The first video game series to win an Academy Award

Countries & Cities · Published 13 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before it was a household name, Medal of Honor was a cinematic experiment. Born from the director of Saving Private Ryan, it sought to bridge the gap between entertainment and education, eventually becoming one of the best-selling first-person shooter franchises in history.

The series debuted on October 31, 1999, for the PlayStation. Its inception was deeply tied to the cinematic vision of Steven Spielberg, who served as the executive producer for the first three titles. Inspired by his experience directing Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg wanted to create a game that functioned as both an educational and entertaining experience. Initial gameplay highlighted the use of forged papers and silenced pistols, focusing on the American espionage group known as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.

As technology evolved, the gameplay shifted from these covert operations toward front-line combat. The series saw a significant shift in 2003 with Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, which began incorporating more open-ended elements and non-linear paths. This evolution also changed the visual fidelity; while games up to Rising Sun featured bloodless violence, titles from Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (2004) onward introduced occasional sprays of blood and more complex animations.

The franchise's commercial legacy is massive, with over 39 million copies sold as of 2016. It was even recognized by Guinness World Records in 2008 as the best-selling FPS franchise. However, the series faced a turning point with Medal of Honor: Warfighter in 2012. Despite having a storyline written by real U.S. Tier 1 Operators, the game was a critical and commercial failure, leading Electronic Arts to take the series out of rotation in early 2013.

A unique distinction for the franchise is its cultural recognition. At the 93rd Academy Awards, the Best Documentary Short Subject prize went to 'Colette,' a film featured within the Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond gallery mode. This makes Medal of Honor arguably the first video game series to receive an Oscar for its content.

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