Don Daglow to Receive Lifetime Achievement as GDCA Posthumously Honors Rebecca Ann Heineman

Overview

• Organizers named the two special honorees for the 26th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, confirming Don Daglow and the late Rebecca Ann Heineman as this year’s recipients.
• Daglow is recognized for a 55-year career spanning 100+ games and pioneering works including BASBAL (1971), Utopia (1981), and the graphical MMORPG Neverwinter Nights (1991–1997).
• Heineman (1963–2025) will receive the Ambassador Award posthumously for contributions to more than 250 titles, co-founding Interplay and Contraband Entertainment, and advocacy for the transgender community.
• The ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, March 12, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. PT at San Francisco’s Moscone Center during the GDC Festival of Gaming, which runs March 9–13.
• Recipients were selected by the GDCA Editorial Committee following suggestions from the International Choice Awards Network, and both the GDCA (Mar. 12) and IGF Awards (Mar. 11) will stream on GDC’s Twitch and YouTube channels.