The GDC Festival of Gaming organizers have announced the two recipients of the special achievement awards that are handed out annually at the Game Developers Choice Awards. This year the event is recognizing the achievements of two pioneering programmers: Don Daglow and Rebecca Ann Heineman.

Daglow will receive the lifetime achievement award in honor of his work on games like 1971's BASBAL, 1976's Dungeon, and the 1991 massively multiplayer online role-playing game Neverwinter Nights, among many, many other titles.

Heineman (who passed away in late 2025), will be honored posthumously for her "trailblazing" career, which saw her working on games like The Bard's Tale III, the 3DO version of Doom, Myth III, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale (she also cofounded two celebrated game studios: Interpaly Productions and Contraband Entertainment).

Heineman is also being recognized for her role as a prominent advocate for the transgender community. In the announcement, the organizers stated that her contributions and commitment to representation "cemented her legacy as a visionary in gaming history."

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The awards for both developers will be delivered at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony, which will take place on Thursday, March 12, at 6:30PM PT. The show will be streamed on the GDC Twitch and YouTube channels.

Disclaimer: Members of the Game Developer editorial team participate in the nominee selection process.Game Developer and Game Developers Conference are sibling organizations under Informa Festivals.