The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced that it will present Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games with the prestigious Academy Fellowship at the upcoming British Academy Games Awards. Awarded annually, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by the Academy in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games.
Rockstar will join industry legends Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright and Gabe Newell as recipients of the awards, for its contribution to shaping the gaming scene. The Academy singled out achievements in Grand Theft Auto III for raising the bar in open world exploration and Grand Theft Auto V for breaking the Guiness world record for single sales of an entertainment product.
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Recipients of the Fellowship are usually drawn from the movie industry, with names like Christopher Lee, Woody Allen, and Martin Scorsese on the list. Which makes this award a rare recognition of the video game industry.
[source: BAFTA]
