Video game pioneer Shuhei Yoshida to be awarded prestigious Bafta Fellowship

Video game industry pioneer Shuhei Yoshida will be honored with a prestigious fellowship at the BAFTA Games Awards, it has been announced.

– Advertisement –

Mr. Yoshida, head of the Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Granthshala Developer Initiative, will be honored at the March 30 event.

The award recognizes outstanding contribution to sport, and is BAFTA’s highest award for positive change in the screen arts.

BAFTA said Mr Yoshida’s fellowship recognizes him as a “champion of independent developers”.

Mr. Yoshida joined the PlayStation Project in 1993, promoting innovative game design and the role of independent developers and helping launch one of the most popular gaming consoles in the world.

He later became president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment), and oversaw the company’s growth from a hardware and software developer into a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment.

As head of SIE from 2008 to 2019, Mr. Yoshida was among those responsible for producing some of the industry’s most popular franchises.

Titles include Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, God of War and The Last of Us, which was recently adapted into a successful HBO series.

“Throughout my career, I have been privileged to work with incredibly talented teams who have developed some of the best games in the industry,” said Mr. Yoshida.

“I’ve always celebrated with these developers as their games receive well-deserved awards – it’s an amazing honor for me to receive one.”

As a recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship, Mr Yoshida joins other titans of the creative industry including Dame Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Martin Scorsese and Dame Helen Mirren.

BAFTA Chief Executive Jane Millicip said: “Shuhei Yoshida is a leader in the world of sports and is extremely deserving of the BAFTA Fellowship.

“Their collaborative, supportive approach continues to drive progress within the industry, using their platform to promote the voices and craft of others and the work of independent designers, studios and creatives.

“We look forward to honoring his contribution to sports at the ceremony on 30 March.”

Mr Yoshida will be presented with the award at the 19th Annual BAFTA Games Awards to be held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s South Bank on 30 March.

Hosted by esports and gaming presenter Frankie Ward, the event will be livestreamed exclusively on Twitch.tv/BAFTA from 6.50pm ET.