The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) announced today that Bruce Shelley will be the 12th video game pioneer to be inducted into its Hall of Fame. Shelley will be honored at the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which once again will be hosted by actor and comedian Jay Mohr. The awards show, set to take place on Thursday, February 18, 2009 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, is part of the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit.

Shelley, one of the founders of Ensemble Studios (which will be closed by Microsoft after Halo Wars is finished), is going into the Hall of Fame for "significant advancement within the industry while demonstrating proven success and leadership."

Shelley has been an avid collector of board games his entire life, and after joining Microprose in 1988 he assisted Sid Meier in creating franchises such as Civilization and Railroad Tycoon. Later on, while at Ensemble, he created another classic series with the Age of Empires strategy games. The franchise has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

Ensemble Studios founder Tony Goodman will present Shelley with the award. Goodman commented, "Bruce has always been at the center of the gaming universe. He sprang onto the scene at Avalon Hill and SPI designing board games that would become the models for modern videogames. He was a central figure at Microprose working on one of the most defining products of the industry's early years, and he was the Godfather of Ensemble Studios presiding over Age of Empires, which is one of the most influential franchises of today's mature videogame industry."

Shelley said, "I am deeply honored to receive this award. I believe it also honors my colleagues over the years at Microprose and especially Ensemble Studios, from whom I have learned so much. I am very grateful for the opportunities that have come my way and hope that in return I have given something back to this great industry."

Previous inductees include such luminaries as Will Wright, Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garriott, and John Carmack, among others.