The French Ministry of Culture has honored prominent game designer Peter Molyneux by bestowing him with knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters in a ceremony held March 12. Minister of Culture Renard Donnedieu de Vabres presented Molyneux with the award in the Ministry building in Paris.
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) is an Order of France and its purpose is the recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields. Up to 200 knights in the Order may be named per year, with fewer receiving the Officer and highest Commander rank. French recipients must be at least 30 years old, but no age restriction applies to foreign inductees.
With his induction, Molyneux joins other recently inducted game industry luminaries Michel Ancel, Frederick Raynal, and Shigeru Miyamoto. Some notable non-French knights in the Order, which does not allow the honoree to add a 'Sir' in front of their name, as an English knighthood does, include David Bowie, William Faulkner, and Allen Ginsberg.
“I am extremely proud to have received this honour and would like to thank the French Ministry of Culture for this recognition,” commented Molyneux upon receiving his medallion. “I would also like to say that I see this as a credit for everyone at Lionhead Studios, all our games are a team effort. I am just the figurehead. It is fantastic to see video games honoured in this way.”
