Gabe Newell is a popular man these days. The Valve co-founder was recently inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, and will now be honored by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) with the Academy Fellowship at this year’s British Academy Games Awards ceremony on March 5.

"It is an honor for myself and everyone at Valve to be presented such an award by one of the world’s most respected and recognized organizations,” says Newell. “Valve owes a tremendous thanks to many in the UK – to those who have played our games, to the great support of the UK press, and to UK-based creative contributors such as Garry Newman. I look forward to accepting this prestigious honor on behalf of everyone in our community."

The Fellowship is awarded annually to an individual recognized for their contribution to the video game medium. Newell and Valve are known for the Half-Life series, as well as the Steam digital-distribution platform.

"Gabe's contribution to the industry is unique, and he is very different to many others that BAFTA could recognize,” Harvey Elliott, chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, wrote on the BAFTA website. “As well as enjoying great critical and commercial success with phenomenally popular franchises such as Portal and Half-Life, his work in giving back to the games industry through developing and showcasing other games makers has been outstanding. He is an inspirational developer and truly deserving of our Fellow recognition."

Valve has received BAFTA awards in the past for best multiplayer in 2009 and 2010 for both Left 4 Dead games, and awards for best game, story, and design for Portal 2 in 2012. Other games Fellows include Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Will Wright. A full nominee list for this year's ceremony can be found here.

The ceremony will be streamed live on Twitch.

[Source: BAFTA]