Hideo Kojima to accept Industry Icon prize at The Game Awards — and Konami can’t stop him

Wake up, Hideo. It’s time to celebrate your career — and this time, no one can stop you.

Metal Gear creator and renowned industry auteur Hideo Kojima was supposed to win a lifetime-achievement prize at The Game Awards in 2015, but publisher Konami — his former employer — blocked him from accepting it (Metal Gear Solid V voice actor Kiefer Sutherland took to the stage on his behalf). But now Kojima is no longer at Konami, and the award show, run by longtime industry hype man and journalist Geoff Keighley, is going to finally give Kojima his moment to shine under the light of 2017 game trailers emanating from the stage. The Game Awards air December 1 on YouTube Gaming, and you should expect to see teasers for upcoming games while nominees like Doom, Overwatch, and Titanfall 2 battle over trophies.

For Kojima, however, this is a chance to step out from the grim shadow that Konami cast over what was otherwise an impressive year for the creator. In 2015, the director released Metal Gear Solid V to glowing reviews. But Konami, which has shifted resources away from traditional game development in favor of mobile and gambling operations, ended its employment contract with Kojima only a few short months after MGSV debuted.

I’ve reached out to Konami to ask if it has a comment on its former star developer finally getting to accept his award, but the company has not responded to whether or not it regrets its words and deeds.

https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/799317329356070912

Kojima likely won’t only accept an award. The developer has partnered with Sony on a new game called Death Stranding, which he debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show earlier this year. It’s possible that Kojima will take this opportunity to show off more about the mysterious game, which is supposed to hit PlayStation 4 before the heat death of the universe.