BAFTA has given a special award to Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite and Gears of War, among other franchises. The company was given the award in a ceremony in LA, the host city of E3 2019, for its "impact on the global games industry."

As well as developing Fortnite and the first four Gears of War titles, Epic also counts among its achievements the Unreal Tournament series and the industry standard development tool Unreal Engine. More recently, the company opened its own storefront as a rival to Steam. It also announced in March that it's created a $100 million fund for developers that was made possible thanks to the success of Fortnite.

"We are delighted to honor Epic Games with a BAFTA special award," said BAFTA Games committee chair Dr Jo Twist, OBE. "Their impact on the global games industry and its evolution has been extraordinary and we are pleased to be recognizing that this evening. Epic Games have empowered and supported creativity in the industry for over 20 years and they continue to innovate on established industry practice and champion the creative community."

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said: "The team has worked so hard to make these things reality and create art and be recognized for it. I hope this is just the beginning of the quest. We're trying to create a whole new world around digital entertainment and I think we’re just at the beginning of it."

This is not the first award BAFTA has handed to Epic--Fortnite won the Evolving Game category at this year's Game BAFTAs. The battle royale title has gone on to become one of the most successful games ever made, with over 250 million registered players. Epic continues to evolve the game, with its latest patch adding a proximity grenade launcher and a Horde Rush mode.

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