While Geoff Keighley likes to consider VGX (né the Spike TV Video Game Awards) the Oscars of the video game industry, they’re regarded as nearly the farthest thing from. The properly prestigious video game awards are the BAFTAs awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or their equivalent to the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences.

At this year’s BAFTA game awards, Rockstar Games will be given the highest honour of the BAFTAs by being awarded a BAFTA Fellowship.

Rockstar isn’t the first gaming recipient of a BAFTA Fellowship. Gaming luminaries Gabe Newell and Peter Molyneux are previous Fellowship recipients.

In a statement, chairman of Bafta’s Games Committee, Harvey Elliott, said,

“The creativity and passion exhibited by the Rockstar teams have inspired a generation of game developers to raise the bar in every aspect of game development.

From design and mechanics, through to storytelling, cinematics and audio immersion, and in the process creating games that compete so profoundly on a global stage across all entertainment media.”

In addition to the Fellowship award for Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V is up for nine BAFTAs, including Best Game, Best British Game, Game Design and Game Innovation.

Sources: BBC, BAFTA