Morhaime marks the eleventh inductee into the Hall of Fame, joining renowned industry figures such as Sid Meier, Will Wright, Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garriott, Peter Molyneux, Trip Hawkins, and Yu Suzuki.

"This is a great honor, and I'm proud to receive it," said Morhaime. "The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement."

Though Morhaime has contributed to beloved Blizzard franchises--including Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo--it is the company's work with its ludicrously successful PC MMO World of Warcraft that drew the academy's praise.

"Morhaime and Blizzard Entertainment are recognized for creating an MMOG that expanded the traditionally hardcore audience of the genre to also include the broader casual-gaming audience," reads the AIAS announcement, which points out that WoW has more than 9.3 million subscribers.

Morhaime will be presented with the award by BioWare CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka on February 7 at the Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas--the same event that will recognize the achievements of PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blizzard owner Vivendi Games recently announced a merger with former competitor Activision. The new company, said to the the biggest third-party publisher in the world, will be known as Activision Blizzard, and Blizzard's role in the merger has been heavily touted, though the studio promises it will not be affected by the action.