Creator of The Sims is the first games industry name to be granted Academy honour

Will Wright gets BAFTA Fellowship

MCV Staff 15th October 2007 Publishing

BAFTA has announced that EA’s Will Wright is to become the first person from the games industry to be granted a Fellowship of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Wright is best known for devising the concept behind the bestselling The Sims franchise and also worked on other big sellers such as SimCity. His next game is the hotly-tipped Spore.

He joins an elite list of world-famous Film and TV creatives that includes Alfred Hitchcock and Charlie Chaplin an will receive his honor at this years British Academy Video Game Awards, held on October 23rd.

BAFTA said the move "recognises the massive impact of video games on popular culture and their huge contribution to the whole art form of the moving image".

Hilary Bevan Jones, chairman of the Academy, added: “Will’s immense, creative body of work and his continued contribution to the industry make him a most worthy recipient of the Fellowship and being such a pioneer, we are thrilled that he will be the first person to receive this honour."

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