Sid Meier — the creator of Civilization, Pirates! and Railroad Tycoon, co-founder of MicroProse and Firaxis Games — will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (February 18-22).

GDC’s Jamil Moledina of Meier: “Now that the rest of the industry is actively targeting the broader audience, it’s fitting to honor him with our highest award and thank him for his continuing example of inspiration for the video game community.”

Meier is currently the creative director at Firaxis Games and is working on Civilization Revolution, set for a spring ‘08 release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, DS and Wii.

Meier has said about Revolution: “Civilization Revolution is the game I’ve always wanted to make! We are excited to take advantage of the power of next generation consoles and the ingenuity of handhelds, to create a great and unique strategy game for newcomers to the series, as well as the millions of fans around the world who enjoy Civilization on the PC.”

[See also: Civilization Revolution gallery]