Frontier founder recognised for 30-year service to game industry

Elite developer David Braben receives OBE

David Braben have been appointed OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

The BBC reports that the honour was given for his services to the UK’s game and computer industries.

Braben, who runs UK developer Frontier, co-created space sim Elite with Ian Bell in 1984, which went on to win huge critical acclaim. He is now working on a new entry in the series, Elite: Dangerous, backed by £1.5m raised through crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

The industry veteran is also one of the brains behind the Raspberry Pi, a tiny credit card-sized computer available for as little as £25. Run by a non-profit organisation, the computer was designed to help teach young people to code.

"Yes, it is a great honour, and much appreciated. I have a great team behind me, and I consider the award is for all of us," Braben told Develop.

"I’ve just got back from an excellent E3 where our Elite: Dangerous game was being shown. It was the first time Frontier has been an exhibitor in our own right at E3 – all previous occasions have been exhibiting our games with a partner like Microsoft, Atari or Sony. We received several awards so coming home to be told about the OBE has topped off a fantastic week.

"It is really great, and I look forward to getting the honour in person."

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