Next week the British Academy Games Awards will be taking place in London and Gabe Newell is to be awarded with a BAFTA Fellowship.
Newell will be receiving the award for his work in the industry since 1996 when he founded Valve and brought gamers such delights as the Half Life franchise and of course we can’t forget Steam which has been up and running since 2004.
Harvey Elliott, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, added: “Gabe’s contribution to the industry is unique, and he is very different to many others that BAFTA could recognise. As well as enjoying great critical and commercial success with phenomenally popular franchises such as Portal and Half-Life, his work in giving back to the games industry through developing and showcasing other games makers has been outstanding. He is an inspirational developer and truly deserving of our Fellow recognition.”
Newell added: “It is an honour 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.”
Gamers can watch the event live next week on Monday 11 March via www.twitch.tv/bafta
Previous winners of the prestigious award include Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright.
