8 Biggest Unsung Heroes Working In The Video Game Industry

8. Haden Blackman - Directing The Best The Industry Has

If you remember LucasArts' twilight years, prior to their eventual demise at the hands of Disney, you should at least be vaguely familiar with Haden Blackman.

The game director of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Blackman has taken his passion for character-driven storytelling to video games, film and beyond, receiving widespread recognition for his trailblazing run on DC Comics' Batwoman, which he and co-author J.H. Williams III were forced to depart prematurely at the hands of the company's overbearing and degrading editorial oversight.

His impact did not go unnoticed however, as the writer was nominated for a GLAAD award in 2012, namely for his amazing work in bringing Kate Kane to the forefront of DC's lineup.

Blackman has, however, been propelled back into the spotlight, serving as game director on Hangar 13's hotly-anticipated entry in the Mafia franchise. The game is currently receiving praise from all sorts of outlets for its convincing portrayal of 1960s New Orleans. Scholars of the era would most likely agree that the title is perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of the late '60s, with Blackman and 13 doing so by refusing to shy away from the more tumultuous aspects of the decade, as well as through a wonderful deployment of era-appropriate iconography, music and social commentary.

Indeed, over the course of his decades-long career, Blackman has contributed to all sorts of games and comics, with his presence at LucasArts proving to be invaluable as the company progressed through the mid to late 2000s. The director looks to have brought his skills in abundance to Mafia III, and if his work on Batwoman is anything to go by, the story for this particular title could be incredible.