Will Wright inducted into BAFTA Fellowship

Sims creator Will Wright has received the highest accolade the BAFTA can bestow on an individual for their creative work.

Wright will be inducted into BAFTA's Fellowship at the British Academy Video Games Awards 2007. Until now, the Fellowship was reserved for film and television notables such as Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, and Steven Spielberg.

The British Academy says that it recognises the massive impact of videogames on popular culture and their huge contribution to the whole art form of the moving image.

"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," said Academy chairman Hilary Bevan Jones.

Wright has been creating games for more than twenty years, working on titles such as Raid On Bungling Bay before creating the first SimCity in 1989. The Sims franchise which Wright brought to fruition has sold 58 million units.

This year's Awards will be held on October 23 in London, and will be broadcast on E4 on November 4 and repeated the following weekend on Channel 4.