This year’s Game Dev Hero Awards will be honoring Mike Simpson for “Outstanding Contribution” to game development.

The Creative Director at Creative Assembly and the “Father of Total War” will be honored at a ceremony on July 10th, along with awards for programming, design, and production.

Their rundown of Simpson’s accolades, his life, and comments from Simpson himself can be found below:

The Game Dev Heroes team has bestowed its special Outstanding Contribution award to Mike in light of his longevity in the industry and a commitment to quality seen across the 70 titles he has worked on since 1985 – 11 of his games have been BAFTA nominated, with three winning.

For the last 17 years Mike has been the creative force behind Total War, now the most successful PC games franchise of all time, helping to take Creative Assembly from five to 500 employees as it grew from indie developer to publisher-owned super-studio. Mike has a vast knowledge of the industry, which he uses to support BAFTA, sitting on their Committee.

Mike Simpson, Creative Director at Creative Assembly, said: “I’ve been making games for over three decades now and the time has flown so fast. I can’t describe how satisfying it is to have worked at Creative Assembly on one of the most successful PC games series of all time. I’m so lucky to get paid for doing what I love, and to have worked alongside so many like-minded people, unsung heroes one and all. We all just love making games, and if they turn out great, all the better. Thank you to everyone who I’ve worked with over the years, to the many who have made Total War such a success, and of course, for this award.”

Alex Boucher, Founder at Game Dev Heroes, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to announce Mike Simpson as the first recipient of the Game Dev Heroes Outstanding Contribution Award. The judging panel was unanimous in its decision, which reinforces the esteem in which the industry holds the ‘Father of Total War’. We can’t wait to unveil the full list of winners on July 10th!”