Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announces Richard "Lord British" Garriott is their latest Hall of Fame honoree:

CALABASAS, CA - November 8, 2005 - The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) announced that computer games pioneer Richard Garriott will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame. Annually voted on by the Academy's Board of Directors, this honor is awarded to individuals whose efforts and contributions have expanded the scope and success of the computer games industry. As the ninth member of the Hall, Garriott joins an already impressive fraternity of gaming icons, including Trip Hawkins, Peter Molyneux, Yu Suzuki, Will Wright, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sid Meier and Shigeru Miyamoto.

"Richard Garriott has inspired countless game designers over the past 20 years and his influence can be seen in many of today's most popular games," said Ted Price, president, Insomniac Games. "He has become an icon inside and out of the games industry; because of his accomplishments and leadership within the field of interactive entertainment, Garriott deserves to be a member of the AIAS Hall of Fame."

Garriott is best known for creating and publishing the best-selling Ultima series, including the first commercially successful online game, Ultima Online.