Hideo Kojima was awarded the DICE Award for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain in the best action adventure game category- but he wasn’t there to accept it. Neither, for that matter, was anyone from Konami. The entire episode held shades of when Kojima was forbidden from attending Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards show last December by Konami- something on which they were publicly called out by Keighley live, on stage.
But Kojima no longer works with Konami, who would therefore no longer be able to stop him from attending any awards show or function- so why did he not attend the show to accept the award? As it turns out, he chose to not accept it, according to what spokesperson of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences told Polygon.
“Konami was unable to send someone to the awards and Kojima-San preferred not to accept it. The Academy thought the solution of having the presenters accept on behalf of the title was best for all parties.”
That’s all well and good, but I do wonder why Kojima didn’t want the award. Maybe he is trying to distance himself from Metal Gear, and all things Konami, as much as possible.