Games Workshop Co-Founder Knighted

The co-founder of the gaming company Games Workshop received a knighthood. Earlier this week, Sir Ian Livingstone was honored with a knighthood via the Queen’s New Year Honour’s List 2022. Per the official list published by UK government, Sir Livingstone was honored for his services to the “online gaming industry,” tied to his work with Eidos Interactive and Square Enix in the 1990s and 2000s. Notably, Livingstone acquired many of Square Enix’s hit franchises during his time with Eidos, including the Tomb Raider and Hitman franchises. Livingstone also contributed to the Tomb Raider: Anniversary project, which was released in 2009. 

Livingstone is also known for co-founding Games Workshop, the British company behind Warhammer 40,000. Livingstone founded Games Workshop along with John Peake and Steve Jackson. The company first rose to prominence by being the exclusive distributor of the then fledgling game Dungeons & Dragons to European players. They then launched a physical store location and the flagship magazine White Dwarf, which Livingstone served as editor of until 1986. While Livingstone was not involved with the design of the company’s flagship game Warhammer Fantasy, Livingstone was one of the primary designer for Fighting Fantasy, a series of books that combined “Choose Your Own Adventure” story choices with dice rolls. Scholastic has published the Fighting Fantasy books since 2017, with Livingstone writing a new adventure for its 35th anniversary.

Livingstone also founded Citadel Miniatures, which produced miniatures for various tabletop games. While Citadel initially produced miniatures for various games, the company eventually became a brand for Games Workshop responsible for the production of both miniatures and miniatures accessories for their games. 

Livingstone has remained involved with both the video game industry and tabletop gaming in recent years. He was part of a group that invested in the British board game company Steamforged, which publishes both licensed board games based on various video game franchises and original projects. Livingstone is also a member of multiple company and foundation boards.