GDC Awards 2026 to recognise Don Daglow and Rebecca Heineman

Organisers of the Game Developers Choice Awards have revealed the recipients for this year’s Lifetime Achievement and Ambassador accolades.

Games industry veteran Don Daglow will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Interplay Productions co-founder Rebecca Heineman will be honoured with the Ambassador Award posthumously.

Daglow has worked in games for over five decades, starting as one of the five original Intellivision game programmers at Mattel.

He has designed, programmed, and produced over 100 games and is credited with several industry innovations. Daglow founded Stormfront Studios in 1988 as Beyond Software.

Heineman, who passed away last year, worked in games for 45 years and contributed to over 250 titles including The Bard’s Tale 3, Dragon Wars, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom (3DO).

She founded Contraband Entertainment in 1999, which worked on titles such as Myth 3, Baldur’s Gate 2, and Icewind Dale. Heineman also led programming projects for Electronic Arts, Amazon, and Sony.

The Ambassador Award “spotlights key individuals who help video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action.” Heineman was known for her advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community and for highlighting the importance of accessibility and diversity.

“Honouring the creators who shaped this industry is one of the great privileges of hosting the Game Developers Choice Awards,” said GDC president Nina Brown.

“Don Daglow and Rebecca Heineman helped define what games could become, and their innovations continue to influence how developers create today. As GDC Festival of Gaming transforms alongside a rapidly changing industry, their legacy reminds us that creativity, conviction, and bold experimentation are what move this medium forward.”

Last year, Remedy creative director Sam Lake received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Pioneer Award was given to independent game designer Lucas Pope.

Nominations for the 26th annual GDC awards ceremony were announced in January, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 receiving eight nominations across nine categories, including Game of the Year.

The award ceremony takes place on March 12 during the GDC Festival of Gaming in San Francisco