Queen's New Year list honours Brit devs

By Phil Elliott Published 4 January, 2010

Codemasters and Sports Interactive win.

Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in this year's New Year's Honours list. It follows the same title being bestowed on the company's founders, Richard and David Darling, in 2008.

Oliver and Paul Collyer, the brothers which co-founded the now SEGA-owned Sports Interactive were also named in the list and receive MBEs (Member of the British Empire).

Meanwhile former ELSPA director general Paul Jackson has received an OBE - with all four cited for "services to the computer games industry".

The nominations continue the recent tradition for key UK industry figures being recognised for their work, with other names in previous years including Eidos life president Ian Livingstone, who was awarded an OBE in 2006.

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Comments (21) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • gribb #1 2 years ago

    Great to see the Collyer brothers getting recognition

  • Ninja_Tino #2 2 years ago

    It's all that time she spends on her golden Wii.

  • penhalion #3 2 years ago

    Is it just me or have OBEs and CBEs become meaningless.

  • Murton #4 2 years ago

    More honours to industry figureheads from the UK is definitely a good thing, though it pales in comparison to the tax cuts and other support offered abroad. The games companies in the UK are really having a hard time maintaining their competitive edge over the competition because the uneven playing field created by governments that have realised where the games industry is heading.

    Good to see Rod Cousens on the list too, he's done a lot for Codemasters who in turn have done a lot for the industry, Dizzy will always be remembered as the first proper games character I came across and I shall forever be a fan of the Yolk Folk and Codemasters because of it.

  • cianchristopher #5 2 years ago

    I guess the Queen loved what Codies did with the Operation Flashpoint license....

  • Quickstick4 #6 2 years ago

    @Murton completly agree

    @penhalion depends what you mean, the awards are still coveted because of the amount of work and the sheer amount of people who have to back a nomination. For example if I wanted to put you forward for an MBE in games for instance, I would need atleast 50+ letters from standing memebers of the comunity (as in Profesors at university, other high powered industry people, experts in the feild) backing this claim.
    So you can call them meaningless from the stand point of "There given out every year" or you can argue its still a big thing to get one. I think it is!

  • frycrayola #7 2 years ago

    Were OBEs and CBEs ever not meaningless? They're not gonna land you a hot date with Queenie.


    ... or are they?!?

  • penhalion #8 2 years ago

    @Quickstick4

    Sorry mate I meant meaningless from the standpoint that I expected them to be given out to people who save us from terrorists or a person going to mars to further mankind. Basically to people who's achievements will be inspiring to our nation for centuries and not to some guys who made a racing game or created an egg shaped character a long time ago.

    I know they employ a lot of people and contribute to the games industry in this country but, so do a heck of a lot of other people. As for the fifty nominations. I thought the list was "suggested" by people in business these days and had zero actual input from the queen herself.

  • Murton #9 2 years ago

    I'd say these industry figureheads have contributed enough in terms of culture to qualify before you take into account their economic contributions. The only honour title that springs to mind that is totally undeserved is Sir Alex Ferguson's knighthood.

    But yeah, I'd fully expect a British man who foils a terror plot, rights an injustice or walks on Mars to be honoured as that's the sort of stuff we have Knighthoods and Empire honours for.

  • ignatiusjreilly #10 2 years ago

    @Murton

    Huh? I think Ferguson has contributed more to the culture and economic health of Britain than the head of ELSPA.

  • Quickstick4 #11 2 years ago

    @penhalion ah got what you mean ;-)

    Your right that the queen doesn't have any input anymore

    What I meant was that: Anyone can be nominated by anyone for an OBE/MBE/CBE, but that nomination needs to be backed by lots of people, and I belive these days its the prime ministers office who deal with the nominations

  • JensonJet #12 2 years ago

    I'd like to know exactly why anyone would suggest Codemasters. As pointed out above, if such an antiquated and pointless scheme need exist it should be for outstanding work or advances for the country and the human race. I'm now waiting for a dustman to get recognition for services to rubbish removal. Or a postman for outstanding delivery of letters. Mind you the Queen costs the country enough, it's good to see her do something, even if it is utterly meaningless. I forget how lucky we are to have so much money floating around in this country we can pay a little old woman and her family to live as they do. What else would we do with the money, waste it on education or the national health system.

  • BabyJesus #13 2 years ago

    Good on the Collyers

  • FireMonkey #14 2 years ago

    @Murton - Dizzy was actually created and developed by the Oliver Twins (who went on to form BlitzGames). The games were just published by Codemasters as the Olivers were just Kids at the time..

  • Murton #15 2 years ago

    Ferguson contributed to culture? Sorry but I don't perceive football as culture, at least not on the same level as the creative arts: literature, music, movies and video games. I also don't think Ferguson and Man Utd should be hailed as examples in football or sport either given their behaviour a lot of the time.

    JensonJett: that used to happen a long time, you'd get lollypop men and cleaners getting MBEs for their work. Sadly the honours system has become twisted into yet another example of Britains obsession with celebrity rather than keeping with its original purpose, though I believe the four men mentioned above are truly deserving for their creative works.

    FireMonkey: thanks for the history lesson. I was about 5 years old when I "met" Dizzy and remember the Codemasters logo on the box, always figured it was an internal job but I stand corrected.

  • ignatiusjreilly #16 2 years ago

    Sorry but I don't perceive football as culture

    Well, I find that point of view pretty difficult to understand.

    But it was only an aside anyway, doesn't matter. The whole 'honour' system doesn't sit particularly well with me to be honest.

  • bloke #17 2 years ago

    Rod ("The God" as he is sometimes called) - has been a mover and shaker in the Biz since - well - more or less before there was a Biz. But less well known outside the industry is his work in getting the same Biz to cough up money for charity either via some of the early charity compilations, or via the early days of the InDin, which since the dawn of Man has been the annual UK Biz booze-up. At 300UKP a ticket, it raises quite a tidy sum. It's all added up to a lot of cash over the years - so good on him.

    Good on the Colliers too - great to see creators of original UK IP getting gongs on a regular basis now.
    Edited by 1 at 04/01/10 @ 14:41

  • RobotRocker #18 2 years ago

    Glad to see awards go to Paul "Unless you are buying new from retail YOU ARE SUPPORTING PEDOPHILES" Jackson. Well done ELSPA, you are the boot that stamps on the gamers face forever.

    But less well known outside the industry is his work in getting the same Biz to cough up money for charity either via some of the early charity compilations, or via the early days of the InDin, which since the dawn of Man has been the annual UK Biz booze-up. At 300UKP a ticket, it raises quite a tidy sum. It's all added up to a lot of cash over the years - so good on him.

    You mean the same InDin where in 1998, publishers and ELSPA quite blatantly took £100,000 worth of donations to fund an anti-piracy campaign instead of the charities for sick children it was supposed to go to? Good lord get those people a knighthood right now!

  • Moribundman #19 2 years ago

    @Penhalion, I think a trip down Whitehall via Trafalgar Square any day you fancy would suggest that most of the people who USED to get knighted/honoured were the guys going round enforcing at the British Empire's behest. Many genuinely great heroes but also a bunch of generals who wouldn't really seemvery PC these days. Using this sort of medal to honour cultural/business achievement and military medals to honour guys who fought and/or for the country seems respectful and fair to me.

  • Moribundman #20 2 years ago

    FFS Jimmy Saville has an OBE. Yes he does a lot for charity, but aside from the moral side of things, is fund raising more important thanlong term service boosting our economy in this day and age?

  • Cherub007 #21 2 years ago

    @ Murton

    Football isn't culture? OK. It's the most passionately supported and loved sport on the entire planet, capable of inspiring vast extremes of emotion and showcasing jaw-dropping moments of athletic expertise and artistry appreciated by literally billions of people. As the single driving force for more than two decades behind one of the most successful institutions in this global game, I think Alex Ferguson deserves a wee bit of respect (not least because he would actually be quite happy to acknowledge the bloated importance allotted worldwide to what he called in his autobiography "this stupid game";).