Earlier this week, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences laid out its lineup of speakers for this year's D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) convention, which takes place February 6-8 at Las Vegas' Red Rock Resort. Today, the AIAS said that one of those speakers, Blizzard Entertainment CEO Michael Morhaime, will pull double duty at the show, having also been named as this year's inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame.

　　Cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment in 1991--then known as Silicon & Synapse--Morhaime has had a hand in some of the biggest best-selling franchises in the industry, including Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. The AIAS specifically noted Morhaime's achievements in expanding the massively multiplayer online game space with World of Warcraft. As noted in Vivendi's third-quarter financial outcome, WOW currently plays home to more than 9.3 million subscribers.

　　"This is a great honor, and I'm proud to receive it," said Morhaime in a statement. "The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement."

　　BioWare cofounder and CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka will be presenting Morhaime with the honor during the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, which will occur on February 7. Previous AIAS Hall of Fame inductees include Trip Hawkins, Peter Molyneux, Yu Suzuki, Will Wright, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garriott, and Danielle Bunten Berry. The AIAS will also be honoring former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO and "Father of the PlayStation" Ken Kutaragi with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony.