Epic's Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein to receive the Development Legend award 

Epic Games founder, CEO and technical director Tim Sweeney and co-founder and vice president Mark Rein will each receive the Development Legend award and inducted into Develop magazine’s hall of fame in Brighton, England on July 10.

This is the first time the award will be presented to figures from the international games development scene, and acknowledges the duo’s success in game development and pioneering Unreal Engine technology.

“I've always been a huge fan and supporter of the British game industry, so it is truly a special honor for me to be able to accept this recognition, along with Tim, on behalf of everyone at Epic who has worked tirelessly over the years to delight British gaming enthusiasts and to empower British game developers with the Unreal Engine,” said Rein. “We look forward to continuing to do this, and we thank you sincerely for this kind reward.”

“I owe much gratitude to Develop and to all of the gamers and developers who have supported Epic Games, and Mark and I personally, throughout our company's 22-year history. This is awesome," added Sweeney.

The Develop Industry Excellence Awards are now in their eleventh year, and reward the creative and commercial endeavors of games developers across Europe. Key accolades acknowledging successes in fields like Visual Arts, new IP creation, business development and technical innovation are handed out at an event attended by over 500 games industry execs

“As this current generation of games consoles closes and as interactive content continues to spread across mobile, web and away from the TV, it is the right time to present our prestigious Legend honor to those who have helped define these changes,” said Michael French, editor-in-chief of Develop in the press release. “The Unreal Engine has supported games of all sizes from around the world, from modern blockbusters to mobile innovations.

“Epic Games’ leaders Tim and Mark have helped this company excel in terms of coding genius and commercial smarts, both as a partner to many in the business and an impressive studio network in its own right. Develop looks forward to presenting this honor to Tim and Mark on July 10."

Congratulations to both.