Media Molecule Studio Director Siobhan Reddy Receives Major Award From BAFTA
The nominees for the 2021 BAFTA Games Awards have recently been announced, and the list includes some pretty exciting news for UK-based Media Molecule Studio. The studio's director will be the latest recipient of the highest honor conferred by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which is designed to recognize individuals who make major creative contributions to their field. This lifetime achievement award was first established in 1971, with filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock as its first honoree. The honor was expanded to include individuals in the games field in 2007.
Siobhan Reddy, who has served as the director of Media Molecule Studio since 2009, will receive the BAFTA Fellowship during this week's BAFTA Games Awards. According to a statement from BAFTA, Reddy was chosen due to her "pioneering work on advocacy for diversity, inclusion and creative and collaborative working culture."
Media Molecule Studios was founded in 2006 in Guildford, Surrey, England. Since then, they have published a number of games including the LittleBigPlanet series, Tearaway and Tearaway Unfolded, and Dreams. Reddy has worked for Media Molecule since its founding. The studio's team took to Twitter to congratulate Reddy on her achievement.
The LittleBigPlanet series, which consists of three main entries and a number of spinoff titles, has received praise for its clever puzzles, emphasis on user-generated content, and adorable mascot character Sackboy. A 3D platformer spinoff, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, was released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2020. However, it was developed by Sumo Digital and Sony Interactive Entertainment rather than Media Molecule.
Media Molecule's latest title, Dreams, expands on the concept of "user-generated content" by allowing players to create fully realized games, models, and assets. It received positive reviews and won a number of awards for Gameplay Innovation and Most Original Game. Dreams recently celebrated its first anniversary. Media Molecule remains actively engaged with the community, hosting in-game awards ceremonies and other events showcasing players' creative output.
Reddy released a statement thanking BAFTA for choosing her for this honor. "I have been privileged throughout my life and career with incredible support and encouragement," Reddy said, "I sincerely hope that my story, voice and support can be useful to others within the games industry. There is still so much to do, the Fellowship provides further motivation for me, and is real encouragement for all of us to care even more about inclusivity, diversity and building a work culture that celebrates creativity."
Siobhan Reddy's position as a BAFTA winner means she's joining games industry luminaries including Peter Molyneux, Tim Schafer, and 2020 recipient Hideo Kojima as a BAFTA Fellowship honoree.
The 2021 BAFTA Games Awards will take place on March 25. As with other game awards ceremonies honoring titles released in 2020, The Last of Us 2, which recently shot up the UK sales charts, received the highest amount of nominations with 13. Other titles with multiple nominations include Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and the previously mentioned Sackboy: A Big Adventure.
Source: BAFTA
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