The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will grant Rockstar Games, the makers of Grand Theft Auto, a Fellowship award at the 2014 Games Awards Ceremony. 

BAFTA calls the award the highest accolade it bestows on a contribution to film, television, or games.

"From design and mechanics, through to storytelling, cinematics and audio immersion, and in the process creating games that compete so profoundly on a global stage across all entertainment media. Rockstar, this Fellowship is wholly deserved," Harvey Elliott, chair of BAFTA’s games committee, said. 

Rockstar Games has seen tremendous success with its Grand Theft Auto V title, earning the spot as the top-selling video game of 2013 with 32.5 million units sold. The game is said to have cost Rockstar Games $266 million to make, which was returned to the company in a matter of hours after it first went on sale in September 2013.

BAFTA calls the Grand Theft Auto series groundbreaking, alongside other Rockstar games including LA Noire, Manhunt, Bully and Red Dead Redemption. All are said to cement Rockstar Games’ reputation "for creating intricately layered interactive worlds that have kept the company at the forefront of the gaming industry for over a decade, both critically and commercially."

“We have long believed in the potential for videogames to become a new form of cultural expression and worked to show that in our games, so for us accepting the BAFTA Fellowship is incredibly humbling,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “This honour reflects the creative vision and dedication of a huge number of people over many years, and we look forward to accepting the Fellowship on their behalf.”

BAFTA will present Rockstar Games with the award at the ceremony on 12 March. Grand Theft Auto V is also nominated for Best Game and Game Innovation at the ceremony.