Neverwinter Nights Developer Honored

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has honored Stormfront Studios at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards ceremony for creating Neverwinter Nights, the first MMORPG in history. Development on the game began in 1989; it was then offered on AOL from 1991-97. The success of the game ushered in the release of follow up games from BioWare.

Don Daglow, who led the design of Neverwinter Nights, accepted the award for Stormfront and its publishers, AOL and Wizards of the Coast. “These games are not just entertainment,” he said. “They build new kinds of communities and create deep people-to-people relationships. They influence people’s lives in the same way as great books, inspiring movies and iconic television shows, and we’re grateful to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for this honor.”

Sony Online Entertainment and Blizzard were also honored at the ceremony for the development of EverQuest and World of Warcraft, two immensely popular MMORPGs.