They lost Silent Hills, but at least del Toro can give Kojima a trophy

After a rough couple years, things are really looking up for Hideo Kojima. First he opens a new studio with a Sony publishing deal for its first game, then he gets one of the most prestigious awards in the games industry from his old buddy Guillermo del Toro: The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced that Kojima will be inducted into its Hall of Fame at the 19th DICE Awards Ceremony on February 18.

If you've been living in a cardboard box for the last two decades, Kojima is commonly celebrated as one of gaming's grandest "auteur" creators for his work on the Metal Gear series. The award will be presented by Pacific Rim and Pan's Labyrinth director del Toro, who was formerly Kojima's collaborator on the now-canceled Silent Hills (and P.T.).

Konami allegedly barred Kojima from attending The Game Awards in December to accept awards for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, but it's good to see him and his new beard back on the awards circuit. Once inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame, Kojima will join influential folks like Dan and Sam Houser of Rockstar Games, PS4 lead system architect Mark Cerny, and jolly old Sir Peter Molyneux, all of whom receive permanent access to a secret aircraft carrier equipped with experimental jet fighters and three swim-up bars.

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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.