Kojima scores GDCA top honor

As one of the preeminent developer powwows of the year, the Game Developers Conference is used to attracting industry luminaries from across the globe. This year's show will be of special note, however, because famed Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima will be on hand to deliver a keynote address on game design. While Kojima is in the neighborhood, show organizer Think Services is taking the opportunity to honor him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, as well.

Today, Think Services announced that Hideo Kojima will be honored with the coveted award as part of the Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival on March 25. The ceremony will also see Harmonix cofounders Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy receive the Pioneer Award for their rhythm-genre innovation, while Video Games Live cofounder Tommy Tallarico will receive the Ambassador Award.

"For years, Hideo Kojima's contributions to game development have broken new ground and inspired the community to think about creating games in never-before-imagined ways," said GDC event director Meggan Scavio. "From giving birth to the stealth action game genre to showing game makers how to interact with their players by breaking the 'fourth wall,' Kojima's achievements make him an obvious choice for [the] award."

A 23-year game-industry veteran, Kojima got his start at Konami in 1986, helping to create the Metal Gear series for the MSX system. Since then, Kojima has overseen development of every game in the critically lauded series, including 1998's breakout hit Metal Gear Solid for the original PlayStation, and has crafted other notable titles, such as Zone of the Enders and Boktai: The Sun in Your Hand.

Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners include Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garriott, Eugene Jarvis, Mark Cerny, Gunpei Yokoi, Yuji Naka, and Will Wright. Last year, the accolade was bestowed upon Firaxis cofounder and Civilization creator Sid Meier.