New York Game Awards to honour Sam Lake

Remedy’s creative director Sam Lake will receive the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the 14th annual New York Game Awards.

The Andrew Yoon Legend Award is presented to those who have made a significant mark on the industry.

Last year, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann received the accolade. Past winners include Hideo Kojima, Phil Spencer, and Tim Schafer.

“You know a Remedy game when you see it, largely due to Sam Lake’s impact on the worlds he creates,” said New York Video Game Critics Circle president and founder Harold Goldberg.

“It’s really cool to see how his 20-year career at Remedy has touched so many of our members and interns at the Circle, and we are thrilled to have him join the roster of esteemed game changers previously recognised with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award.”

Lake joined Remedy in 1995 as a writer on the studio’s first game, Death Rally. He had several roles in Max Payne’s development, including lead writer and being the face model for the titular character.

He created the Alan Wake franchise, which launched in 2010. Lake was lead writer and co-director on its 2023 sequel and provided motion capture for the character of Alex Casey, voiced by the late James McCaffrey.

Lake also co-directed Quantum Break and wrote Control.

The 14th annual New York Game Awards will be held at the SVA Theatre on January 21, 2025.