ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES (AIAS) NAMES SEGA’s YU SUZUKI WINNER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS HALL OF FAME AWARD
LOS ANGELES, CA – January 7, 2003 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences today announced that SEGA®’s Yu Suzuki will receive its coveted Hall of Fame award. The award will be presented as part of the Interactive Achievement Awards at the 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain), at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, February 27, 2003.
“Yu Suzuki joins an impressive roster of game creators who have won this award for their leadership and innovation,” said Paul Provenzano, President of AIAS. “He has not only created some of the best video games in the world, but he has also helped enhance awareness and appreciation of this interactive art form.”
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“I am greatly honoured to receive the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Award,” said Yu Suzuki, executive officer and leading video game developer, SEGA Corporation. “I am pleased to be highly commended by the AIAS as a Hall of Fame Inductees along with many industry visionaries.”
Mr. Suzuki will receive the award from the 2002 winner, Will Wright of Maxis (SimCity, The Sims, The Sims Online). Other past winners include 2001’s winner John Carmack (DOOM, Quake); 2000’s winner Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy); 1999’s winner Sid Meier (Civilization, Railroad Tycoon); and 1998’s winner Shigeru Miyamoto (Pikman, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, Mario).
Mr. Suzuki is widely recognized as one of the forefathers of console video gaming. He is best known for his many industry firsts and genre breaking games including “Outrun™,” “Space Harrier™,” “Shenmue™,” and the “Virtua Fighter™” series. The “Virtua Fighter” series is recognized for its contributions in the fields of Art & Entertainment and is the only video game on permanent display in the Smithsonian Institution’s Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation, at the Smithsonian’s Natural Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
The standards for consideration of a Hall of Fame Award are very high. Criteria considered by the Academy Board include: pioneering a new genre or redefining an existing genre with a significant advance (i.e. changing the face of the art form); influencing other designers and products; demonstrating the highest level of creativity and innovation which results in ongoing cultural significance and influence; and consistent product success of a scale that expands the scope of the industry.
In addition to receiving the Hall of Fame Award, Mr. Suzuki will participate in a workshop at the 2003 D.I.C.E. Summit with fellow Hall of Fame winner, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. “An Audience with the Masters” is a rare opportunity for attendees to pose questions directly to game design masters.
The Academy will present Interactive Achievement Awards in 30 craft, console, computer, and online categories. Aside
from the Hall of Fame Award, highlights include an overall Game of the Year as Innovation in Gaming.
About the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences
Located in Los Angeles, CA, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is an official professional academy of the $7+billion interactive entertainment software industry. AIAS is supported by the industry’s leading companies and counts among its board of directors representatives from Activision, Bioware Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Ensemble Studios, Infogrames, Insomniac Games, Interactive Digital Software Association, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Oddworld Inhabitants, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sierra Entertainment, and Carnegie Mellon University.
For more information about the Interactive Achievement Awards, AIAS, or to register for the D.I.C.E. Summit, visit the Web site at
www.interactive.org, or
www.dicesummit.com.
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