SAN FRANCISCO — Deus Ex game director and producer, and Disney Epic Mickey creator Warren Spector will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (www.gamechoiceawards.com) for his contributions to the art and science of games. The Game Developers Choice Awards are peer-based video game industry awards celebrating the industry's top games and developers.
Spector’s career spans more than 30 years. His work on Deus Ex took place while he was serving as a partner at development company Ion Storm and running their Austin-based office. Upon its release in 2000, Deus Ex received wide critical and industry acclaim, and in 2009 was named “Best PC Game of All Time” among a list of 100 other titles in PC Gamer magazine. In 2004 he left Ion Storm and the following year established Austin-based video game development firm Junction Point. Junction Point was acquired by Disney Interactive Studios in 2007. Immediately following, Spector began leading the design of Disney Epic Mickey, which released in 2010 and marked his first title as part of Disney Interactive Studios. The game featured Spector’s style of choice and consequence gaming, which he refers to as “Playstyle Matters,” and was praised for its unique storyline, charming art design and tribute it paid to 80 years of rich Disney history.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the craft of game development and games as a whole. Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement are chosen by the Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee. The 12th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Ceremony is produced in association with the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and will take place on Wednesday, March 7, at 6:30 pm, at the San Francisco Moscone Center.