Will Wright
Game developer
Class of 2020 Inductee
Will Wright is a video game designer and co-founder of the game development company Maxis, which later became part of Electronic Arts.
In April 2009, he left EA to run Stupid Fun Club Camp, an entertainment think tank in which Wright and EA are principal shareholders.
The first computer game Wright designed was Raid on Bungeling Bay in 1984, but it was SimCity that brought him to prominence
The game was published by Maxis, which Wright co-formed with Jeff Braun. Wright continued to innovate on the game’s central theme of simulation with numerous other titles including SimEarth and SimAnt.
Wright has earned many awards for his work in game design. He is best known for being the original designer of The Sims series, of which Maxis developed the first entry in 2000.
The game spawned multiple sequels, including The Sims 2, The Sims 3, The Sims 4 and their expansion packs.
EA published The Sims in February 2000 and it became Wright’s biggest success at the time.
It eventually surpassed Myst as the best-selling computer game of all time and spawned numerous expansion packs and spin-offs.
By November 2006, the Sims franchise had earned EA more than a billion dollars.
Wikipedia Link:
229 credits on 104 games on Mobygames
Accolades:
In 2007, he became the first game designer to receive the BAFTA Fellowship, which had previously only been presented to those in the film and television industries.