While we're still just under a month away from the Computer Entertainment Developers Conference (CEDEC) for 2025, taking place on July 22 - 25, 2025, the Computer Entertainment Association today announced that they would be granting their "Special Award" to legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu.

The award was granted to Uematsu for his contribution to laying the groundwork for video game music to be recognized as art in the modern era. They further back this up by stating that "the theme song for Final Fantasy is so recognizable that, regardless of whether the title is new or a remake, players will instantly recognize what they're getting into".

While Nobuo Uematsu's contributions to Final Fantasy are amongst his most recognizable internationally, in recent years, his long-standing relationship with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has seen him working alongside him on various Mistwalker releases, including the most recent FANTASIAN Neo Dimension.

With the Special Award already announced, other prizes to be announced during the conference include "Game Design", "Sound", and "Visual Arts", amongst others. Those interested in checking out additional information about CEDEC 2025 be sure to head to the conference's official website.