Few creators in the gaming industry have had such an outstanding impact on the way we all experience interactive storytelling. His lofty mind can be attributed to such titles as Snatcher, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Policenauts, Death Stranding, and the would-be horror hit Silent Hills: PT. To toast his unreplicable creative ingenuity, Hideo Kojima has been awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade under the BAFTA roster. The bestowal places Kojima's name alongside some of the very minds that have influenced his work, from the likes of Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese, which in and of itself is only fitting for a mastermind of game creation. After all, who doesn't love Hideo Kojima?
The BAFTA Fellowship specifically celebrates those who have made an "outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games or television." Kojima isn't the first in the industry to receive such a prestigious achievement, evidenced by such names as Will Wright, Gabe Newell, Tim Schafer, Rockstar Games, Shigeru Miyamoto, and many more. The inclusion of Death Stranding's creator only further cements his name in the pantheon of talented game designers and storytellers.
As the BAFTA Press Release reads:
"Hideo Kojima is a revered Japanese video game designer, writer, director and producer with over 20 years of experience within the industry. Widely considered as the father figure of the stealth genre, he is also credited with innovating both story-telling and cinematic presentation in video games at large. Kojima has been nominated for seven BAFTA Games Awards."
Having revolutionized stealth mechanics in gaming with the Metal Gear franchise and later adapting the essence of horror itself in a canceled playable teaser, which has amassed its own cult following, Kojima has time again proved himself to be an unconventional yet high-thinking creator. Now he has moved on to bigger and more revolutionizing concepts, such as adapting the "Strand" genre and potentially even gearing up for an all-new horror title.
In addition to the seven other BAFTA awards and his newfound Fellowship, Kojima has been respected for his hard work and dedication to the industry quite a few times before, most notably with the first-ever Cologne Creative Award. He's also received the Guinness World Record for most Twitter followers of any game director, even with having two separate accounts. Oddly specific, yet clearly his talents speak for themselves.
Despite his falling-out with Konami leaving some fans disappointed, not merely in the loss of Metal Gear's star creator but also in the forgotten advent of a revamped Silent Hills franchise, it has now led Kojima onto newer and brighter roads. The splintering off of Kojima Productions allowed for the development of Death Stranding and will only lead to far more amazing games, worlds many of his fans will become instantly lost within and gratified with for years on end.
Celebrate alongside the legend himself on April 2, 2020, as the iconic game designer is recognized for pushing the bounds of interactivity in storytelling.