Game developer David Cage will receive the highest decoration in France next month when he is awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honor for his contribution to the country's video game industry, French newspaper Le Figaro reports.
The entry class into the Legion of Honor requires a minimum of 20 years of public service or 25 years of professional activity, along with "eminent merits." Cage, who started his game development career in the early 1990s before founding Quantic Dream in 1997, will be the first game developer to receive the award. He is best known for his work on Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in North America), Heavy Rain and, most recently, Beyond: Two Souls.
This is not the first time the French government has recognized game developers for their contributions to industry and the arts. In 2006, developers Shigeru Miyamoto, Michel Ancel and Frédérick Raynal were awarded a different decoration under the Ministry of Culture: The Order of Arts and Letters.