The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announces that Hideo Kojima will be inducted into the Hall of Fame by his friend and collaborator Guillermo del Toro.

2015 was a rough year for legendary game developer Hideo Kojima. While he managed to release the critically-acclaimed Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Kojima also had a mysterious falling out with his longtime publisher Konami, resulting in a series of confusing heartbreaking decisions not only for Kojima, but his fans as well. So far, the new year is looking up for Kojima, however, as it has just been announced that he will be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will take place on February 18th in Las Vegas during the annual D.I.C.E. Awards event. Kojima will be the 21st inductee into the Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, Gabe Newell, and many other important game developers.

Kojima is no stranger to award winning. In fact, just recently, his game Metal Gear Solid 5 won Action Adventure Game of the Year from The Game Awards 2015 show. Unfortunately, Kojima was barred from attending The Game Awards by Konami, and was unable to accept the award in person as a result. Luckily, that won't be the case this time, as Kojima will be accepting his induction into the AIAS Hall of Fame in person.

Presenting the award to Kojima will be his friend and collaborator Guillermo del Toro. del Toro and Kojima were collaborating on the now-cancelled Silent Hills together, and have expressed interest in working with each other on other projects in the future. Having Guillermo del Toro, who has very little overall experience in the gaming industry, induct Kojima into the Hall of Fame is an interesting choice, and maybe the two will take the opportunity to tease a new project.

In the meantime, AIAS president Martin Rae had this to say about Hideo Kojima being inducted into the Hall of Fame:

"Hideo Kojima's career-defining works have shaped much of how the video game industry approaches cinematic storytelling and player engagement. As one of the most well-loved and well-respected designers of our time, it is a great honor for the Academy to induct him into our Hall of Fame. Hideo is a game creator whose eyes have always looked towards the future, and we look forward to his thoughts on the D.I.C.E. Summit stage."

There is no doubt that Kojima belongs in the Hall of Fame, considering his critically-acclaimed and highly innovative work over the years. After all, Kojima created one of the most successful video game franchises of all time with Metal Gear Solid, and it's a series that has constantly pushed the boundaries of how storytelling in video games should be handled. He's also responsible for the beloved P.T. teaser that captured the imagination of horror enthusiasts last year, as well as a number of other high profile gaming projects.

Even though Kojima is being inducted into the Hall of Fame, his work in the gaming industry certainly isn't over yet. Kojima recently started a new version of Kojima Productions, and plans on developing a game in conjunction with PlayStation. With 2015 behind him, Kojima can start 2016 off right by accepting his induction into the Hall of Fame and by working on his new game, finally free of the messy situation at Konami.

Source: GameSpot