Valve boss to receive UK award for his "outstanding and exceptional contribution to games."

Valve's Gabe Newell will be the recipient of this year's BAFTA Fellowship award.

"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 recognised organisations," said Newell.

Newell is one of the most prolific figures in gaming today, establishing Valve in 1996 after breaking away from a career at Microsoft which started in 1983. Valve's output includes Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike. The developer is also behind digital distribution service Steam and is currently working on Dota 2.

After being informed of the latest trophy which will soon adorn Valve's well-stocked cabinet, Newell thanked his UK fans and saw fit to name-drop Garry Newman, the creator of Source engine playground Garry's Mod.

"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."

"Awarded annually by BAFTA, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to games," said BAFTA.

Newell will join the BAFTA Fellowship ranks alongside previous recipients Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto, Nolan Bushnell, and Will Wright.

The BAFTA awards take place on March 5, and you can check out a full list of nominees here.

The awards ceremony will be live-streamed on Twitch.

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