Darlings named in Queen’s birthday honors

David and Richard Darling, co-founders of Codemasters, were both made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), which sounds like a real-time strategy Harry Potter game.

We've been big fans of Codemasters since the days of Dizzy and Brain Ache, but the UK firm is better known for ultra-realistic racing games these days and Lord of the Rings Online. The Darlings literally went from bedroom coders to business superstars, and the Queen's finally sat up and taken notice.

"For over 20 years David and Richard led Codemasters as it became one of the video game industry's great British success stories," said Rod Cousens, present head of Codemasters. There's no quote from Her Royal Highnessin the BBC reportunfortunately. "Their drive and passion for creating the best in interactive entertainment will always be part of the industry's heritage and this recognition is well deserved."

Maybe the Queen can pull some strings and get Dizzy on Xbox Live Arcade? Lord knows we've tried.

The brothers have since sold their stake in the firm to pursue other interests.

Courtesy of CVG.

Jun 16, 2008