMOTO, the creative force behind some of the world’s most popular and enduring video games, will receive the Fellowship at this year’s GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.
General Manager of Nintendo Entertainment, Analysis & Development, Miyamoto is celebrated globally as the “Steven Spielberg” of the gaming world and is often referred to as “the father of modern video games.” His design credits read like a who’s who of classic gaming and include: Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Nintendogs and Wii Music.
On being invited to receive the Fellowship, Miyamoto said “I am very grateful to be able to receive such an honourable award from the British Academy. Our video games cannot be created by one person; since Donkey Kong until the most recent New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I have been working closely with a number of friends for three decades in order to develop fun and enjoyable games. I would like to receive this honourable award on behalf of all of these dependable colleagues.”
David Parfitt, Chairman of the Academy said “The Fellowship is the highest accolade the Academy can bestow on an individual for their creative work and we are honoured to have Miyamoto with us to accept his award. With previous honourees including Hitchcock, Kubrick and Pinter, it is only fitting that Miyamoto be recognized alongside these other pioneers for his groundbreaking work. He helped to develop an entire creative industry and is still a major force in its continuing success.”
The GAME British Academy Video Games Awards will take place on Friday 19 March at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Comedian and game enthusiast Dara O Briain will host the awards, which will be streamed live at www.bafta.org.
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