Codemasters Founders Honored by Queen
Codemasters Founders Honored by Queen
June 18, 2008
The founders of UK developer Codemasters have been honored by Queen Elizabeth II.
As reported by the BBC, David and Richard Darling were named Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for their "services to the computer games industry".
The brothers founded the firm as teens in 1986 (see pic at left) and exited in 2007. Among Codemasters' best-known titles are the Colin McRae Rally and Sensible Soccer series, as well as Lord of the Rings Online. Rod Cousens, who now runs the company, praised the Darling brothers:
[They are] one of the video game industry's great British success stories... Their drive and passion for creating the best in interactive entertainment will always be part of the industry's heritage and this recognition is well deserved.
GP: Codemasters has a fascinating history. Their Wikipedia entry is definitely worth a read.
Thanks to: GP correspondent Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes.
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Posted 07/04/09 at 11:04pm
Leet Gamer Jargon: @AE: Wait, wait, wait: JT has a Twitter account?! Are you serious?
Leet Gamer Jargon: @AE: Wait, wait, wait: JT has a Twitter account?! Are you serious?
Posted 07/04/09 at 09:24pm
PHX Corp: For those that want to know what i watching it's called man vs cartoon(a.k.a fixing Wile E. coyote's Mistakes one trap at a time by EMERTEC)
PHX Corp: For those that want to know what i watching it's called man vs cartoon(a.k.a fixing Wile E. coyote's Mistakes one trap at a time by EMERTEC)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:20pm
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:18pm
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:58pm
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:57pm
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
I thought that the CBE designation was for non-British citizens only. Still, good job on their part.
Just curious, do you get anything for being knighted? A sword, perhaps?
Well you'd at least get the right to say "That's SIR to the likes of you, lowly peon!"
If nothing else, these guys are one of the reasons england was so highly respected back in the 8bit era
It's worth noting that Lord of the Rings Online is a Codemasters title in the same sense that Oblivion is an Ubisoft title--publication only, not development. LotRO is published by Codemasters in the UK, but it was developed by Turbine. In the US, it was published by Midway.
This is good news in a line of good news. First Grid has gotten good reviews and now this... Things are looking up for CodeMasters.
It's all about Micro-Machines and Dizzy tbh.
Not to mention Fruit Machine Simulator ;)
Pro BMX simulator was the best game they ever made. Well that or Operation Flashpoint, slightly different target audience...
Is this the subthread for the tape deck wrinklies, then? Let us show our respect for the Codies with a three and a half minute BWOOWEEOOOeeeeee fanfare.
Or sing the ZX Spectrum loading song...
NyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeDIP!
Nyeeeeeee...Diddleiddleiddleiddle!
Hmm.. When I think of 2 brothers working for Codemasters I immediately think of the Oliver Twins who wrote all the Dizzy games back in the day. Have to say I'm never heard of this pair.
Dennis:
Further to my thoughts on this, Sensible Soccer was written by Sensible Software, which to my recollection did Wizball, Wizkid, Cannon fodder and other such games on the Amiga. The front two for those games were Jon Hare and Chris something-or-other. These games were out ages before the company got sold, so probably not really fair to claim it as a Codemaster's title.
Goes to show if you can make bad games for 10+ eyars you will be knighted...i guess they still hand out darkknight awards....
I is fuzzy brained mew
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
(in need of a bad overhaul)
OMG! I love that picture! It's been ages since I've seen a Commodore 64.
-Loudspeaker
"Volume helps to get a point across but sharp teeth are better."
When I first saw the headline I thought that it was talking about the band Queen.
But I guess this is pretty okay too.
What a coincidence! I just recently managed to get a copy of one of the Dizzy games. Neat.
Dude, I thought they broke up years ago.
Oh. The Queen.
My hats go off to those two. They have made some of the best simulators I have ever played and one of them is OFP which is the best military game next to ArmA: Armed Assault I have ever played.
Rockstar Ate My Hamster, Micro Machines, and Cosmic Spacehead