What makes old Doug worthy of standing alongside Sony’s Ken Kutaragi and Nintendo of America founders Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa? Lowenstein founded the ESA, the industry’s most important and influential trade body, which helped establish video games as a respected cultural force. He helped lead the industry through rough times, combating the unconstitutional video game bills that the government considered following the wake of the Columbine school massacre. From the founding of the ESRB to the launch of E3, Lowenstein was there.

Plus, he’s rather humble.

“This Lifetime Achievement Award represents the greatest professional honour I have ever received and I am grateful beyond words to the AIAS,” said Lowenstein. “To be honoured for doing a job I loved, and fighting for values I deeply hold on behalf of an industry and people I felt privileged to represent, let alone to be in the company of Howard Lincoln, Minoru Arakawa, and Ken Kutaragi, is profoundly humbling.”

Lowenstein retired from his position as ESA president in 2006, but his contributions to the industry will be felt as long as we continue playing. Wise choice, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

OVERALL GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
The Orange Box

CONSOLE GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Mass Effect
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy

PC GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Crysis
Orange Box
WoW: Burning Crusade

MMO GAME OF THE YEAR
Eve Online
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Tabula Rasa
LotR Online
WoW: Burning Crusade

ACTION GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Crysis
Halo 3
The Orange Box

STRATEGY/SIM GAME OF THE YEAR
Ace Combat 6
C&C 3
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Supreme Commander
World in Conflict

SPORTS GAME OF THE YEAR
FIFA 08
MLB 07: The Show
NBA 2K8
NHL 08
Skate

ADVENTURE GAME OF THE YEAR
Assassin’s Creed
God of War II
Ratchet & Clank Future
Super Mario Galaxy
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

OUTSTANDING INNOVATION IN GAMING
Assassin’s Creed
BioShock
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
The Orange Box

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GAME DESIGN
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
Portal

RACING GAME OF THE YEAR
DiRT
Forza Motorsport 2
MotorStorm
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Project Gotham Racing 4

ROLE-PLAYING GAME OF THE YEAR
Eternal Sonata
Jeanne d’Arc
Mass Effect
Rogue Galaxy
The Witcher

MOBILE GAME OF THE YEAR
Diner Dash 2
Prey
SimCity Societies
Skate

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND DESIGN
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Skate
GRAW 2

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDTRACK
BioShock
Guitar Hero III
Rock Band
SingStar Pop
Skate

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION
BioShock
God of War II
Heavenly Sword
Lair
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

DOWNLOADABLE GAME OF THE YEAR
Azada
Build-a-Lot
flow
Peggle
Puzzle Quest

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ONLINE GAMEPLAY
Call of Duty 4
Forza 2
Halo 3
Rock Band
World in Conflict

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GAMEPLAY ENGINEERING
Assassin’s Creed
Rock Band
Super Mario Galaxy
Phantom Hourglass
Portal

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN STORY DEVELOPMENT
BioShock
Drawn to Life
Mass Effect
The Darkness
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER PERFORMANCE
BioShock
Heavenly Sword
Mass Effect
Portal
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL ENGINEERING
Assassin’s Creed
Call of Duty 4
Crysis
Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Assassin’s Creed
BioShock
Call of Duty 4
Heavenly Sword
Team Fortress 2

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION
Assassin’s Creed
Call of Duty 4
Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Team Fortress 2

FAMILY GAME OF THE YEAR
Guitar Hero III
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rock Band
Scene It?
WarioWare: Smooth Moves

HANDHELD GAME OF THE YEAR
Drawn To Life
Jeanne d’Arc
Puzzle Quest
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Phantom Hourglass

“This is a great honor, and I’m proud to receive it,” said Morhaime. “The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement.”

Morhaime is in excellent company, as previous inductees include Will Wright, John Carmack, Sega’s Yu Suzuki, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Danielle Bunten Berry. BioWare CEO Dr. Ray Muzka will present the honour at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards on February 7th.

MMOG PIONEER MIKE MORHAIME INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME OF THE ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES

Blizzard Entertainment(R) Cofounder and CEO Honored for Expanding the Scope and Success of the Interactive Entertainment Industry

CALABASAS, Calif. – December 12, 2008 – The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) proudly announced today that Mike Morhaime, the president, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment(R), will be the eleventh visionary member inducted into its prestigious Hall of Fame. As one of the organization’s highest honors, candidates are annually voted on by the Academy’s illustrious Board of Directors. Induction into the Hall of Fame is bestowed upon individuals who’ve contributed to a significant advancement within the industry, while demonstrating proven success and leadership.

As the eleventh inductee, Morhaime will be honored for his efforts and contributions to the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) space through Blizzard Entertainment’s spectacularly popular World of Warcraft(R), as well as the tremendous success of the company’s Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R) and Diablo(R) series. In particular, World of Warcraft has cemented Morhaime’s influence and impact on the multi-billion dollar interactive entertainment industry; it is the world’s largest online game, with more than 9.3 million subscribers. Morhaime and Blizzard Entertainment are recognised for creating an MMOG that expanded the traditionally hardcore audience of the genre to also include the broader casual-gaming audience.

“This is a great honor, and I’m proud to receive it,” said Morhaime. “The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement.”

Morhaime will join an elite group of 10 other interactive entertainment industry luminaries in the AIAS Hall of Fame: Trip Hawkins (Electronic Arts), Peter Molyneux (Lionhead Studios), Yu Suzuki (Sega of America), Will Wright (Maxis), John Carmack (id Software), Hironobu Sakaguchi (Square Enix), Sid Meier (Firaxis Games), Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo), Richard Garriott (Origin Systems), and Dan Bunten – known later in life as Danielle Bunten Berry (Ozark Softscape).

AIAS Hall of Fame Announcement Page 2

At this year’s 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards(R), taking place on February 7, 2008 at Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Morhaime will be presented the honour by Dr. Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare Corp. In addition, Morhaime is also part of the dynamic speaker line-up during the upcoming D.I.C.E Summit(R) taking place in conjunction with the Awards.