Sir Ian Livingstone has been given a Knighthood in recognition of his service to video games.
The legendary games innovator tops the list of tech sector figures featuring in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
Sir Ian is best-known as one of the founders of Games Workshop and Eidos – ‘the father of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft’ – and as the creator of the Fighting Fantasy series of adventure game novels.
Over the course of his career, Sir Ian has made innumerable contributions to the art and industry of video and role-playing games.
As a co-founding partner of Hiro Capital, three of his recent investments – Tonic Games (Fall Guys), Playdemic (Golfclash), and Sumo Digital – were acquired in 2021 at unicorn valuations. Hiro has made 20 early-stage games investments in the last two years.
“Simply put, it is a huge honor for me and great recognition for the UK games industry,” said Sir Ian. “The industry has come a long way since I founded my first startup and I believe more than ever in games and gameplay as a global force for good.”
Sir Ian also recently founded the Livingstone Academy, which opened its doors in September – an all-through school for ages four to eighteen that aims to give its students the tools they need to succeed as young creators in a digital world.
The other figures from the tech sector who were honoured by Queen Elizabeth II are below:
Jan Petrus du Plessis. Executive Chairman, BT Group. For services to Telecommunications and Business.
David James Richards. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, WANdisco and Co-Founder, The David and Jane Richards Family Foundation. For services to the Information Technology Sector and to Young People, particularly during Covid-19.
Jennifer Taylor. Leader, Early Professionals Programmes, IBM UK, and Chair, Digital and Technology Solutions Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship Trailblazer. For services to Education.
Professor Veronica Elizabeth Bowman. Statistics and Data Science Fellow, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. For services to Defence and the Covid-19 Response.
Obumneke Ndudirim Ekeke. For services to Computing and Artificial Intelligence Education, and to Championing Diversity and Inclusion in the Technology Sector.
Ezechi David Michael Britton. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Code Untapped. For services to Diversity and to Young People.
Dr Clive Hickman. Chief Executive Officer, The Manufacturing Technology Centre Ltd. For services to Engineering Manufacturing and Technology Development.
Susan Louise Smith. Lately Director, Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Accelerator Science and Technology Centre. For services to Science and Technology.
Howard Morgan Clarke. Research Director, Morgan Innovation and Technology. For services to Business and Entrepreneurship.
Susan Elizabeth Clarke. Managing Director, Morgan Innovation and Technology. For services to Business and Engineering.
Michael Brian Donegan. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, SpecialEffect. For services to Technology for the Disabled.
Michael Peter Howes-Roberts. For services to Government Technology, particularly during the Covid-19 Response.
Charlene Patricia Hunter. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Coding Black Females. For services to Technology and Diversity.
Annette Constance Joseph. Founder, Diverse and Equal. For services to Technology.