Joining fellow game industry luminaries Nolan Bushnell and Will Wright, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto will be awarded a prestigious BAFTA Fellowship.

The BAFTA Fellowship award recognizes excellence in film and television, but also in the entertainment industry at large. And even though he is the sole recipient of the award, Miyamoto deflected praise towards the larger teams that help him realize his often grand design ambitions. He humbly responded, "I am very grateful to be able to receive such an honorable award from the British Academy. Our video games cannot be created by one person; since Donkey Kong until the most recent New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I have been working closely with a number of friends for three decades in order to develop fun and enjoyable games. I would like to receive this honorable award on behalf of all of these dependable colleagues."

BAFTA chair David Parfitt sung the praises of the newest BAFTA fellow. Highlighting the historical significance of Miyamoto's achievements, he remarked, "The Fellowship is the highest accolade the Academy can bestow on an individual for their creative work and we are honored to have Miyamoto with us to accept his award. With previous honorees including Hitchcock, Kubrick and Pinter, it is only fitting that Miyamoto be recognized alongside these other pioneers for his groundbreaking work. He helped to develop an entire creative industry and is still a major force in its continuing success."

The BAFTA awards will be presented on Friday, March 19 at the Hilton Hotel in London.