Everyone is aware of how talented director Steven Spielberg is, however, not many people know that the director is equally influential in the gaming industry. In 1999, the director created and served as a producer for a first-person shooter video game, Medal of Honor, which was developed by DreamWorks Interactive and published by Electronic Arts.
The Medal of Honor franchise was quite popular in the 2000s, however, the competition from franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield slowed it down. In 2020, the franchise made a strong comeback with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. It was certainly a remarkable game as it became the only video game to win an Oscar. The game includes the short documentary Colette, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Steven Spielberg’s Medal of Honor franchise has one Oscar under its belt
In 1999, director Steven Spielberg worked with DreamWorks Interactive and Electronic Arts to release a video game called Medal of Honor for PlayStation. The 1999 first-person shooter video game was an instant hit so naturally, the franchise was expanded with more installments, however, it couldn’t keep up with franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
After 2012’s Medal of Honor: Warfighter, fans believed that the franchise was finished, however, they made a comeback with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. The game received mixed reviews, however, it is arguably the first video game ever to receive an Oscar. The game had a Gallery Mode which featured a short documentary called Colette. The documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards, making it the only video game to win an Oscar.
Steven Spielberg loves video games
In the past, Spielberg has expressed his love for video games. After the Medal of Honor franchise, Spielberg collaborated with Electronic Arts again for several games including one for the Wii called Boom Blox, and its sequel Boom Blox Bash Party. In 1995, Spielberg also helped create and design LucasArts’ adventure game The Dig and in 1996, he collaborated with Knowledge Adventure for the game Steven Spielberg’s Director’s Chair.
Spielberg has also revealed in an interview with CelebrityByte that he enjoys playing first-person shooters such as the Medal of Honor series and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. In the same interview, Spielberg explained that filmmakers are learning things from video games as movies are starting to look more and more like video games.
